HISTORY OF
ORANGE COUNTY
CHAPTER 1*
GEOLOGY - NATIVE WOODS - THE PERPENDICULAR SECTION - ST. LOUIS CHERTS AND LIMESTONES - BITUMINOUS STONE - THE CONCRETIONARY DEPOSITS - THE FIRESTONES - CHERTY CHARACTERISTICS - THE CHESTER FORMATION - FOSSILS - GEOLOGICAL SECTIONS - THE SANDSTONES - THE FAMOUS GRIT - ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS - LOST STREAMS - CAVES - FRENCH LICK AND BADEN SPRINGS - COAL - IRON - WHETSTONES, ETC. - LIME, CLAY, BUILDING STONE, ETC - TABLES. |
The county of Orange is bounded north by Lawrence, east by Crawford and Washington, south by Crawford and west by Martin and Dubois. It is twenty miles east and west and twenty north and south, and contains 400 square miles. The northeast portion is comparatively devoid of hills and the southern, western and central parts are hilly and broken. Patoka and Lost Rivers and their numerous branches are the streams. Among the branches are Lick, Carter’s, French Lick, Stamper’s, Cane, Young’s, Golden’s, Grimes’ and Tucker’s Creeks. The timber is of the following varieties: Yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), black walnut (Jugans nigra), white walnut (Jagans cinera), sugar maple (Acer saccharinum), red maple (A. rubrum), buckeye (Escitlus glabra), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), red elm (Ulenus fulva), white elm (U. Americana), shell- bark hickory (Carya alba), mockernut (C. tomentosa), thick shell-bark hickory (C. sulcata), pig-nut (C. glabra), white oak (Quercus alba), red oak (Q. rubra), jack oak (Q. imbricaria), burroak (Q. macrocarpa), black oak (Q. nigra). chinquapin oak (Q. obtusaloba), white ash (Fraxinus Americana), wild cherry (Prunus serotina), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). water beech (Carpinus Americana), beech (Fagus ferruginea), American aspen (Populus tremuloides), chestnut (Castanea vesca), persimmon (Diospyros Virginiana), sweet gum (Liquidambar styracifua), cucumber (Magnolia acuminata), winged elms (Ulenus alata). The undergrowth is of the following varieties: Dogwood (Cornus Florida), red bud (Cersis Canadensis), crab apple (Pyrus coronaria), sassafras (Sassafras officinale), and the shrubs: Spice bush (Lindera benzoin), wahoo (Euonymus atropur pureus), paw-paw (Asimina triloba), hawthorns (Crataegus coccinea and C. tomentosa), black haw (Viburnum prunifolum), hazel (Corylus Americana).
*Adapted to this volume from the report made to the State Geologist, E. T. Cox, in 1875, by M. N. Elrod, M. D., and E. S. McIntire, M. D., special geologists selected to make the official examination of this county.