Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-04-06
The West End of Iron County. Nc
NUMBER TWO.

Having glanced at the general
topography of the district, attention
will now be directed to it's agricultural
an ! mineral resources.
To connect these phases of the SUBJ
ject, it is remarked that every noun
tain range has one slope that is abrupt
and one that is gradual. The southern
slope of the Ozarks is abrupt, but that
is fact compensated by a greater number
of springs, and it's rocky formations are
smaller, and its area available for cul-
tivation comparatively larger. On the
crest and the spurs projecting from it
there are many small tracts of excel
lent land, but their occupants must
depend on cisterns for their water.
Good springs are numerous but not
evenly distributed on the district.
The streams are mountain torrents,
which accumulate rapidly and soon be-
come irresistible. The valleys being
very narrow, the roads are usually
forced out into the channels of creeks,
which, during the winter and spring,
sweep away all the road work done the
preceding year. The floods in the
spring of 1892 were terrific. Itwould
require $4,000 to repair the road dam
age in the district.
But the people are taking the hint
and removing the roads from the creeks
to the spurs between them. Anumber
of the citizens of Clayton's Creek last
summer, made themselves a splendid
road from the head of that creek to the
State road at old Kaolin. Such exam
pies of public spirit, guided by sound
Judgment, deserves honorable men,
tion.
But the damage to the roads was not
all the harm done by the floods. Much
| of the soil was carried away, and inn
mense deposits of gravel were drifted
on other places, utterly running them.
The people have labored with COM
mendable patience and energy, and
have repaired damages as far as posi-
BILE, but the irreparable damage is full
ly equal to 81, 500 per annum. This is
a sad drawback to the resources of a
people already cramped.
Except in kaolin and some other
clays, the district has no mineral re-
sources that will ever repay develop.
ment. Scattered over it, there are de-
posits of iron admirable in quality, but
not in paying quantity. On Clayton's
Creek there is little carburet of iron
or black lead. On the Peter Cave
Branch of Outre, there is a shadow ot
silver bearing lead, which appears
again on Meals Creek. The copper
blossom of township 33, north, range
one east, does not reach Iron county.
In regard to the mineral formations,
no trained eye can be deceived by salt.
ing, because if metal in large quanti-
ties is in the ground, the fact will be
stamped indelibly on the formation OF
the surface,
On the Outre prong of the Middle
Fork of Black River, there are six dis
tinct strata of kaolin, and on the head
of Big River there is large deposit
equal in firmness to any at East Liver
pool, in Ohio. There is also some on
Clayton's Creek.
In respect to timber for saving, there
is not enough pine to supply the local
mills. Section sixteen, "a north. east,
and section 4, 81. 1 west. contain
nearly all the available stock OF pine in
the district. The oak timber Is OF
small size and generally scrubby.
Having outlined the earth. attention
can now be given to the climatology