WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 271 



The drainage system of the county is somewhat complex. 

 All of the water finally reaches the Ohio river, however, some 

 streams flowing directly into it and in other cases reaching it 

 through the Little Kanawha and the Great Kanawha rivers. 

 The northern half of the county is drained by the West Fork 

 of the Little Kanawha river, by Spring creek and by Reedy 

 creek, tributaries of the Little Kanawha, and by the headwaters 

 of Sandy creek and Mill creek, which flow west into the Ohio 

 river. The southern half is drained' principally by Big Sandy 

 creek and Little Sandy creek, tributaries of Elk river, and by 

 Pocatalico river, a tributary of the Great Kanawha. 



The Original Forest Conditions. 



The principal timbers of the county were hardwoods. Those 

 that deserve special mention on account of their abundance and 

 good quality are white oak, yellow poplar, chestnut, hickory, 

 black walnut and white ash. Other abundant species of less 

 value were sugar and red maple and beech. There were smaller 

 quantities of basswood, black oak, red oak, black gum, chestnut 

 oak, black cherry, white elm, slippery elm, sycamore, and others. 

 Pitch pine grew to some extent on dry hills, and there was a 

 little yellow pine on the western side near the Jackson county 

 line. Hemlock was rarely found. 



The Lumber Industry. 



The first timber taken from the county was drifted out on 

 the Pocatalico river, on Spring creek, and on Reedy creek. The 

 drifting logs were caught in booms which had been constructed 

 near the mouths of the streams named. The logs from Spring 

 and Reedy creeks were rafted on the Little Kanawha to Park- 

 ersburg, and those from Pocatalico river to Point Pleasant, Cin- 

 cinnati and other points along the Ohio river. Some of the tim- 

 ber was sold in the tree to companies, but, in most cases, the 

 logs were bought and branded after they had been cut in the 

 winter by the landowners. During the spriag freshets the logs 

 were drifted to the mouths of the streams and delivered to the 

 purchasing companies. The period of most active floating was 



