314 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



with logs from Braxton, Gilmer, Roane, Calhoun and Wirt 

 counties. 



McConaughey & Company began the purchase of timber 

 and staves in 1873, being the only recognized company at that 

 time which made regular purchases of both these commodities. 

 Their operation extended also into Gilmer, Calhoun and Roane 

 counties. This company operated 2 stave mills and purchased 

 large numbers of split staves from the residents of the county. 

 These were sold in Pittsburg, Cincinnati and in Indiana. Dur- 

 ing the same years the Company bought timber of all kinds that 

 could be disposed of to C. Crane & Company, Geo. Rettig, Burns 

 Brothers & Huffman, Geo. Crawford and the Marietta Chair 

 Company, operators along the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers. 



From 1877 to 1900 McConaughey & Company dealt ex- 

 tensively in cross-ties, taking up the first that were branded on 

 the Little Kanawha river above the ''pools," and handling in 

 some single years from 100,000 to 200,000. Since 1885 Withers 

 & Yandevender, the Little Kanawha Log and Tie Company, D. 

 M. Miller, and others, have been large purchasers of cross-ties 

 in the county. 



Parkersburg was long the chief market place for timber 

 of all kinds that came down the Little Kanawha ; but, after the 

 building of the dams on this river, Burning Springs and Creston 

 became the headquarters for timber dealers. All timber was de- 

 livered by the residents of this section and by purchasing com- 

 panies into the pools at one of these points. 



D. M. Miller and McConaughey & Company have handled 

 most of the square oak. This was shipped to Canada and to Bal- 

 timore, and exported from there to England. 



The largest mills that operated in the county were Burns 

 Brothers and Huffman's band mill, McCoy Lumber Company's 

 circular and gang saw mill, and the West Virginia Bung Com- 

 pany's mill, all located at Elizabeth. The first 2 mills named 

 began to operate about 1880, cutting logs that were rafted from 

 above on the river. 



The yellow pine which grew near the river was sawed large- 

 ly by the Parkersburg Mill Company which cut, of all kinds, 

 from 400 to 600 rafts, annually, each raft of oak and pine con- 



