SCOTT COUNTY. 199 
one of these shale valleys. East of the mouth of Washburn Creek 
this same shale valley continues past Barber post-office into Logan 
County. South of Pine Log Ridge another long but narrow valley 
crosses this end of the county. Still farther south is Bluff Ridge, 
already mentioned. The valley south and east of Bluff Ridge is a 
remarkable one. Geologically it begins on the headwaters of Little 
Petit Jean Creek, southwest of the toll bridge, passes northward by 
way of Crow post-office, then turns eastward to the mouth of Wash- 
burn Creek, extends down Petit Jean Creek to the point where it cuts 
through Bluff Ridge, and there swings southward and westward past 
the town of Belva. Here it forks, one part passing westward toward 
Crow, the other swinging southward and eastward, where it runs 
along the north base of the Poteau Mountains. Everywhere through- 
out this valley are shales, some of them clay shales and others more 
or less sandy. Another shale valley runs completely around Jennings 
Hill. 
The Poteau Mountains themselves are made up of shales and 
sandstones that are higher in the geologic series than the rocks of the 
lower lands both north and south of them. Near the base of the 
southern slopes of Poteau Mountain there is a series of parallel ridges 
and valleys. These ridges are of sandstone again and the valleys 
between are in shales. Beginning at the Indian Territory line in sec. 
31, T. 3 N., R. 32 W., one of these shale valleys passes just north of 
Gipson post-office and just north of the town of Cauthron, and so on 
eastward to the valley of Self Branch, 5 miles north of the town of 
Waldron. South of the Poteau River the region both north and 
south of Walker Mountain is made up of a series of sandstone ridges 
and shale valleys. The sandstones predominate here, however, and 
the shales do not form such thick beds as they do north of the Poteau 
Mountains or in the region about and south of Waldron. 
The town of Waldron stands in a broad shale valley which passes 
4 or 5 miles east of the town and then bends northward and westward 
and swings back so as to form one of the set of valleys parallel with 
Poteau Mountain along its south side. A mile south of Waldron is a 
sandstone ridge that extends a few miles farther west and bends north- 
ward, ending in a low, hooked ridge about 2 miles west of the town. 
East of Waldron this same ridge continues for several miles along the 
north side of the upper part of Poteau Creek. South of this sand- 
stone ridge is a broad shale valley through which runs Haw Creek and 
the headwaters of Poteau Creek. South of this is a series of parallel 
ridges of sandstone, the most prominent of which are Piney Mountain 
and Ross Mountain. The shales interbedded with these sandstone 
beds are not very thick, but many of them are available for the manu- 
facture of clay goods. One of the most prominent of these valleys is 
that along which Ross Creek flows. This is a shale valley about 11 
miles in length. 
