Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1884-12-20
AWAY OUT In TUCKER COUNTY.

ST. GEORGE, w. VA, Dec. s.
u Tucker county, West Virginia.
here is a scope of territory so pecu-
liar in its formation aud surround
ings as to make it subject of inter
-st to any one who will. in its inves
cation, unite geography and geology
1t incluties--and in fact is-the coal
field which the w. Va. c. & p. rail
way is now penetrating. 1t is dis
rinet region, separate from all the
other country round about. Fol-
many years, and as long as the land
has been known, it has been called
Canaan y; but there is no zeal OF
fancifnl resemb lance TO the Canaan
If the Bible ON account of which il
could have derived its name, and il
is unknown who named it, or why
or wherefore.
DID UT A-t Ol-D
1t is the bed of an oil lake, drain
ed dry myriads Of ages ago. 1t l.
twenty miles long and six wide.
and is entirely surround, d by a
rim of mountains, except in one
place where the Black Fork has cut
through and torn out the rocky bat
Elements of the hills, thereby prepar-
ing passage way by which the water
of the lake has been drained off. o..
the east and southeast the summit
of the main Alleghenies runs round
the edge Of the basin, forming, as il
were, a rim for il. On the Other
side, the north and west. the Back
bone Mountain forms the rim
Some tremendous conyulsion of ma
ture, in volcanic times, upheaved
the mountains and left the basin en-
closed among them. The two noun
tains, the Allegheny and the Back
bone, separate at Fairfax Stone (tbe
cornerstone of Maryland and West
Virginia,l aud mite again at tn.
southern end of Canaan, which il
thus walled IN by them on every
side, and is perfect basin of an
oblong shape, nestled among tn,
very submits of the AppalachiaI
Mountains. 1t is nearly as high az
the Alleghenies. A few hundred
feet will measure the difference.
THERE WAS A TINE.
There was Il time in geological
ages when this basin was filed will
water, collected from the rains Of
summer and the SHOWS Of winter. L
was then lake extending north
and south twenty miles, and cas-
end west five or six miles. About IT
there was nothing so fast as TO max.
it interesting when classed will
Superior, Tanganyika and the world,
great lakes, but small though it was.
it must have been quiet, beautilu
picture, if there had been in that fat
time human feelings to have appre-
ciated it. But, this was long befur.
Adams fallen race as Moses teach
es, was driven from Eden to subdue
the world.
1T WAS STILL THERE.
The little lake was all alone in it,
high mountain bed. Human foot
steps ne, er marked its shores. The
rain fell, the wind blew, she summer
passed and the winters came and it
was still there, mirroring at timer
the blue armament of heaven in all
deepness and purify, and other times
the storms-fo there were storms
ragged over it. Tie breezes and the
storms, the winters and the SUNSHINE
of centuries aud millennials passed.
II wild beasts came down to drinL
of or swim in the water. they were
not such as live there now. The
huge bulk OF the rliinoceros, the IL
nandon and the pterodactyl ma,
then have wallowed among the mire-
boys of the shores or flew soaring
through the air.
AGES WERE REQUIRED.
Ages were no doubt required To-
complete the work OF draining th
lake after it had overlooked it,
mountain enbankments. The point
of overflow was in the northwestern
corner, where now ls the deep, rug
ged canon of Black Fork. Year b,
year, aud century after cenrnry, the
wearing OF the water cut deeper
channel intbe rocks, until it was cut SO
deep that the lake was drained dry,
and the valley OF. Canaan was left "a.
it now is. Generally it is fat snr
face; bnt in places, principally in
the northern part, il is feariully eui
up by flowing water. The beds Of
the creeks have woir deep gullies
OF canons, and through them the
water dashes and roars among the
cataracts and powders that have
crashed into the ulysses from over
hanging cliffs.
p. 7. BaTnum says that til Re
etipts Of his show fnr be season Of