USA > West Virginia > Braxton County > History of Braxton County and central West Virginia > Part 4
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FIRST SURVEYS, AND SETTLEMENTS
At the close of the second decade of the century, the large area of territory afterwards within the lines of Braxton county, at the time of its originization, did not probably contain more than 12 or 15 hundred, and certainly not more than one person for every square mile of territory.
At the time of the early settlement of the Elk River, the territory south of the ridge, now called Bison Ridge, which divides the waters of the Elk from the waters of the Little Kanawha, down to a marked line usually designated as the Old County line, was in Randolph county. This line was made to mark the boundaries of Harrison and Randolph counties, and two years later, Nicholas was formed out of the counties of Kanawha, Greenbrier and Ran- dolph, and had for its northern boundary, the same ridge that bounded Lewis county on the south. The most noted line running through central West Vir- ginia, was surveyed by Thomas Douglass, not earlier than 1785, known as the Greenbrier Harrison county line. It extended from the Allegheny mountains at the corner of Botetourt county to the Ohio river, at the mouth of Pond Creek, the direction of the line was N 55 W. All territory in West Virginia not em- braced in any of the county north of this line was Harrison; south was to re- main Greenbrier, as organized in 1777. The line enters Webster near the forks of Williams river, passing through Upper Glade, and leaves the county be- tween Skyles and Laurel creek, passing through the Little and Big Birch country, and crosses Elk near Frametown.
FIRST SURVEY MADE IN THE COUNTY
In 1784 John Allison laid a treasury land warrant on eleven thousand acres of land in Monongalia (now Braxton) county. The surveying was done the latter part of the summer of that year. The party came through the wilder- ness to the headwaters of Salt Lick and Granny's creeks and marked a poplar tree standing in a low gap about four rods north of the B. & O. railroad cut in
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SUTTON'S HISTORY.
the "Bison Range." This was the first corner made in what is now Braxton county, fifty-two years before the formation of Braxton and eight years before the last Indian raid and massacre of the Carpenter family. This corner was the governing point for all other corners and lines subsequently made adjacent to it. The tree became hollow and had a defeet on one side. It had at some time caught fire, the defective wood being burned out and showing plainly the tomahawk marks on the inside of the tree. About the time the tree was round- ing out its hundredth year as a marker, a storm broke off the body of the tree about fourteen feet from the ground, and in a year or so another fire broke out from a clearing and destroyed this the first, land mark of the county. The marks of the tomahawk showed that the tree could not have been large when it was marked. The marks were much plainer in the hollow of the tree than on the outside, the hollow being about fourteen inches in diameter. The lands of Allison extended over the "Bison Range" to the head of Cedar creek, down Granny's creek to the Elk river, embracing the land where the town of Sutton now stands, and down the Elk river as far as the old Boggs mill. Seven thou- sand acres of this land became the property of John Sutton, of Alexandria, Virginia, and later of his son, John D. Sutton.
The first inhabitants that eame to the territory which now embraces Brax- ton, were the Carpenters. They were a bold and adventurous people. Four of the Carpenter brothers had been in the Revolutionary army. They settled at the mouth of the Holly river about the year 1789 or 1790.
Adam O'Brien, the famous Indian scout and hunter, helped to make these surveys.
In 1795, Samuel Young made a large survey of land on the waters of Elk and Holly rivers. A man named Strange, that was lost on Strange ereek, was a member of this surveying party, and in 1800, David Seott, of Monongalia county, who came to the wilderness to hunt, made a survey of 500 acres at Bowling Green, and a tract on Scotts mountain, from which' Seotts mountain is named. In the year 1807, Col. John Haymond moved from Harrison county and settled near the Falls of Little Kanawha. Three brothers, Benjamin, Daniel and John Conrad, settled three miles below; another brother, Jacob P. Conrad, settled and lived for many years, at Hackers Valley, in Webster county. John Conrad had two sons who became prominent; Asa R. and Cur- rence B. About this date, Joseph Friend settled at Fork Lick, {Webster county. He had but one child, a daughter, who married Wm. Arthur, and raised a large family.
Richard A. became a distinguished Methodist minister.
Henry Robinson was an early resident on Holly river. His wife was a daughter of John Skidmore, son of Capt. John. About 1810, Hedgemon Trip- lett came to the county, and settled near Tate Creek, from a few miles below Sutton and embracing most of the territory of Clay County. South of Elk, there were but few families. This territory was kept unsettled by a large tract of land known as the Wilson survey, embracing over one hundred thousand
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SUTTON'S HISTORY.
acres, owned by non-residents. About the year 1837, some of the parties claim- ing this land organized a company known as the West Virginia Iron & Manu- facturing Company, and built a mill at what is now known as the Yankee Dam; but the enterprise failed, and the lands were decreed to be sold. These large land titles retarded the settlement of the country, until recent years. The terri- tory from the mouth of Birch to the Big Sandy was known as the Wilderness.
About 1807 or 1808, Nicholas Gibson settled at the lands now known as the Lancaster place. Asa Squires settled at Salt Lick in 1807, and later, his brother Elijah, settled on adjoining lands to Nicholas Gibson. About 1812, Andrew Skidmore settled at the mouth of Skidmore Run. He had a large family of grown children. About this time Tunis McElwaine came from Pendleton county, and settled on the bottom below the mouth of Grannies' Creek. Three sons and several daughters who were grown, came with their father, only one son, Thomas, remained here. He inherited the old homestead, and remained here during his life. About 1810, three brothers by the name of Davis, George, Wm. and Nathan, came to Elk from Randolph county. They were single men at the time, but they got married, and made homes near Sutton. Jacob Long came about this time, from Pocahontas county, as did Charles Rogers. Long settled on the north side of Elk, opposite Little Buffalo, and Rogers on Otter. Patrick Murphey settled at the mouth of Strange Creek, about 1800. He came directly from Ireland, early in this century. John and James Boggs, brothers, came to Elk river. John settled on Duck creek, and James on Elk, at what is known as the Boggs farin, where he built, and for many years operated a water mill. George Mollohan, of English descent, came from Bath county, Virginia, to Birch river, and settled near the mouth of Skyles Creek, and afterward re- moved to Elk. He had a family of five children, three sons and two daughters, all of them grown, and settled in this county. The sons were named George, John and James. The father, George Mollohan, lost his life between Little and Big Birch rivers, in attempting to pass through the wilderness from the settlement between Sutton and Big Birch. Mr. Mollohan was quite old, and had almost lost his eye sight, and it was supposed that his horse strayed from the path, and he was unable to find it again. He was never found. it is said his saddle blanket and gloves were found hanging on a tree ou the ridge be- tween Little and Big Birch rivers. Early in the settlement of the county, James Frame, together with his parents, and three brothers, came fron: the county of Pocahontas and settled on Big Birch river, about the mouth of Powell's creek. One brother, John, and the father, remained on Birch. but James, Thomas and David settled on Elk. Thomas located near the mouth of Birch, James at what is known as Frametown, where he built a water mill, and David settled three miles below Sutton. He was a man of exemplary char- acter, a very devoted member of the M. E. church, and celebrated the rites of matrimony. The Frame family is a very numerous one, and compose a large part of the population in the lower end of the county. They were generally noted for their uprightness and intelligence. A family by the name of Harris,
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SUTTON'S HISTORY.
Wm. and Henry, perhaps from Pocahontas, settled at Bowling Green. Henry emigrated west, Wm. settled at the mouth of Flatwoods run, where he spent most of his time hunting and trapping for beaver and otter. He had a small mill on Flatwoods run, for grinding corn. About this time Wm. Bell, a former eitizen of Augusta county, settled near Bowling Green. The Friend family, several brothers, came early from Pendleton and Randolph counties and settled on Elk, near the mouth of Otter. John Gibson, brother to Nicholas Gibson, settled on Flatwoods run; Wm. Berry moved from Loudin county, Virginia, in the spring of 1818, and settled on O'Briens Fork of Salt Lick. About. 1807 or 1808, Jackson Singleton settled on Salt Lick. At a very early date, Jacob Westfall located on Cedar creek. Jeremiah Mace was one of the first settlers of Braxton. Isaac Shaver and Nathan Prinee settled at Flatwoods, and also Leonard Hyer about this time. Hiram Heater, the ancestor of the Heater family, settled on Little Kanawha.
It might be of interest to some to know how Granny's creek received its name. At the time the survey was made there was great danger of the In- dians, and there being no settlement the surveying party had to live as best they could. In the party was a young man who complained of the hardships and often made the remark that if he were at home with his grandmother he could get green beans and other vegetables to eat, and the surveyor called the stream "Granny's ereek," a name which perhaps it will retain until grand- mothers are no more. At this point some one might ask, "What about Old Woman's run?" This stream empties into the Elk river at the upper end of the town of Sutton, and Granny's creek at the lower end. These streams run parallel for a distance and head not far apart. Lying between Granny's ercek and Old Woman's run is a break in the formation and there are many large cliffs of roek and dens where, in an early day, wild animals gathered in great numbers to shelter. As late as 1870 it was difficult ;to raise pigs or lambs in the neighborhood. A few years after the settlement had been established there was a very large bear which made its home in this wilderness of rocks and laurel, and reared several broods, and hunters gave it the name of "old woman." The bear had escaped for several years. It was known by its very large traek. At last it was killed a little above where Moman Rhea now lives and the citizens gave the stream the name of Old Woman's run.
Salt Lick creek a tributary of the Little Kanawha river, derives its name from the fact that there is a salt spring, or lick, near where the Weston and Gauley Bridge turnpike erosses the stream. The buffaloes traveled from that lick to a similar one on the island in the Elk river at the mouth of Granny's creek. They had worn down a road between these two points which the early settlers said was superior to many of the county roads. In many places it was suitable for a wagon way. Any farmer who owns a hill farm will observe that his cattle will make a much better grade for their own convenience in going up and down the hill than he can do without instruments. The buffalo came up O'Brien's fork and erossed the ridge at or near where the railroad euts through
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SUTTON'S HISTORY.
the low gap at the Dyer hill. The presumption is that the John Allison sur- veying party were directed to this spot by the buffalo road. The path then led down Granny's creek to its mouth. The first county road that was made fol- lowed this trail. The buffaloes had for centuries, and in countless numbers, made daily pilgrimages during the summer months to these saline springs. Just a short distance below the mouth of Granny's creek, Big Buffalo creek empties into the Elk river on the opposite side, and a short distance below Big Buffalo creek, Little Buffalo creek empties into the Elk. These streams head against the high ridge separating the waters of the Elk and the Little Birch rivers. They cut down the mountains very rapidly and leave deep, rich coves facing the northeast, making great peavine ranges, winter fern and spice brush. It is evident that these two streams received their names from the fact that they were great buffalo range's where the wild herds of the forest could have access to the salt licks spoken of. The majority of the larger and smaller streams of West Virginia derive their names from some local cause. Strange creek, a tributary of the Elk, flowing into that stream from the south side, about eighteen miles below Sutton, was the scene of a sad tragedy. In a very early day when the whole land was a wilderness a hunter named Strange, who was as- sisting in making a survey of lands of the Elk and Holly rivers, known as the Samuel Young lands, became lost from the surveying party and wandered to Strange creek, where his gun was afterward found with his initials cut on the stock. He wandered in destitution and perished on the stream which bears his name. This unfortunate frontiersman cut his name on a beech tree along with this inscription: "Strange is my name, and strange is the woods, and strange it is I can not be found." West Virginia is a land of tragedies if we but knew them all-tragedies that brought the deepest sorrows to the mountain homes of a race of fearless pioneers.
Many of the smaller streams have local names such as Bee run, Spruce Fork, White Oak, Slab Camp, Beech Fork, Camp run, Three Forks, Lefthand, Pigeon Roost, Toms Fork, Wolf creek, Cowskin, Wolf Pen, Chop Fork, O'- Brien's Fork, Bakers' Run, Bennie's run, Long run, Camp run, Skidmore run, Snake, Bear run, Bull run, Copen run, Flatwoods run, Carpenter fork, Perk- in's Fork, Shaver Fork, Westfall Fork, Dutch Fork, Crooked Fork, Grass Lick, Buckeye, Mill run, Horse Fork, Millstone, Pistol Fork.
Battle run, a branch of Big Otter, Clay county, was the scene of a battle between a bear and a large boar hog which belonged to a man living in a log cabin at the mouth of the stream. The boar came running to the house one day, ran into the house and under the bed and died a few minutes later. His body was covered with gashes and he was bleeding from every wound. His owner took his back track and followed it by the blood to the battle ground, where his enemy, a large black bear was lying dead. The ground showed that there had been a deadly struggle. The boar had large tusks and had given the bear a stab in a vital place.
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SUTTON'S HISTORY.
Braxton eounty at the time of its formation comprised the Elk river and most of its tributaries from Fork Lick in the present eounty of Webster; it also embraeed the Little Kanawha river and most of its tributaries above the mouth of Buffalo shoal run.
The surface is hilly, rising from 760 feet above sea level to an elevation of 2,085 feet. Braxton lies on the western slope of the Allegheny mountains and about one-half from the tops of these mountains and the Ohio river. The county is well watered, having a number of streams forming branches of those larger ones. The Elk river erosses the county in a south-western direction, traversing it for a distance of about forty miles. The Little Kanawha river erosses the northeastern part of the county, flowing in a northwestern direction, and traverses the county for a distance of about twenty-three miles. The Holly river flows through the eounty for a distance of twenty-five miles in a , due westerly direetion, and empties into the Elk at Palmer, eight miles above Sutton. The Bireh river flows northwest, is twenty-one miles long and empties into the Elk at Glendon, twenty miles below Sutton. Its principle tributary is the Little Birch, flowing in from the northeast.
There were but few permanent settlers in Braxton eounty until about the year 1805. The early emigrants to Braxton eame principally from Pendleton, Randolph and Greenbrier counties.
The neighboring counties are Nicholas on the south, Summersville, the eounty seat, being 36 miles distant from Sutton; Webster on the southeast, Webster Springs, the county seat, situated on the Elk river, 34 miles east of Sutton ; Upshur on the east, Buekhannon, the county seat being 46 miles from Sutton ; Lewis on the northeast, Weston, the county seat, situated on the West Fork river, 43 miles from Sutton; Gilmer on the west, Glenville, the county seat, situated on the Little Kanawha river, 35 miles from Sutton; Calhoun on the southwest, Grantsville, the county scat, situated on the Little Kanawha river, 35 miles from Sutton; and Clay county on the southwest, Clay the county seat, situated on the Elk river, 40 miles from Sutton. These, our neighboring counties, were all settled in an early day by a good and substantial elass of eitizens, many of the descendants of whom are yet living. The blood relation- ship existing among the people of the eentral counties is very great by inter- marriage, and being deseendants of large families, the blood of the old pioneer has been kept up, and the change is very slight as compared with many seetions of our country.
The natural resources of the county are very great. Its forests, its fertile soil and rieh grazing lands, its vast seams of eoal, its oil and gas that are just in the process of development, make the county one of exceptional interest to capital and labor, or to those seeking homes where farming and stock raising is profitable.
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SUTTON'S HISTORY.
SUTTON
In a small pocket diary kept by John D. Sutton, dated at Alexandria, Vir- ginia, in 1796, he speaks of teaching a school in South Carolina, and of coming to Alexandria where his father and brother James lived. At his father's re- quest, he made a trip to what is now Braxton county to look at some lands which his father had bought out of the John Allison survey, lying on Granny's creek and the Elk river. He relates that he came by Winchester and Lewis- burg, thence to Charleston. At Charleston, he hired a canoe and procured the assistance of a riverman to bring him up the Elk river to the mouth of Big Birch. He then crossed the country, and came to the home of
Carpenter on Laurel creek. This man was probably a brother to Jerry and a grand-uncle of Dr. John L. Carpenter.
From there he came down Laurel creek, noting the roughness of the stream, and telling how often the path crossed the creck between Carpenter's and its mouth. He then noted the fact that he stopped for a few days at Jerry Car- penter's home who lived on the Elk. This was only six years after the massacre of Benjamin Carpenter and his wife at the mouth of Holly. Solomon, the boy who was born at the Camp Rocks, was then a lad of but six years. He gives no account of the boy in his diary, but he says that the Carpenters prepared pro- visions to last him a few days. He speaks of getting venison meat at Carpenter's.
From there, he came down the Elk to what is probably Flatwoods run, and there he crossed the country to the head of Granny's creek, and after look- ing at the land, he says that he went down the creek and camped under a cliff of rocks. Evidently this must have been at or near the mouth of Laurel Fork. He then went down the creek to its mouth. He speaks of going up the river about a mile to a fine bottom, and says there was some person living in a little cabin on the bottom. He then described the land across the river, also another bottom some distance up the river near the mouth of Wolf creek, and closed his diary by saying that he would make a full report of the lands when he re- turned to Alexandria. The report to his father may have been verbal, but if it were written no record has been found. We are therefore left without any information as to the settlers who may have been living at or near where the town is now located.
ELK RIVER
We give a list as far as we have ascertained of the tributaries and shoals of the Elk river:
Big Spring, Berque (S), Leatherwood (S), Backfork (N), Brook's run (S), Bear run (S), Huston (S), Laurel creek (S), Holly (N), Ben's run (N), Flatwoods run (N), Stony creek (S), Wolf (S), Buckeye (S), Old Woman's run (N), Skidmore run (S), Bear creek (S), Granny's creek (N), Big Buffalo (S), Little Buffalo (S), Otter (N), Sugar creek (N), Upper Rock
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SUTTON'S HISTORY.
Camp (N), Coon creek (S), Big run (N), Lower Rock Camp (N), Upper Mill creek (S), Lower Mill creek (N), Birch river (S), Strange creek (S), Snake creek (S), Lower Mill creek (N), Duck creek (N), Grove's creek (S), Jumping gut (S), Waters Defeat (S), Log Shoal (N), Big Otter (N), Big Standing Rock (S), White Oak Top (N), Little Standing Rock (S), Long's run (S), Big Buffalo (S), Camp creek (S), Big Leatherwood (S), Middle creek (S), Little Beechy (S), Big Beechy (S), Blue Knobs (S), Little King (S), Big Sycamore (S), Birch (S), Big Laurel (N), Deel's creek (N), Porter's creek (S), Upper King (N), Lower (N), Queen (S), Morris' creek (S), Big Sandy (N), Little Leatherwood (S), Mother-in-law (N), Blue crcek (S), Little Sandy (N), Falling Rock (S), Jordan's creek (N), Mink (N), Two-Mile (S), Coal Branch (S), with numerous smaller streams that drain but a slight portion of its water shed.
Lower Flatwoods run has its source in a low gap on the Bison Range, and flows through the Bowling Green flats as a sluggish stream until it pours over a cliff of rocks near the Adam J. Hyer residence, then rushes madly over pre- cipitous rocks and boulders for about a mile and a half where it empties into the Elk, after making a descent of four hundred feet. The next stream to this coming into the Elk from the north side is Bce run. It has a descent of three hundred and eighty fcet from its source to its mouth, which is but little over a mile in length.
ELK RIVER
The Elk river has its birth in the junction of Old Field Fork and Big Spring Fork, just east of Sharp Knob in the northwestern part of Pocahontas county and flows in a general westernly direction, emptying into the Kanawha river at Charleston. The length of the Elk river, from source to mouth, fol- lowing its mcanders, is 172 miles. It flows 5 miles through Pocahontas county, 7 miles through Randolph, 41 miles through Webster, 44 miles through Braxton, 45 miles through Clay and 30 miles through Kanawha county. From its source to Addison, Webster county, the Elk river falls about 1250 feet in 34 miles, or the rate of about 37 feet to the mile. From Addison to Gassaway the fall is 660 feet in 46 miles, or the rate of 14.3 fect per milc. From Gassaway to Clay the fall is 132 feet in 41 miles, or at the rate of 3.2 feet to the mile. From Clay to Porter, the fall is 65 feet in 23 miles, or at the rate of 2.8 feet to the mile. From Porter to its mouth the fall is 42 feet in 28 miles, or at the rate of 1.5 feet per milc. Its drainage area in Kanawha county is 294 square miles.
GAULEY RIVER
The Gauley river has its source in the junction of the North, Middle and South Forks in the southeastern part of Webster county, 3 miles northwest of Buck Knob of Gaulcy mountain, and 6 miles due west of the source of the Elk river, and flows in a general western direction, 31 miles through Webster
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SUTTON'S HISTORY.
county ; then in a general southwestern direction 41 miles through Nicholas eounty; thence in a general western direction as the dividing line between Nicholas and Fayette counties for 25.5 miles; thence in a southern direction through Fayette county 5.5 miles to Gauley Bridge. The entire length by the meanders is 101 miles, the air line distance between the same points being 55.5 miles. From its source to the mouth of Meadow river, the Gauley river falls 1685 feet in 73 miles, or at the rate of 23.4 feet per mile. From the mouth of the Meadow river to the mouth of the Gauley it falls 530 feet in 29 miles, or at the rate of 18.3 feet to the mile.
LIST OF DRAINAGE BASINS OF CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA :
RIVER
COUNTY
DRAINAGE AREA
Little Kanawha Lewis
17 sq. miles
REMARKS Between Webster and Upshnr
Little Kanawha
Upshur
65 sq. miles
Little Kanawha Webster
19 sq. miles
Elk River
Braxton
158 sq. miles Excludes Birch and Holly
Elk River.
Webster
200 sq. miles
Excludes Holly
Elk River
Randolph
76 sq. miles
Excludes Holly
Elk River
Pocahontas
71 sq. miles
Holly River
Braxton
22 sq. miles
Holly River.
Webster
128 sq. miles
Holly River.
Randolph
4 sq. miles
Birch River
Braxton
61 sq. miles
Birch River
Nicholas
54 sq. miles
Birch River
Webster
32 sq. miles
Gauley River Nicholas
109 sq. miles Above and Excluding Mud-
dlety and Hominy Basins
Gaulcy River.
Webster 114 sq. miles
(Gauley Proper)
Gauley River
Randolph
6 sq. miles
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