HISTORY: Twentieth Century History of Clearfield County, PA, Roland D. Swoope, 1911, Chapter 1 Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja and Claire White Copyright 2004. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/ NOTE: Use this web address to access other chapters: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/1picts/swoope/swoope.htm ________________________________________________ TWENTIETH CENTURY HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS BY ROLAND D. SWOOPE, JR. PUBLISHED BY RICHMOND-ARNOLD PUBLISHING CO. F. J. Richmond, President C. R. Arnold, Secretary and Treasurer CHICAGO, ILL. CHAPTER I. GEOGRAPHY, TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 19 Dimensions and Acreage of the County - Its Situation. and Boundaries - Hills and Valleys - Streams - Character of the Soil - Geological Strata - Coal Measures - Conglomerate - Mahoning Sandstone - The Three Great Coal Basins - Fire - Clay - Limestone - Oil and Gas - Iron Ore, Etc. Geography - Clearfield County is one of the largest in Pennsylvania, covering a territory of thirty-six and seventeen-twentieth miles from north to south, and about forty and one-half miles from east to west. It has an area of eleven hundred and thirty square miles, or seven hundred and twenty-three thousand, two hundred acres. It lies a little to the west of the center of the State on parallel 41o, 4' north latitude, and longitude 1o, 30' west from Washington, D. C. It is bounded on the north by Elk and Cameron, on the east by Centre and Clinton, on the south by Cambria and on the west by Jefferson and Indiana counties. Topography - Clearfield County is situated in the western foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, lying between the main ridge and the great secondary formation known as the "Stony Mountains." Although at some points these hills reach an altitude of from sixteen to twenty-two hundred feet, they form no distinct chains, but are interspersed with tablelands and valleys. The county is traversed by a number of streams, the most important of which is the West branch of the Susquehanna river, which has its source in Cambria county and enters Clearfield County at its southwestern boundary. It flows in a northeasterly direction through the county in a winding course of nearly one hundred miles, entering Clinton County at its western boundary. Finally it unites with the North Branch at Sunbury, Northumberland County, forming the broad Susquehanna which empties its waters into Chesapeake Bay. The most important tributaries to the West Branch within Clearfield County are Chest, Anderson, Montgomery, Moose, Clearfield, Moshannon, Deer, Sandy and Musquito creeks, and Lick Run, Trout Run and Upper Three Run. Moshannon Creek forms the boundary between Clearfield and Centre counties. Clearfield Creek has two tributaries - Little Clearfield and Muddy Run. Chest Creek traverses the mountainous territory in the Southern part of the county. 20 HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY Anderson Creek has its source in the north-eastern part of the county, and unites with the West Branch at Curwensville. It has several tributaries, the most important of which is Little Anderson Creek. These various streams furnish splendid natural drainage to all sections of the county, and in the valleys traversed by them, large areas of very fertile land, suitable for agricultural purposes, are to be found. The highlands are well watered by smaller streams, and the soil is especially adapted for farming land. Although it is only since the exhaustion of the timber supply in the county, in the last fifteen years, that attention has been turned to agriculture, today some of the finest and most profitable farms in the state lie within the boundaries of Clearfield County. Geology - Geology is the science which treats of the history of the earth and its life, especially as recorded in the rocks. The principal authorities on the science of geology have agreed upon the following classification of the different periods of time indicated by the rock formation: AGES AEONS ORGANIC REIGNS Caenozoic Quaternary Man Tertiary Mammals Mesozoic Cretaceous Reptiles and Birds Jurassic Triassic Palaeozoic Upper Carboniferous Amphibians and Land Animals Lower Carboniferous Fishes Devonian Marine Invertebrates Silurian Cambrian Ezozoic Huronian Protozoans Laurentian The principal geological measures appearing in the formations within Clearfield County are the lower carboniferous measures of the Paleozoic formation. It is by reason of the existence of these measures that the county is so rich in mineral wealth. What is known as the Pottsville or Seral conglomerate is the foundation of all the great coal fields and no productive coal measures have ever been found beneath this rock. The conglomerate is a coarse sand rock, containing large, white flint-like pebbles, and is a species of silicious quartz. Wherever it is found, it is considered as a sure indication of the presence of coal in the hills covering this rock. The out-crop of this conglomerate is usually found in the beds of streams, where the water has washed away the soil and exposed the surface of the rock. Clearfield County contains seven veins of bituminous coal that are thick enough to be profitably mined. These veins are designated by letters, the bottom vein being generally known as "A" and the top, or cap vein, as "G." Between veins "B" and "C" is an intermediate vein, usually found at a distance of thirty feet above "B." Between "C" and "D" are also found intermediate veins at about the same distance. Above the "G" or cap vein is found the Mahoning sandstone, the presence of which indicates the top of the coal measures. Still above this are found the rocks composing what are known as the barren measures, such as are found near Ramey and capping the summits of the Bloomington Ridge south of Curwensville. There are three great coal basins which pass through the county in a general southwest and northeast direction. These are known as the AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 21 first, second and third coal basins, and are separated by two anticlinals known as the first and second axis. The third basin is separated by the Boon's mountain anticlinal from the basin of Jefferson and Elk counties, known as the fourth coal basin. The first basin covers the coal territory of Gulich, Bigler, Beccaria, Woodward and Morris townships, which include the Coalport, Madera, Houtzdale, Osceola, Philipsburg and Morrisdale coal developments. The second basin includes the Ansonville, Gazzam, Boardman and Karthaus sub- basins and the Penn township sub-basin. The third basin contains the Brady, Sandy, and Huston townships, and the DuBois coal territory. A more detailed account of the various coal measures and their operation may be found in the chapter relating to the history of the coal interests of the county. Another geological formation of great importance to the county is the fire- clay, which is found at the bottom of the lower coal measures in all three of the coal basins that pass through the county. It is found in veins, ranging from four to twelve feet in thickness, and is usually in three layers. It is of superior quality and has been developed by manufacturing the various kinds of brick, which now forms one of the principal industries of the county. In many places in the county are found extensive deposits of sandstone, which have been quarried on a large scale, the stone, on account of its peculiar qualities, and extreme purity and whiteness, is specially adapted for building purposes and bridge work. Three beds of limestone have been found about two hundred feet above the river in Greenwood township. Various experiments have been made in burning this limestone, but it has been found to be too impure to make good lime. Several test wells were drilled for oil and gas, but were abandoned before reaching the proper strata, although all the geological formations along Anderson Creek indicate that oil and gas will be found when wells are drilled to sufficient depth. Small deposits of iron ore have been found at various points in the county. Attempts have been made to utilize this ore, the principal one by Peter A. Karthaus at the old furnace on Moshannon Creek, but this enterprise did not prove successful.