The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-06-04
DopDRIDGE COUNTY.

Wet Union, county seat; formed February 4:
1915. from Harrison, Rltchlc and Lewis named
for Philip poldrdge, ". Y.
Area 4I5 square miles; population. !i'lsS.
S2,UI5,G52.
County tax on 500 valuation. cents.
TIE geographical location Of this county rem
ders II one OF the most desirable III tue state.
Lying, as II does on tue Bnltllnore y ONO rail-
road, the facilities for marketing products ore
good Being travCrscd bythreC lArgo waterways,
there Is necessarily u large quantity Of aluyinl
land In the valleys, which Is Of me best quality
for farming purposes, The hill ma plateau
lands are OE clay ioain aud ofthe richest charGc-
ter growing all the cereals etc, TO perlGGtlOn rs
well rs being the finest soil in the world Tor blue
grass. Tho plentiful supply OF wgter and this
natural adaptation 10 blue grlss renders the coln-
" uuexcclled for grazing purposes, especially
Doddriise County, also contains some OF the
finest timber lands in the world, growing OAK;
walnut, ash hickory, poplar, etc. a great deal
OF the land Is held In are trncts and still awaits
Tho wOoasman'S AZ 10 rouse It's sleeping eher-
giles. This land can be bought Ut from five TO
eight dOl1Qrs per mere. Good improved lands
can be had for from eight to twenty-five dollars
Tic numbering business Is quite extensive Hs
Is also the raising OF cattle aud sheep. Many OF
the cattle are exported to eastern markets;
At the county seat arc five large general stores
doing a business OF from $4,000 TO $1,000 each
per year; GIsO Il large wholesale grocery and pro-
luce store. Tho pUbllc buildings III the county
nrc new and cointnOtious. $1,000 SCHOOL
house Is now in process Of erection ut the county
seat. The roads are well graded and Will COM
plro invornbly with those Of other and older
counties There are 80 school houses IN the
county and % churches. Tho settler In any poF-
ton Of the county finds himself, within eGsy
walking distance OF good schools, anu az no
great distance from u church.
Conf Is found in various parts Of the county
hut in small volnB from two 20 three ieet IN
thickness. Limestone Is abundant in almost all
parts Of the county; there Is also ilnc vein OF
Iron ore now being used for roof painting,
Building stone Is pOhtiiul. Quantities OF oil aud
gus underlie the greater portion Of the county
and want only the probing OF the drlll 10 send Il
skyWard. New industries Rre needed and will
be heartily welcomed. There is also room for
two or three hundred more farmers and stock
breeders TO develop the hill sides and valleys.
The county has two excellent newspapers.
Railroads and waterways divide DOddridge
county equally. Since the great thoroughfnre
WIS constructed In 1856 the "irOn horse" carries
nearly fifty different native productions 70 the
seahoord, aud half US many more westward.
The principal streams OF the county are Md:
Hughes river, NcElroy creek aud their tribu-
taries.
Middle Island creek, the most crooked creek
in the valley, Is formed by the flowing together
OF two streams, MpHthousp and Buckeye Fork
at Smlthtdn, IN this county thence winding Its
way among the FIRMS which pernlelto It's bands,
tiuws past the county seat, enlarged by various
smaller streAnlets, and finally pOurs HVast vol
June OF water into Tyler county, wherp II lCls-
urely rolls Into the Ohio River at 81. Mnry's.
The Northwestern turnpike passes through the
county from east To west and about divides the
county equally. The StsterSyille, and Weston
turnpike. tho Harrisvillc aud Salem turnpike
and the shinnston and SisteHville turnpike all
pass through the county. Besides these leading
ihoroughfGreS. there are roads up md down
each creek and streAnlot and crossing the hills
from one tributary to mother. The county Will
expsnd $4,000 the coming summer on the public
roads.
The district Of Mcclellan has voted to sub
scribe $4,000 to the capital stock OF any com
many that wonll bnild road commencing nj
some point on the Ohio river, thence by way OF
Mitidlpbourne, and up MsElEey creek vs. way Of
Centre Point and int0Fsect tho West Virginia l.
Pittyburgh road at or near lunberpolnt, ln
Harrison county.
county Is unimproycd.