292 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



feet, principally of yellow pine. There were a few red cedars 

 near the water courses and hemlocks grew in narrow belts in 

 the deeper hollows. Pitch pine was found only here and there 

 on dry, sandy ridges. 



The Lumber Industry. 



Some of the early settlers in the county, especially those 

 that bought land far back from the larger streams, destroyed 

 most of their fine walnuts, poplars and other timbers by fire. 

 Others, whose timber was easily accessible to the Ohio river, 

 sold a part of it to lumbermen who were rafting logs to Cin- 

 cinnati and other southern points. According to Mr. H. H. 

 Furbee, of Middlebourne, between the years 1840 and 1880, 24 

 combination grist and sash saw mills were running on Middle Is- 

 land creek in Tyler county. Some of these mills ran night and day 

 in the winter. All sawed for southern markets. The bulk of the 

 best yellow and white pine in the county was sawed on these 

 water mills. Four sash saw mills are still operated irregularly. 



In the summer of 1870 the first steam saw mill was brought 

 in. Since that time portable mills have been operated in al- 

 most every section. Not more than half a dozen of these are 

 running now. 



In 1881 the first stave factory came into the county, oper- 

 ating first at Sisterville, later at Middlebourne and other points. 

 Before the coming of the stave mills much timber was shipped 

 out for staves, principally to Pittsburg, some of it hauled in 

 wagons for part of the distance, some floated, and some taken 

 in barges. 



No band mills, or any large stationary mills, have ever been 

 operated in the county. 



The thousands of oil well derricks erected in the area have 

 drawn heavily upon the timber supply. 



The Present Forest Conditions. 



There are a few small virgin timber tracts lying on Middle 

 Island creek, McElroy creek and Indian creek, aggregating 

 1,200 acres. All the remaining woodland is owned in small 

 boundaries by farmers. Many of the woodlots contain good 



