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Chapter.Ii.Formation.And.Organization.Of.Todd.County.1884.Todd.HISTORY-B
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Chapter Ii Formation And Organization Of Todd County 1884 
Todd County KyArchives History Books

Book Title: Counties Of Todd And Christian, Kentucky

CHAPTER II.

FORMATION AND ORGANIZATION OF TODD COUNTY—ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE—ORIGIN OF THE
KAME—TODD COUNTY GEOGRAPHY—ITS GEOLOGY—ITS NATURAL KESOURCES—ITS
AGRICULTURE—STAPLE PRODUCTS—STOCK INTERESTS.

THERE seems to have been no settled system in accordance with which the various
counties of Kentucky were formed. The absence of a public, systematic form of
survey has made it necessary to depend largely upon natural objects for fixed
points, and county outlines are irregular and uncouth, inclosing areas of widely
differing extent. Thus Todd County, in order of time the sixty-fourth county
formed, erected as early as 1819, is a little parallelogram, imperfect in
outline, wedged between and formed from the larger and wealthier counties of
Logan and Christian. By its origin and location doomed for all time to labor
under disadvantages in the race for prominence and distinction, it is likely
never to emerge from the rural obscurity in which its early history has placed
it. Lincoln County, formed in 1780, included all this portion of southwestern
Kentucky, and when Logan was formed in 1792, it included the western portion of
Lincoln. In 1796 the outlying territory of Logan was divided into Warren and
Christian County, and in 1819 Logan and Christian Counties were called upon to
contribute to the erection of Todd. The moving cause of Todd's origin is not far
to seek. The early form of concentrated government made the presence of a large
number of its citizens at the seat of justice a necessity, and social traditions
more potent than law made it a pleasure to a still larger number. The character
of the country and the meager internal improvements, made these long pilgrimages
a frequent source of irritation and ripened a vigorous and influential demand
for "home government." It was in response to this demand that the State
Legislature by an act approved December 30, 1819, erected Todd County.

    Act of Legislature.—The text of the act is as follows:

    SECTION 1. Be it Enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
Kentucky, That from and after the first day of April next, all that part of said
counties of Logan and Christian, contained in the following boundary, to wit:
Beginning on the Tennessee State line, at the present corner of the counties of
Logan and Christian, on said State line; thence on a straight line to the
Muhlenberg County line, two miles east of the present corner of said counties of
Logan and Christian, on said Muhlenberg County line; then westwardly with said
Muhlenberg County line, until a due south line will strike a point ten miles due
east of the most eastwardly boundary of the town of Hopkinsville, and continue
south to the said State line, and eastwardly with it to the place of beginning,
shall be one distinct county, called and known by the name of Todd, in honor of
the memory of Col. John Todd, who gallantly fell in the service of his country
on the [19th] day of August, 1782, at the battle of the Blue Licks.

    SEC. 2. The said county of Todd shall be entitled to thirteen Justices of
the Peace, who shall be appointed and commissioned as in other cases, who shall
meet at the dwelling house of James Kendall in said county, on the second Monday
in May next, and after taking the, necessary oaths of office, and qualifying
their Sheriff agreeably to the Constitution of the United States, and of this
State as required by law, they shall proceed to elect and qualify a Clerk, to
whose permanent appointment it shall be necessary for a majority of all the
Justices in commission for said county to concur; but if such majority cannot be
obtained in favor of any one, then said court shall appoint a Clerk pro tempore.

    SEC. 3. The County Court for said county shall hold their first term on the
second Monday in May next, and on the second Monday in each month thereafter,
except the months in which the circuits for said county shall be holden; and the
Circuit Courts for said county shall commence on the fourth Monday in April,
July and October in each year, and may, if necessary, continue six judicial
days; and said county shall form a part of the seventh judicial district,

    SEC. 4. The Circuit and County Courts, and Justices of the Peace in
Christian and Logan Counties, shall have jurisdiction over all matters
instituted prior to the commencement of this act; and it shall be lawful for all
Sheriffs, Collectors and Constables, in said Christian and Logan Counties, to
collect all fines and moneys, and to execute all writs, executions and other
process, as the law directs, which were put into their hands previous to the
commencement of this act, and shall account for and return the same as if this
act had not passed.

    SEC. 5. The County Court of said county of Todd shall appoint Commissioners
of the Tax in said county for the year 1820, who shall perform the duties, and
be governed by the laws regulating Commissioners of Tax in this State; and the
Clerk and other officers of said county, shall in the like manner perform their
duties in relation thereto; and said county court shall also, as soon as
practicable, after the place for the permanent seat of justice for said county
shall have been fixed upon by Commissioners, as hereinafter mentioned, proceed
to cause the erection of all necessary public buildings thereupon, for said
county of Todd, and may lay off and establish a town there, and do and perform
every other matter in relation thereto, that county courts are by law authorized
to do in this State.

    SEC. 6. The place for the permanent seat of justice for said county of Todd
shall be fixed upon by five Commissioners, to wit: Thomas Champion, of Caldwell
County; William Thompson and Dickson Given, of Livingston County; and Benjamin
Vance and Leander J. Sharp, of Warren County; who shall meet at the house of
James Kendall, in said county of Todd, on the second Monday in May next, and
thence proceed to select and point out an eligible place for the permanent seat
of justice for said county; and said Commissioners are hereby enjoined to pay a
just regard to the most central, convenient and eligible site for that purpose,
and make report thereof to the County Court of said county of Todd; but should
said Commissioners, or a majority of them, fail to meet on the day herein
mentioned for that purpose, they are hereby authorized and requested still to
meet at said place herein appointed, and proceed to perform all the duties
herein required of them, as soon as practicable thereafter, a majority or any
three of whom are hereby authorized to act and perform all the duties herein
required, provided no more attend for that purpose; and each of said
Commissioners attending on the performance of their said duties herein
mentioned, shall receive for their services $3 per day, while necessarily absent
from home attending on said business, to be levied and paid out of the first
county levy laid for said county.

    SEC. 7. The Surveyors of the counties of Logan and Christian are authorized
and required to meet at the beginning corner of said county of Todd, on the said
State line, on the first day of April next; thence proceed to lay off, run and
plainly mark all lines of the said county of Todd, which have not heretofore
been run and marked, and return a report thereof to the County Court of Todd;
for which services said Surveyors shall receive $3 per day each while they are
necessarily engaged therein, besides a reasonable allowance for the employment
of chain carriers and markers, to be allowed and paid out of the first levy to
be laid for said county.

   Origin of Name.—Col. John Todd, whose honored name this county bears, was the
eldest of three brothers, and a native of Pennsylvania. He was educated in
Virginia, at his uncle's—the Rev. John Todd—and at maturity entered upon the
study of the law, subsequently obtaining a license to practice. He left his
uncle's residence, and settled in the town of Fincastle, Va., where he practiced
law for several years; but Daniel Boone and others having explored Kentucky,
Col. Todd, lured by the descriptions given him of the fertility of the country,
about the year 1775 came first to Kentucky, where he found Col. Henderson and
others at Boonesboro. He joined Henderson's party, obtained a pre-emption right,
and located sundry tracts of land in the present county of Madison, in Col.
Henderson's land office. He afterward returned to Virginia, and in the year 1786
again set out from Virginia with his friend, John May, and one or two others,
for Kentucky. They proceeded some distance together on the journey, when for
some cause Mr. May left his servant with Col. Todd to proceed on to their
destination, and returned to Virginia. Col. Todd proceeded on to the place where
Lexington now stands, and in its immediate vicinity improved two places—the one
in his own name and the other in that of his friend, John May—for both of which
he obtained certificates for settlement and pre-emption of 1,400 acres. These
pre-emptions adjoin and lie in the immediate vicinity of the city of Lexington.
It appears from depositions taken since his death, that he accompanied Gen.
Clarke in his expedition against Kaskaskia and Vincennes, and was at the capture
of those places. After the surrender of these posts it is supposed he returned
to Kentucky, but it appears from letters written by Gen. Clarke that Col. Todd
was appointed to succeed him in the command at Kaskaskia. Under an act of
Virginia Legislature passed in 1777, by which that part of Virginia conquered by
Clarke, and all other of her territory northwest of the Ohio River, was erected
into the county of Illinois, of which Col. Todd was appointed Colonel-Commandant
and County-Lieutenant, with all the civil powers of Governor. He was further
authorized, by enlistment or volunteers, to raise a regiment for the defense of
the frontier. He immediately entered upon the duties of his office, and was
seldom absent from his Government up to the time of his death. The regiment was
raised for one year's service, but was continued in duty until about 1779, when
the State of Virginia raised four additional regiments—two for the eastern and
two for the western part of Virginia. Col. Todd was appointed to the command of
one of these. In the spring of 1780, Col. Todd was sent a delegate to the
Legislature of Virginia, from the County of Kentucky. While attending on the
Legislature he married Miss Hawkins, and returned subsequently to Kentucky,
settling his wife in the fort at Lexington. He again visited Illinois, and was
engaged continually in the administration of its Government and in military
affairs, so that he was seldom with his family until the summer of 1782, when in
the month of August the Indians besieged Bryan's Station in great force. The
disastrous battle of the Blue Licks followed on the 19th of that month. Among
the noble brave who fell, fighting to the last, was Col. John Todd, in the midst
of usefulness and in the prime of life. His wife survived him, and an only
child, a daughter, about twelve months old. This daughter was still living in
1847 (as wife of Robert Wickliffe, Sr.), and was then the oldest female native
of Lexington.

   Col. Todd was a man of fine personal appearance and talents, and an
accomplished gentleman; was universally beloved, and died without a stain upon
his character, and it is believed without even one enemy upon earth. From the
year 1778 he might be considered as residing in Illinois until his marriage in
1780. Settling his wife at Lexington, he was obliged to make a long and
dangerous trip to visit his family, and besides aiding in the councils held by
Clarke, and accompanying him in one or more of his expeditions, it is believed
he passed the journey from Lexington to Kas-kaskia twice, and often four times
each year. An anecdote illustrative of his character as related by his wife is
to this effect: During the winter succeeding their marriage the provisions of
the fort at Lexington became exhausted to such an extent that on her husband's
return home with his colored man, George, one night, almost famished with
hunger, she had been able to save for him a small piece of bread, about two
inches square, and about a gill of milk, which she presented to him. He asked at
once, if there was nothing for George; she answered, "not a mouthful." He called
George, and handed him the bread and the milk, and went to bed supperless himself.

   Geography.—-The county thus organized and named is situated in the southern
part of the State, on the Tennessee line, and in the eastern border of that
section of Kentucky arbitrarily called the Southwest. It is bounded on the north
by Muhlenburg County, east by Logan, south by Montgomery, in State of Tennessee,
and west by Christian, and contains about 330 square miles. The county lies
partly in the Green River Valley, and partly in that of the Cumberland River,
and represents the characteristics of both valleys. The dividing line between
these valleys passes in a northwesterly direction through Todd several miles
above Elkton, throwing the northern portion into the "Green River Country," and
the southern in the Cumberland Valley. Curiously enough, in this county, the
characteristics of these valleys are transposed; the Green River portion is
broken and underlaid by freestone, and lies within the mineral belt, while the
lower part belongs to the cavernous limestone formation, and possesses those
rich agricultural characteristics which have made the Green River Country famous
as the great wheat producing area of the State. The Russellville and
Hopkinsville road, passing northwesterly through Elkton, forms the general
dividing line between these two sections. South from this the surface is a
gently rolling expanse of arable country, with little timber and much lowland,
which for the lack of good artificial drainage is much of the year under water.
North of this road the surface begins immediately to show the gradual rise and
broken character which in the farther limits of the county develops into almost
impassable cliffs, rising abruptly to the height of 300 feet in places. The main
stream of the county is the Elk Fork of Red River; this taking its origin in
Nance Creek and Sampson's Branch, just north of Elkton, flows a southeasterly
course to Allensville, flows thence in a more southerly direction, and crossing
the Tennessee line forms the corner from which the lines of the county are
projected. Three and five miles above the point where the Russellville and
Hopkinsville road crosses the east line of Todd County, Double Lick Fork and
Breathitt's Branch cross into Logan County to form the Whippoorwill, and drain
that portion of the country between Elkton and the dividing ridge northeast of
the county seat.

   The central part of the southern division of Todd is drained by Spring Creek,
and the western line is marked by the West Fork, which finds its source in
Fairview District. These streams all empty into the Red River, which joins the
Cumberland in Tennessee just west of where the projected line of Todd's western
boundary would intersect it. The drainage of the northern portion of the county
is into the Green River through the Pond River and Clifty Creek, af&uents of the
former. Rogers' Branch, Slim Jimmy, Horse and Cow Creeks and Blue Lick Creek are
found in the northwest corner, and Pigeon Roost, East Clifty and the head waters
of the Clifty diversify and drain the northeast corner. The course of the Clifty
in Todd County is noted for the freestone cliffs which rise in almost
magnificent grandeur at its margin. This line of cliffs, extending for miles
unbroken by passable fissures, and clothed with the varied timber of this
region, affords a succession of views which for natural picturesqueness is not
excelled by any other locality in the State. The visitor is shown many places of
natural interest, and others about which tradition or the vivid imagination of a
later day has framed "legends strange to hear." The "Narrows " is a natural
wagon trail— the only one by which the rocky barrier may be passed in many miles
of its extent, which affords a good opportunity to gain some idea of it as an
obstacle to travel. Sweating stones, almost as phenomenal as the sweating statue
of old, are pointed out. These are vast masses of rock standing high up from the
ground, in isolated positions, the surface of which is continually covered with
a moisture so profuse as to drip to the ground in trickling streams. This seems
to be the normal condition of these objects, and the "oldest inhabitant," who is
everywhere noted for his close observation, is said never to have seen them in
any other condition. This was suggested by the "guide" as typical of the mental
state of one who should attempt to gain a livelihood by farming in this portion
of the county, but for the fair fame of Todd this impertinent analogy should be
scouted. The "Indian Ladder" is a luxuriant, wild grapevine which has thrown out
its tendrils along the face of the cliff, and grasping one tree or shrub after
another has drawn itself with cords of strength from one point to another until
it has reached a dizzy height. It is said that it leads to and covers the
entrance to a considerable cave which in the olden time afforded shelter to the
discomfited savage or a safe outlook to the runner of the tribe. Neither the
cave nor the Indian is to be seen from the comfortable footing below it, and the
"evidence of things not seen," probably rests entirely upon the conscience and
imagination of the person who kindly shows up the region to the visitor. Besides
these, there are buzzard roosts and dens of fabled monsters (now happily
extinct) which, to use the language of the auction bill, are "too numerous to
mention."

   The lowlands of Todd, while of more utility and, therefore, less romantic,
are not entirely devoid of natural objects of peculiar interest. Of these Pilot
Rock is perhaps the most striking. This is a vast mass of rock some 200 feet
high, resting upon elevated ground and entirely isolated. Its summit is a level
area of about half an acre in extent, covered with a small growth of timber and
wild shrubbery, and is a pleasant resort, frequented by picnic parties from the
neighboring country. It stands north of Fairview on the line between Christian
and Todd Counties, the larger portion of the rock lying within the limits of the
latter. Its elevated summit, which is gained without much difficulty, affords a
fine view of the surrounding country for many miles, presenting a prospect
beautiful and picturesque. In the leafless season and a favoring atmosphere, it
is said Hopkinsville, twelve miles away, may be distinctly seen from its summit,
and in pioneer days it was known far and wide as an infallible landmark, hence
its name. The cavernous limestone shows here the characteristics to be found
elsewhere. Sink-holes are frequently found, but none of such character as to
render them objects of especial interest. The tunneling of the Elk Fork a few
miles in its course below Elkton, is characteristic of the rock formation found
here. At the point where the river sinks out of sight, it originally flowed
around and at the foot of a mass of rock some fifty feet high. A fissure made in
its rock bed some forty feet from the base of the cliff, gave the water
opportunity to burrow an underground passage which, gradually enlarging, has
afforded passage for an increasing volume of water. Save in a very low stage of
water a part of the river finds passage by its old course; the rest, dropping
through the fissure in the bed, passes for several hundred yards under the
obstructing mass of rock. The contracted form of the opening causes the
descending water to take the form and bustle of a whirlpool, but it evidently
falls to no great depth as it emerges into the open country without the
precipitation of a spring, with a smooth, gliding motion which is gained in the
short passage.

   Geological Speculations.—No geological survey has been made of Todd County,
and the State work is of such a general nature as to forbid the gathering of
anything approaching a particular review of the geological features of this
county from its pages. A brief general review is all that can be attempted in
the time and space assigned to this topic here. The geological formations of
Kentucky, in common with those of the other Western States, generally belong to
that great system which extends from the Alleghanies on the east across the
Mississippi and to the Rocky Mountains,on the west. Throughout this vast region
the primary fossiliferous or silurian devonian, and carboniferous rocks prevail
with some of the upper formations. These rocks all belong to the class which is
termed sedimentary, and were generally deposited upon the bottom of the primeval
ocean. Here the fossil remains of the inhabitants of this ocean were gradually
covered by clay and sand or limestone and other layers of shells, until, under
the heavy pressure of superincumbent strata and by slow and long-continued
chemical action, they were converted into solid rocks, and now that the waters
of this ocean have retired, are exposed to view as the lasting records of
earth's remotest history. The strata over nearly the entire surface of the State
lie nearly horizontal with few dislocations. They have generally a slight dip
which, in the lower strata, seems to be usually in every direction from a point
near Cincinnati on the Ohio River as a center, and at this point the lowest
surface rocks of the State are exposed. The lowest exposed formation is the blue
limestone, generally considered equivalent to the lower silurian strata of
Murchison. The main surface exposure of this formation is found in a great
curved triangular area, the southern apex of which terminates in Lincoln County,
and from which only a narrow strip or axis, occasionally to be observed in the
deep cuts of the valleys, can be traced through Casey, Russell and Cumberland
Counties to the Cumberland River in Monroe County. The second formation is the
gray or cliff limestone. The termini of this formation are found on the Ohio
River, always overlaying the blue limestone, extending from Lewis and Mason
Counties above to those of Trimble and Oldham below. From these points this
formation appears as a belt, varying from twenty-two miles in width in Jefferson
County to only a fraction of a mile where it enters Tennessee from Monroe
County, running in a course more or less meandering from its true termini on the
Ohio around the blue limestone. Its dip corresponds generally with that of this
lower formation. This formation is known also as the cliff limestone, because
the hardness and durability of some of its layers causes it to stand out in bold
cliffs and to be the cause of the falls of water-courses. It is believed that
its lower beds are equivalent with the upper silurian strata of Murchison and
its upper layers with some portion of his devonian. The third formation is
variously termed black lingula shale, black slate, devonian shale. This
formation, resting immediately on the second formation, appears also on the Ohio
River at two points: in Lewis County and at the base of the falls of that river
in Jefferson County. From these two points, where the Ohio River Valley cuts
through these strata as they pass to the north and west, this formation like
that below it sweeps around the gray limestone in a meandering, irregular belt,
varying in breadth from eight to ten miles in parts of Lewis, Bath, Estill and
Madison Counties to that of a fraction of a mile in Casey, Russell, Cumberland
and Monroe Counties. Like the second formation it passes into the State of
Tennessee near the Turkey Neck Bend of the Cumberland River in two neighboring
narrow zones lying on each side of the axis described under the head of the
first formation, and its two zones, nearly parallel in their northeasterly
course from the Tennessee line to the confines of Lincoln County, begin here to
diverge, like those of the second formation, so as to surround and invest that
lower formation. Its thickness at the falls of the Ohio is a little over 100
feet, but it varies greatly in this respect. This shale is quite bituminous, and
petroleum has been found in this as well as in the formations above and below
it. Some search has been made in it for coal but only with disappointment. No
workable beds of this mineral have ever been found so low as this in the strata
of the earth in America. The fourth formation is knob sandstone. This formation,
which is generally characterized by the presence of those low hills called
"knobs," is mainly composed of olive gray shales and grits or sandstones of the
same tint. It is calculated to be 350 to 550 feet in thickness, and some of the
knobs, as Sweet Lick Knob in Estill County, rise to 500 feet above the level of
the streams. This formation also sweeps around the central and lower formations
on the outside and above the black shale very much in the same course as
described. This formation is exposed in a belt of about fourteen miles wide,
extending from the foot of the falls of the Ohio to the mouth of the Salt River;
thence it bears up the valley of that stream nearly south, with a slight
easterly curve, to Muldraugh's Hill, dividing Taylor, Marion and Larue Counties,
occupying part of Bullitt to the northeastern edge of Hardin, the western corner
of Nelson and a large portion of Larue; thence it curves more to the southeast
through the corners of Taylor, Casey and Adair Counties, to be continued in the
form of low beds of dark earthy limestones and marly shales through Russell and
Cumberland Counties to the Tennessee line. Beginning at its upper limits on the
Ohio River in Lewis County its trace is found through the northeastern part of
Fleming, the northern portion of Rowan, through Bath, Montgomery, Powell,
Estill, Madison, Garrard, Boyle and Lincoln, in its southeastern sweep, to Casey
County; again to pass, on the other side of the central axis, to the Cumberland
River. The fifth formation, known as cavernous limestone, sub-carboniferous
limestone or mountain limestone, is the exposure found in the southern portion
of Todd. This formation is made up of alternating layers of white, gray,
reddish, buff, and sometimes dark gray colored rocks, varying in quality from
the most argillaceous claystone to the purest limestone. The latter predominates
here, however, and contains numerous caverns, of which the Mammoth Cave in
Edmonson County is an exaggerated specimen. These caverns are especially marked
in Todd County only by the "sinks" found here and there in which the drainage
water of the country sinks to form underground streams. Clear and copious
springs mark the junction of this limestone with the underlying knob-stone, and
its lower strata contain in many places the dark, flinty pebbles which furnished
the material for the arrowheads of the Indians. Some of its layers are so
compact and close textured as to be fit for the lithographer, others are
beautifully white with an oolitic structure. In it are found valuable beds of
iron ore, some zinc and lead ores, and large veins of fluor-spar. This formation
is geologically important as being the basis of the true coal measures, no
workable beds of that material having ever been found below this formation in
any part of the world. It surrounds the coal fields on all sides, and, like the
other lower formations, is believed to extend continuously under them, appearing
always in its relative position in the beds of streams or bottoms of valleys
which are cut down deeply enough in the coal measures. The principal surface
exposure is in the central portion of the State, the counties of Adair, Allen,
Barren, Greene, Warren, Logan, Simpson and much of Hart, Edmonson, Todd, Trigg,
Christian, Caldwell, Crittenden, Monroe, Butler, Grayson, Ohio, Taylor and Larue
being based upon it. The sixth formation, the carboniferous or coal measures, is
found in the northern part of Todd. The lower member of this formation, resting
on the sub-carboniferous limestone, is usually what is called the conglomerate,
millstone grit or pudding stone, which is generally composed of quartz pebbles,
more or less coarse and rounded, cemented together with a silicious or
ferruginous cement, but sometimes represented by fine sandstone or even shaly
layers. Where the hard layers of this rock, the millstone grit, prevail the
hills are steep, cliffs prominent and the soil but little productive. The true
coal series, based upon this rock, are made up of alternating layers of
sandstones, shales, conglomerates and limestones, contain various beds of coal,
and nodules and layers of iron ore. Two considerable areas of this formation
exist in the State which are termed the Eastern and Western Coal Fields. The
Western Coal Field is an extension of the Illinois and Indiana coal field, and
occupies the whole of Union, Henderson, Daviess and Hopkins, and large portions
of Hancock, Ohio, Muhlenburg, Grayson, Todd and Butler Counties, an area of
about 3,888 square miles. The seventh formation is composed of the quaternary
deposits found in the extreme southwestern counties of the Jackson Purchase,
situated between the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers. These are loams, marls,
clays, etc., which have probably been transported there by the action of water
in recent geological time.

   Economic Geology.—Todd County, it will be observed, is geologically placed
very high. The rock exposures belong entirely to the fifth and sixth formations
of the State section, which brings the county within the region of the Western
Coal Field. It lies, however, on the margin of this area and no important
outcrops of coal have been worked to any great extent. One or two mines have
been opened and the product sold to local consumers, but with no great pecuniary
profit. There is but little known of the deposits of this mineral in Todd, the
State survey having accomplished but little more than to demonstrate what was
generally known before, that there was coal here to some indefinite extent. An
attempt was made in 1859 under the guidance of the State Geologist, Mr. D. D.
Owen, to trace the margin of the Western Coal Field. The work of the season
began on the Ohio River, at Stephensport, Breckinridge County, extending into
Breckinridge, Grayson, Edmonson, Hart, Warren, Butler, Logan, Todd, Christian,
Muhlenburg, Hopkins, Ohio and Hancock Counties. The greater part of the region
traversed was the roughest country in western Kentucky. The margin of this coal
field is surrounded by the millstone grit, sandstones and the intercalated beds
of limestone and aluminous shales; usually dipping at a considerable angle.
These formations worn into deep ravines by most of the water-courses produce a
broken country, while the interval between the streams is usually filled with
steep, rocky hills. This is the character of northern Todd, and it is probable
that no mines will ever be discovered here which will prove of considerable
commercial advantage. The geological party approached Todd by way of the
Greenville road. Several patches or outliers of coal measures were seen on the
hills between the northern branches of Muddy River and Clifty Creek, rarely over
sixty or seventy feet thick above the fifth sandstone of the general section.
Near the crossing of Clifty Creek the fifth sandstone is seen in heavy masses
twenty-five or thirty feet thick. North of Clifty the coal measures are reached
at the Dughill, half, a mile southeast of the Rochester and Elkton road. From
this point to the "Narrows" the road lies about 150 feet above the fifth
sandstone; near the Narrows the road suddenly descends to the fifth sandstone,
i. e., the margin of the coal measures. The fifth sandstone dips to both sides
of the road from the ridge (Narrows), which is probably an anticlinal wave; the
synclinals on either side being in the beds of Clifty Creek on the east, and
eastern branches of Pond River on the west side of the ridge. South of the
Narrows the fourth limestone and the fourth sandstone dip rapidly toward the
northeast, and are raised a considerable distance above the horizontal position
of the fifth sandstone at the Narrows. The narrow part of the ridge is about
sixty yards wide, being in fact only a huge mass of the fifth sandstone, eighty
feet thick, which is little else than a loose mass of quartz pebbles about the
size of marbles, through which the water percolates. Being arrested by the clay
shales at the base of the sandstone, it breaks out in bold springs on the east
side of the ridge, which is doubtless the direction of the greatest dip of this
locality. About one mile south of the Narrows the road has descended to the
third sandstone, and the rocks are quite level or are dipping gently to the
southwest, with the line of the branches to Pond River. The coal measures lying
between the head of Pond River and Clifty are only a few feet thick—80 to 110—
from one to two miles wide, deeply indented by the streams especially on the
west or Pond River side of the ridge. From the point of intersection of the "Old
Highland Lick" road with the Elkton and Greenville road the line of survey
turned to the westward to Bennett's Mill, White Plains and on to Christian
County. At this point of deflection, sandstone No. 3, formed the surface rock,
and on descending the first hill limestone No. 2 was reached. Near the East Fork
of Pond River the dip becomes quite rapid and brings down the mass of limestone
No. 3 with its associated shale beds to the East Fork, in a few places covered
by fallen masses of the pebbly part of the fifth sandstone.

   Economic Stones.—The line dividing the exposures of the fifth and sixth
formations, the cavernous limestone and the grit sandstone or freestone, is
nearly coincident with the Russellville and Hopkinsville road. In the former are
found several beds of limestone, differing much in thickness and quality, which
commend themselves for building purposes. The best of these is that used by the
company quarrying near Bowling Green. It is an oolitic, magnesian limestone,
occurring in layers of excellent form for use, readily worked, and with rare
qualities of endurance. A very similar stone is found in Todd, which was used in
the foundation of the court house built in 1835, and on which the tool marks can
be quite distinctly traced at this day. When first taken from the bed the stone
is rather soft, so that it can be carved with some facility, but when it is long
exposed it acquires a much greater hardness. It is, for a limestone, very
resistant to heat, and is likely to wear better than any other stone in the
Mississippi Valley. Add to this a rare beauty of color, a cream tint, and an
endurance of this color, and all the desirable qualities of a building stone are
well represented. This stone may be sought about one hundred and fifty feet
below the top of the main carboniferous limestone. The lithographic limestones
which are found at a lower point in the carboniferous limestone series, are as
yet less determined in their value than the building stones. The conditions
which determine the goodness of this quality of stone are so many, and must be
met with such accuracy, that it is by no means certain that there is any
material here to satisfy these conditions. The extensive series of beds which
lead to the hope that the stone of this county may be suitable for this purpose,
were formed under the same general conditions as prevailed in the basin when the
most trusted lithographic stone, that of Solenhofen, are found;—a sea bottom,
whereon an unbroken mass of fine sediment of mingled lime and clay is
accumulating, an entire absence of animals large enough for the naked eye to
see—these seem to be the conditions under which a lithographic stone must be
formed. Unfortunately most of this stone here shows from point to point small
hard bits, which are probably the remains of some silicious sponge which lived
in these waters of the ancient sea. These stones are doubtless useful for the
making of the coarser sorts of engraving and the ordinary run of crayon work.
They may also prove suitable for ordinary transfer work. None have been found as
yet suitable for the highest grades of work.

   Timber.—There is a wide difference in the timber growth found in the
different parts of the State. No coniferous tree or bush, with the exception of
the swamp cypress and a few small cedars, are to be found in western Kentucky,
and in this section the hemlock seems to be generally confined to the coal
measures. Magnolias are found in the precincts of the lawn, but they are
exotics. Originally, southern Todd was known as a "barren," where the timber was
kept down by frequent burnings, and in this connection it may be observed this
county was thus deprived of much valuable timber that otherwise would be found
in great abundance in the forests that have grown since the settlement of the
whites. It seems to be undisputed, that certain timbers, especially white oaks,
do not return again to forests from which they have once been driven by such an
agency as fire. In the State report upon this subject Prof. Shaler remarks: "The
formations best adapted to the growth of the chestnut are the conglomerate and
Chester sandstones (mill grit). On soils from these formations chestnut is
normally found in the greatest abundance, and growing to the greatest
perfection. In passing from western to eastern Kentucky my attention was
therefore attracted to the fact that when the Big Clifty (Chester)
sandstone-first appeared, which was in the neighborhood of Hopkinsville and on
Pilot Knob, no chestnut appeared with it. Moreover, the white oak and
liriodendron, away from the streams, seemed scrubby and scarce. Otherwise the
forest was normal, and I searched in vain for any clue to the absence of these
timbers. Mr. Irvine Kennedy, who has lived in this part of Kentucky for
sixty-eight years, and who now (1879) resides near Elkton, informed me that my
conjecture* was correct, and that he could remember when all these heavy forests
were a uniform growth of young trees, with not an old tree standing, except on
streams too large for fires to sweep through their swamps. I was afterward
informed that some chestnut groves exist not far from Elkton, though I did not
see a tree. It is possible that they stand in a piece of woods for some reason
protected from the ravages of fire. After passing Hopkinsville we begin to leave
the St. Louis limestone and approach the Chester sandstone, which already caps
the highest hills. The introduction of red oak, forming the larger part of the
forest growth, is a marked feature in passing onto the calcareous limestone and
lower Chester from the St. Louis limestone. Scarlet oaks crown the hill-tops,
and post oaks are found in depressions, or largely on the hill-sides below the
Chester. The latter feature is local, however, as on a high hill about five
miles from Hopkinsville post oaks extend up onto the Chester. The blackjack,
however, is clustered around the hills just at the base of the Chester, and this
I noticed to be generally true. Sugar maple, bartram oak, swamp chestnut oak,
white elm and black ash are found in considerable quantities along the streams.
For six or eight miles beyond Hopkinsville, toward Fairview, the timbers change
little in kind or quality from those just noted, except that some red haw and
winged elm are found. There is no white oak, no sweet gum, no chestnut (that I
could find) and no liriodendron. On Pilot Rock, which is a lofty bluff of Big
Clifty sandstone, cedar and liriodendron are both met with; but this is very
local, and even here no chestnut is to be seen, so far as I could gather.
Between Fair-view and Elkton the timbers, as a whole, are not valuable; but in
places black ash, white elm, pig and shag hickory, and such timbers, are
exceedingly fine. Especially is this true on West Fork of Red River, about one
and one-half miles from Fairview. On this stream are also found splendid white
oak, swamp chestnut oak, red and pin oak, white and shag hickory, black and blue
ash, sweet gum, liriodendron, white elm, sycamore, box-elder, sugar maple, white
maple and red bud. All of these timbers are very fine. It is a peculiar, though
an easily explained fact that in a large part of the country through here the
timbers are better on the hill-tops than on the lower grounds. The reason is
that the hill-tops are capped with Chester sandstone, the detritus of which
forms a damp soil, favorable for large trees, while the upper St. Louis
limestone here is not adapted to timber growth."

*Become extinct through agency of fires.

   Toward Elkton scattering bartram oaks and cedars are found in addition to the
usual red oak, shag, pig and white hickory, winged elm, small black ash, scrub
white oak (in spots), Spanish oak, black oak, post oak, black gum, etc. Yellow
wood is also found near Elkton, with some honey locust, red bud and red
(slippery) elm. Of course the swamp timbers have never been affected by fire;
and on streams fine white oak, liriodendron, white and sugar maples, sweet gum,
laurel oak, etc., flourish. The upland and lowland timbers alternate, with no
changes worthy of note until Russellville is reached.

   Agriculture.—Something more than the southern half of Todd County was
originally included in what was known as the "barrens," so called, not because
the soil lacked fertility, but because of the former absence of timber and the
numerous "sinks" to be found. This area lies upon the cavernous formation, and
the soil is notably of very high quality, but is easily restored when worn. The
soil of the northern portion of the county rests upon the clifty sandstone and
is of a less desirable quality. There are occasional patches of the red clay
subsoil, but these are rare, the greater part being the white pipe clay or
kindred soils of meager fertility and difficult to build up. Todd is
pre-eminently an agricultural county. Its numerous streams in the early history
of its settlement gave rise to a number of mills, but these have had a local
significance only. Of the large number that have had existence less than a dozen
now survive, and of these only the mills at Elkton are an important feature in
the manufacturing interests of the county. The lack of shipping facilities and
the scarcity of merchantable timber has retarded the development of
manufactures, so that Todd is not only a purely agricultural district, but is
likely to remain so for all time to come.

   The first settlers sought an agricultural region where timber and water
united to furnish the simple demands of pioneer existence. The "barrens,"
covered with considerable underbrush and with scarcely a tree, looked very
unpromising to the pioneer accustomed to the heavy timber of Virginia and North
Carolina, and were passed by, the first settlements being made in the timber
along the Elk Fork and streams of the northern part of this region. The
consequence was that the pioneers seized upon the poorest land in the county to
begin upon, and only necessity drove them later to the occupation of that
portion which is the garden spot of Todd. The pioneers brought with them the
notions gained in their former homes, and bringing their slaves sought to make
plantations here for the cultivation of the staples of the country from which
they came. Tobacco was the chief crop on which reliance for revenue was placed,
and this proved an admirable growth to subdue the soil, but the thin soil first
attempted soon proved inadequate to the trying demands of repeated crops of this
plant, and some twenty-five years later there were hundreds of acres "turned
out" as worn-out land. The "barrens" were then taken up and cultivated in the
same way with the same result. There was this difference in the two sections,
however: no profitable means of restoring the thin soil could be devised, while
the red sub-soil lands were readily and cheaply renewed by fallowing with
clover. Farmers have not given the subject that careful investigation which its
importance demands, and careless, uninstructed methods are still employed, as a
rule, here as elsewhere in the south. There are evidences of improvement in this
respect here, and it is probable that the improvement will continue until the
cultivated area in Todd County will be largely increased.

   The plan of the first farmers was to plant a crop of tobacco on the new soil
and follow it with corn until the soil was completely exhausted, when the field
was abandoned. Later years have taught the advantages of rotation in crops, and
this is now the rule. Tobacco is still the first crop on new or sod land.
Occasionally a second crop is taken from the same field, but generally, corn is
the succeeding crop for one or more seasons, then occasionally oats, succeeded
by wheat and then clover. Tobacco has been, until very recently, almost the only
source of revenue to the farmer, and beyond the demands of his family support
his farm and energies were devoted by the farmer to the cultivation of this
crop. The variety is known as the Clarksville leaf, a thick, gummy, heavy
variety which is principally marketed at that point and nearly the entire
product exported to foreign lands. The style of cultivation is of the better
sort. Care is taken in all its stages and the product comes to market in pretty
good condition. It is an exacting crop on soil and labor, and the farmer has
always a crop in hand from the time he begins its cultivation until he stops.
Like all other crops, it affords remuneration of a varied sort. The careful,
attentive planter gradually grows rich, while the careless class gradually joins
the indigent class, a "good year" only delaying his inevitable progress. More
than most of agricultural products, the success of its culture turns upon
critical junctures, when a day's unfaithfulness will ruin or greatly damage a
promising field. The changes wrought by "the war" in the character of farm
labor, has increased the demand for care, and the frequent remark is now heard,
that "tobacco growing don't pay." Todd County, however, is quite as much devoted
to the "noxious weed" as ever before, and will probably continue to be, the
farmers depending upon increased care and intelligence to cure the clearly
defined evils now observed in handling it.

   Corn is an important product of husbandry in the county. An increasing
acreage is planted each year, the farmers having discovered that it is more
profitable fed to stock than to negroes. Its yield is large, its cultivation not
exacting on soil or labor, and its returns, when fed on the farm, are highly
satisfactory. In recent years a mixed form of husbandry has gradually made its
way into favor, and the growth of live stock is modifying agricultural
traditions in every way. But little attention is paid to grass as a merchantable
crop, but meadows of mixed timothy, blue or orchard grass and clover alone or
mixed with the other varieties, are becoming more frequent. Clover, for renewing
purposes, is very largely sown. The general practice is to turn under the growth
unpastured or cropped in the fall, to lie fallow until planting time in the
following spring. On soil thus fertilized tobacco is first planted, which is
followed by wheat. The acreage devoted to this cereal has largely increased of
late years, and some of the best farmers plant only enough tobacco to pay the
farm hands, and look to this grain for their principal revenue. Every farmer
raises some wheat, and the aggregate quantity raised in the county reaches a
large figure.

   Stock-raising to any noticeable extent dates from about 1863. Before this
date but little had been attempted in the way of improving stock, save in
horses. Kentucky has long been noted for its horses, and the record of breeding
horses and jacks which were licensed in the county indicates an early interest
here in this subject. Up to the year 183d the following horses are named in the
record: Sir Clayton, Silver Heels, Young Pilgrim, Wormwood, Diomede, Bolivar,
Richard, Faulkner, Arrasaka, Corsican, Bachelor, Aratas, Uncas, Sir Charles,
Pacotel, Sir Archer, Mike, The American Beauty, Hamiltonian, Comet, Niter,
Selim, American Eagle, Young Stump Dealer, etc. These names indicate the
prominent strains that have been used to improve the common stock. The interest
in this class of stock has been maintained by the circumstances and tastes of
the people. Horses are selected here with reference to their qualifications for
the saddle or harness. Among well-to-do people, horses are kept especially for
the one use or the other. "All purpose" horses are only in demand among the
class of owners who cannot afford the expense of maintaining animals for road
purposes. The mystery of "fox-trot, side-pace and running walk," is eloquently
explained by the Kentuckian horse-lover (and what man is not?) and enters
largely into every horse sale. The average horse in the county is well-bred, but
rather run down. There are many fine-spirited animals to be seen, held or sold
at prices varying from $250 to $500, but these are in the minority. The heavy
draft horse has been introduced of late years, but does not find much
encouragement, as mules are almost entirely used in farm work. The latter animal
is found in large numbers in the county, and meets a ready sale at good prices.

   About 1845 Dr. Garrard brought to Todd County a fine short-horn bull, which
he had purchased at a cost of some $500. This attempt to improve the cattle was
not appreciated, and it is said the investment was a complete loss. About 1863
the subject of improvement of cattle was revived, and some of the best families
of short-horns were brought in from the blue grass region. Since then the
interest in this stock has considerably increased. Jersey cattle were introduced
here in 1878, and quite a number of this breed of animals are found. Webb C.
Garth, of District No. 5 (Trenton), and M. P. Bailey, District No. 4 (Elkton),
are prominently identified with stock-raising, dealing principally in herd-book
animals. Other classes of stock are receiving some attention also. Hogs are a
considerable source of profit, and are shipped to market to an important extent.
The Berkshire, Poland-China and Jersey Beds are all represented in the breeds.
Coarse-wool sheep are found to a limited extent in the county. There are no
large flocks, but almost every farmer has a few head, kept principally to
furnish the table with mutton. Wool is becoming more of an object of late, and
within a few years past the flocks have materially increased.


Submitted by: Joy Fisher
sdgenweb@yahoo.com



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

COUNTIES OF TODD AND CHRISTIAN, KENTUCKY.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.

EDITORS: 
J. H. BATTLE, TODD COUNTY HISTORY. 
W. H. PERRIN, CHRISTIAN COUNTY HISTORY.

ILLUSTRATED.

F. A. BATTEY PUBLISHING CO., 
CHICAGO AND LOUISVILLE.
1884.

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/kyfiles/