Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1939-06-15
The Soil

| On account of the hills and val
leys, through the latter flowing runs
and creeks fed from never failing
springs of the best drinking water
found anywhere, make diversifi
cation of soils that will grow any
sort of crops, trees and plant;
adapted to like climate.
From the earliest history of the
coming of the white man, Indian
corn has been the main crop, fol
| lowed by wheat, oats and in fact al
| the small grains to a lesser extent
The grasses are the clovers tim
! othy, red top, on the lime stone
points and in the lower grounds and
| along the creek bottoms fed from
| these great leGges Cf limerick many
| acres of alfalfa are grown and har-
vested each year. Red clover grows
year after year in many fields with
| out reseeding. We have noticed in
our cemeteries one year the clover
will cover the ground, then the next
year there will be very little, if any,
and again the next year a full crop.
Many of these burial grounds have
never been plowed On lands where
alfalfa has been grown, blue grass
comes in and crowds the alfalfa
out
The pasture lands afford wonder
full feed values. The different grass
es make perfect combination of
materials to produce large fat ami
mails. Hundreds of animals have
gone to the slaughter pens and from
there to the block, direct from the
pastures without any grain as fin
ishing feed.
Minerals
Many of the minerals are found
here. While coal is the only one
that has been utilized to advantage,
iron is found to some extent Pot
ters clay is found. Since we began
our writing, Edward Walker, tailor
of our county seat, now deceased,
who for many years was interested
in the clay deposits Of Morgan coun-
ty, had been in our neighborhood
getting samples of the clay, and we
understand had leased some land.
Knowing Mr.. Walker as an expert
in this matter, we feel he found
something worth while, or he would
not have taken the land under
lease
AS to the coal, thousands of tons
have been mined, but tons and tons
go to other parts Of the county
where coal is not found. The coal
is mined by the pick method, and
wheeled by man power. A few years
ago Fred Wilson, formerly of Mall
ta, used electrical power in a mine
on what was known to former resi-
dents as the Taylor Cunningham
farm, now owned by Geo. G.. Fox.
This mine was soon abandoned and
away. Much coal has been mined
by the strip method, but about all
the easy gotten has been taken out.
When much dirt must be removed,
it is easier and cheaper to go un-
der and timber up. The vein mined
in this way is called number seven,
and varies from three and a half
feet to five feet in thickness. To
write of these banks, as the old dig
ger called them, brings back mem
ories of men who went under the
hills with the old oil lamps These
lamps were made in the shape of tea
pots. A small wick was placed in
the large part of the lamp which
contained the oil, was pulled
through the spout and lighted.
These lamps gave fair light, but
smoke was terrible. j. P. (Pete)
Carnes, whose death occurred March
1, 1928, spent nearly his entire life
as a miner, starting to wheel coal at
the age of IL years, and working on
until age and infirmities made it
necessary for him to give it up.
From him we heard much of inter
est in regard to this industry. OF
the men who welded the pick in
our childhood, which included the
names of Mcpherson, Davis, Doven-
barker, Ralph Mcconnell, Pete and
George Carnes, all deceased.
Early Settlers
The first settlers came from the
Virginias. We remember as a young
lad when attending funerals of aged
persons, that it was uncommon
when the obituary was read if it did
not say the deceased was born in
Loudoun county or Brooks county,
Virginia. Later folks came from
Maine, Massachusetts and Pennsyl-
vania. The early settlers were Eng
lish, Irish and Scotch. Whether it
is through the intermixture of ma
tionalities, climate or what not, we
do know there is found nowhere,
people more friendly genial, gener-
GUS and kindly than here. To illus
trate what we mean: Once while
travelling along a highway in a
western state, we stopped to talk
with an elderly man of whom we in
quired where Mr.. W. lived, and
he said, 90 don't know There was
family moved onto a farm two
miles west, two years ago. / never
learned their name" The man or
woman, who can't tell you how to
go to the home of any family living
in Bristol has not been here long.
They have always had time to talk.
We remember of a man who started
to the country store in the early
morning, got to the home of his
nearest neighbor, where they talked
until the noon hour, and then he
went to the store in the afternoon.
OF course all western people are not
like the one mentioned.
We have never been anywhere in
our travels that we did not find
either former residents of Morgan
county, if not of Bristol township,
or their offsprings The township
was covered with forest when early
settlers came. Giant trees of oak,
poplar, beech, walnut, elm, linn,
sycamore, and We would not forget
the buckeye, from which the great
state of Ohio got the name Buckeye
state. The forests have gone into
houses and harms fences barrels.