The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1948-04-22

forests. mineral resources, agricul-
turc, recreation, population and othe.
historical events, and should be OF
particular interest to the citizens
here
Below is the first installment, and
future installments will be carried in
The Republican. as space permits.
Garrett County, the last of the %
county units to be erected in Mary
land, is situated in the extreme west
cln part Of the State 1t ranks second
to Frederick County in total land
area. and contains the highest Gle
yations and some of the most rugged
topography to be found anywhere in
Maryland. Agriculture, coal mining.
and numbering are principal indus
tries Famous for its beautiful noun
tain scenery and abundant supplies
of wildlife, the county is becoming in
creasingly popular as a center for
nearly all types of outdoor recreation.
Its location on the route of the old
Indian and early military trails lead
ing from the Atlantic Seaboard to
the Ohio Valley also provides it with
many interesting historical associa-
tons.
Comprising triangular-shap
area Of some G6S square miles, the
county is bounded on the north by the
Mason and Dixon line; on the west
by Preston County, West Virginia;
and on the east by Allegany County,
Maryland. The boundary on the south
and southeast follows the windings Of
the North Branch of the Potomac
River for a distance of approximately
As miles. The county has a maximum
length Of over SO miles along its
western border, while its greatest
width of about 80 miles is along the
line separating it from the State of
Pennsylvania on the north.
Physical Description
Garrett is the only county of Mary
land that is located entirely within
the Allegheny Plateau, the most
westerly Of the four divisions COM
prising the Appalachian Mountain
Province. Its general surface features
consist Of a series Of high mountain
ridges and intervening valleys, with
a broad rolling upland occupying a
large district in the southwestern
part.
The country has an average eleva-
ton Of around 2,3OO feet. The maxi
mum altitude of 3,340 feet, represent
ing the highest point in Maryland, is
found on Great Backbone Mountain,
about a mile and half southeast of
Red House The lowest part of the
county is at the junction of the Saw
age and the North Branch of the Po-
tomac Rivers, where the elevation de-
creases to approximately 900 feet.
The mountain-and-valley district
covers about three-fourths of the
county, and is characterized by four
prominent ridges. The longest and
highest ridge is in the extreme east
en part of the county, where it eX-
tends in a northeast-southwest di-
rection from the Mason and Dixon
line to the West Virginia border. Elk
cept for the gorge of the Savage
River, which separates it into a
northern and a southern section, this
ridge presents a continuous, uniform
crest throughout its entire length. The
northern portion is called Big Savage
Mountain, and the southern part is
known as Great Backbone Mountain,
or simply as Backbone Mountain.
In the northern and central parts OF
the county, lying to the west of Great
Backbone and Big Savage Mountains,
are two high ridges known as Meadow
and Negro Mountains The former is
situated to the east of the Casselman
River and the latter to the west.
These two ridges, which extend in a
southwesterly direction from the
Pennsylvania boundry, converge IN
the vicinity of Thayerville, and con-
tinue southwestward as series of
broken ridges, of which Roman Nose
and Halls Hill are the most promi-
nent peaks Elevations of 5000 feet or
more are found on both Meadow and
Negro Mountains.
Located to the west of Negro
Mountain is Winding Ridge, the most
western of the four main ridges in
Garrett County. 1t extends south
westward from the Pennsylvania line
to Bear Greek, where it continues
southwark as an irregular group of
hills on both sides of the Youghio-
gheny River. The altitude of Winding
Ridge and its associated highland