WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



209 



used in local tanneries. Since then a large quantity has been 

 hauled on wagons and shipped from Morgantown, Uffington, 

 Little Falls, and other points on the Baltimore and Ohio and 

 the Morgantown and Kingwood railroads. U. L. Griffith, T. 

 Bennett, and Phillips and Lemmon have been among the lead- 

 ing buyers of tan-bark. 



There has been a large cross-tie industry for many years. 

 Hewed ties were first shipped on the river in barges; and in 

 later years a great many have been hewed and sawed and hauled 

 to the railroad from every part of the county. 



Most of the best black walnut was bought and shipped in 

 the log several years ago. 



The Present Forest Conditions. 



Areas of virgin forest aggregating about 7,600 acres still 

 remain on the waters of Cheat river and Deckers creek in the 

 eastern end of the county. The principal tract, containing ap- 

 proximately 5,000 acres, lies on the east of Cheat river and ad- 

 joins the forests of Preston county. Several hundred acres of 

 virgin forest which is not heavily timbered lies on the steep 

 faces of the Cheat river mountains, and areas of less extent lie 

 on the hills on both sides of Deckers creek. The cut-over for- 

 ests, containing about 11,000 acres, also lie in the same region. 



The remainder of the county is divided up into farms 

 which are partly cleared and partly wooded. As a rule the 

 farmers' woodlots have but little timber. 



MONROE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 



Monroe county was formed in the year 1799 from a part 

 of Greenbrier. It is situated on the southern border of the 

 state and has an area of 464 square miles or 296,960 acres. 



Topography. 



The county is traversed by 4 parallel mountains run- 

 ning northeast and southwest. The principal one of these is 

 iPeters mountain — a long and s;sTQmetrical mountain ridgCj 

 forming for many miles the natural boundary line between 

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