Star of the Kanawha Valley. [volume] (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856, 1856-06-04
NlisltlIallsa!ns..
From the ~ irginia Farmer
The Kanawha Mountains.

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Like ocean waves in war 6fstorms
1but mightier far, are the. Kanaxha
Mountains ia Western Virginia L
They extend from the Little Kalawha
to the Big Sandy river, and from the
Ohio MP South eastwardly, about one
hundred miles, toward the high re.
gion near the Allegheny ridge. |.
Nincteen-twentieths OF the surface
are mountain side or mountain top,
The large rivers have alluyial bot.
toms, in but few places exceeding "a
mile in width. The small streams
How through narrow wales, branching
off like tree-lin,bs between the ridges,
which branch off like tree-liinbs be-
tween the wales. with such ever-vary.
ing form, height and direction, and
such intricacy Of hill and hollow %
every side, that stranger may Lose
himself, Is in q Dscdalian labyrinth
at every turn. f lgssc 35Ei
= But these arc not Alpine Noun.
tains, though generally steep. Few
Of them rise 1000 feet, the most Of
them not half SO much, above the
neighboring valleys. Butthe Sewel
and Gauly Mountains, on the south!
eastern border. must be excepted
They rise 1000 feet or more above
the horrid chasrn, in which the New
River (the upper part Of the kanaw-
hay roars and rushes through them.
To a traveller through the Kanawha
: valley, particularly the upper part Of
it, the bordering mountains have O
very forbidden aspect. SO rugged do
they appear. and so ill-adaptea to az.
riculture. But this is their worst
aspect. To get correct idea Of them,
one must dive into their recesses, by
following the windings of vale to
onetof its many heads in q flank of a
ridge. Here he will begin to see the
general character of this manifold
intertexture of hills and hollows,
with their .boundless eontiguity OF
shade" Here he will find the least
ruggedness Of surface, the bestmoun-
tain soil, and the inightiest growth Of
: trees VI ss.s >.ell54AIL :
The mineral riches Of this country,
though known to- be great, have not
been fully explored. The Kanawha
Salt Worksinake millions of bushels
annually. The immense seams Of
coal -bitnminous. camel &splint coal
are beginning ibeeStensively work
cd for exportation;5 and will, before
many years, send boat loads by thou
sands annually to the towns below,
and evento the sea; for d flat-boat
carrying two or three hundred tons,
needs only Storage, to float with the
current down tofhe Gulf Of Mexico.
For the building Of such boats, the
tall popular trees Of the mountains
are IN great demand. ii
The iron orc beds near the Kanaw-
Ia river aud its branches, are, for the
most part, d recent discovery. Tie
quality Of the ore is good and. the
singular circumstance, thatlimestone
and coal are found lin juxtaposition
with the ore, all III d forest, are pro
vidential indications, that these ore
beds are 70 be worked. : e
With small exception, this It'll
country is covered with q triple tier
ofvegetstion, Tall forest trees dom
ineer over an inferior growth ofsmall
! trees and shrubs, among which grape
vines, other vines, creepers, briers
and brambles, make an ENHANCEMENT
and scratching, by no means plea
SAINT to the passer.through. Under
oil are weeds, herbs and grasses. s
The most cssinen tree, the oak OF