Democratic messenger., 1894-12-22
CTS ABOUT COUNTIES.
Imaginary Lines and Not Natural Bountia-
ries Used to Mark Most of Them.

Tina sinary Lines and Not Natural Bounsia-
ries Used To Mara Most of Them.
Few even of the New England states
have made use Of natural features for
county boundaries British kings set
the fashion in the New World of mark
ing political divisions by imaginary
| lines, and the fashion has been followed
faithfully i'll states old and new. Its
final development is found i'll the west
ern states and territories, where natures
boundaries, mountain ranges ard rivers
are neglected for the sake of the paral-
lels and meridians. Maine, whose coun-
ties are as irregular i'll shape as any i'll
the world, has not made use of natural
landmarks TO any considerable extent.
Vermont and New Hampshire have here
and there used mountain ranges and
streams for county boundaries. Massa-
chusctts and Connecticut have disregard
ed natural boundaries III great degree.
Even the great Connecticut river flows
across counties and is boundary line
only between parts of Middlesex and
New London counties i'll Connecticut.
Rhode Islands chief county boundaries
are imaginary lines.
Massachusetts has two island coun-
ties, Dukes and Nantucket. Island coun-
ties occur also i'll New York and Wash
;.Stcs. but not elsewhere, though the
larger part of Door county, Wis. is an
island i'll Lake Michigan. Washington
island county bears the name of Island
and is surrounded by the waters of Pu-
get sound. Names counties average
nearly 500 square miles each i'll area.
and there are several each of which is
larger than tho state of Rhode Island.
New York has few natural county
boundaries save i'll the lake regions and
along the Hudson New Jersey has arti-
fetal boundaries for many counties. but
Pennsylvania has used mountains and
rivers i'll many instances Delaware has
used small streams to bound her coun-
ties and even her townships, or hun
dreds as they are called. Maryland,
Virginia and West Virginia, having
plenty of streams and mountain ranges,
use such natural features for county
boundaries. Virginia's counties are un-
usually small i'll both area and popula-
ton Natural boundaries are usual in
tho Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama,
but Mississippi has many imaginary
county lines. and her counties are notch
ed in way to suggest that they were
made with view TO the production of
one of those wooden puzzle maps that
are held together 10y the notches. Louisi
ana, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky
have the characteristic rectangular
county forms with many imaginary
boundary lines. though creeks and riv
ers are used to some extent i'll Kentucky
and Tennessee. Florida has boundary
lines of each sort, and so has Texas,
save i'll the northwest, where natural
boundaries are almost entirely disro-
gardcd. Buchcl county. Tex. is a right
anglcd triangle and perhaps the only
one in the United States.
The states of the middle west have
comparatively few natural county
boundaries, and those Immediately be-
yond the Mississippi almost disregard
landmarks in the choice Of county lines,
the counties being piled mathematically
tier on tier. Even the great river Platte
| uOWS tCTusS NcDTiSkt HluCll vi us Why
through counties.
The Rocky mountain states, unable To
disregard the stern necessities of great
rivers and almost impossible mountain
ranges, have accepted these natural fea
lures as county lines. thongh the Mis-
souri, flows through one of the North
Dakota counties. Oregon and Washing
ton have accepted mountain ranges and
great rivers for county lines, and so has
California, though in many cases imag
mary boundaries are used.
a single county of Montana is abont
as large rs all the New England states
together save Maine. Cherry county.
Neb.. is nearly rs large rs New Jersey,
and one county in Arizona territory is
nearly rs large rs Vermont and New
Hampshire One county in Wyoming
exceeds by 200 square miles the area of
Vermont, and any one of 90 far western
counties is almost double the area of
Delaware New York Sun.