HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                  71

century ago, a lumber and grain mill was operated by Elias Cooprider and
Ransler Horton, Sr., for which the water supply was drawn from Grassy
lake through the ditch. Grassy lake lay at the foot of the uplands, imme-
diately west and southwest of the present N. M. Cromwell place, the
area of which is now partly in cultivation and partly in timber land. The
first mill machinery operated by water power within the territory of what
is now Harrison township was located on that branch of Big creek known
as Lick creek, usually called Lick branch, which rises at several points
near Clay City, flowing westward into “the bottom,” emptying into the
ditch. This was a saw-mill, built by Abram Vanmeeter, about the year
1837, at the foot of the bluff, east side of the road, at the crossing of the
stream south of the present George Storm place, and operated for about
seven years. Some of the timbers of the abandoned building were still
to be seen on the site less than a quarter of a century ago.
    Croy’s creek rises on the border of Putnam county, three miles north-
east of Lena, flowing in a southwestern course across the corner of Parke
county, crossing the Clay county line between Lena and Calcutta, flowing
thence southeasterly through Van Buren township, emptying into Eel river
immediately above Carpenter’s mill. This stream is crossed by the
National Road and by the Vandalia Railroad a mile and a half east of Har-
mony, on the ‘McKinley place. It was so named from a pioneer family
(Croy) who settled in the locality at a very early day, and built and oper-
ated one of the first mills in this part of the state.
    A west side branch of this stream rises near Benwood, runs south-
east and makes the junction with the main creek in the northeast corner
of Jackson township. The valley of this creek, like that of the Jordan, is
very narrow, bordered at many places by short and rugged hills, the rocky
bluffs approaching each other so closely as to leave but gorges for the
passage of the stream. On this stream were two mills above the National
Road crossing—a grain and feed mill built by John C. Weaver at some
time in the forties, and a primitive sawmill by Samuel Poff, built several
years later, which were operated until at some time in the fifties. On
the lower course of this creek was York’s mill, of pioneer days, known
and patronized for many miles.
    Birch creek drains the central part of the county and is the largest
tributary of Eel river. It has three or more distinct sources, all of which
are within the county. The east branch of this stream rises near Knights-
ville, the middle branch near Brazil and the west branch at several points
near Newburg. From the confluence of these three branches, near the
iron bridge at the Zenor cemetery, in Jackson township, Birch creek flows
west of south into the river just below the old aqueduct and directly oppo-
site the former Daniel Harris place. The length of this water-course is
about eighteen miles. It is crossed by the Brazil branch of the Evans-
ville & Indianapolis Railroad five times between Brazil and Saline City,
a distance of twelve miles.
    This stream was so named from the profusion of birch timber along
its banks. For the same reason it has been nicknamed “The Stream of
Knowledge,” as the slender, tough twigs of the birch were the one-time
conventional rods of correction and discipline employed by the old-time
school masters, who were professionally known as “wielders of the birch.”
The middle branch of it is known, also, as “the Pogues Run of Brazil,”
in allusion to Pogues Run flowing through the city of Indianapolis, which,
because of the repeated annoyance and damage by overflows, was im-