Gibson County, Indiana - Chapter 1: Geology and Topography, 1914

Chapter 1: Geology and Topography

"The surface of Gibson county, in the western part, is level or mildly undulating. Nearly half is the bottom land and a small portion of barrens. East from the center and along the eastern and northeastern boundary are to be seen elevated plateaus, pierced by deep valleys, and covered with excellent timber, as late as the nineties. The soil is generally an alluvial loam and is everywhere very fertile. The alluvial bottoms along the streams, originating from the ordinary floods, are made up of sands and clays spread out by overflow, and rest upon or against the sides of the gravel terraces. The terraces are consequently next m age and rest upon or against the sides of more ancient alluvium or sand hills, which, in turn, are more recent than the loess clays, which superimpose the true boulder or glacial drift. From the terminus of the conglomerate spur which pierces the county like a promontory from the east, a ridge of yellow loam sets in and continues westward, forming the present, as it probably formed the ancient, line of demarkation between the waters of the Patoka and White rivers. This ridge was clothed with a magnificent growth of oak, poplar and other valuable timber and, from the ciuality of the soil, was formed at a time when the headwaters of the rivers were rapidly cutting their channels in the sub-carboniferous limestones to the east, constituting a rich loam. This ridge, with like characteristics as to soil and timber, is continued from northeast to southwest across the county, constituting a broad belt of agricultural country about Princeton and Owensville. Outliers of this poplar soil are seen even west of the Wabash, at and southwest of Mt. Carmel, which indicate the wayward course of the river currents then flowing through a broad, lake-like sheet of w^ater at an elevation from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty feet above their present channels. At Buena Vista, on White river, extensive mounds surround the village. Outcrops of the rash coals were observed in the vicinity, and the companion limestones develop a thickness of from two to five feet. The high ridge and tableland south of town has a rocky skeleton, covered with lacustral loams. But above and against the bluffs of loess are extensive bars of beds of fluvatile sand, some of which obtain in different localities at an elevation of two hundred and thirty-five feet above the present bed of White river. These indicate the high water level of the ancient river. On the sides of the bluffs are occasionally found small beds of gravel containing a few specimens of the harder stone sorted from the glacial drift, surviving on account of the obduracy of material, but notably containing geodes and cherts from the mountain limestone at the headwaters of the river. The last mentioned mark the bars of low water line and plainly indicate the former presence of the river at these points. South of the Patoka powerful erosive forces have swept across the eastern part of the county, leaving isolated mounds, knobs and hills, monumental tokens of the ancient surface; but, generally, excavating the rocks to the depth of from fifty to one hundred and sixt}^ feet and creating broad valleys or valley plains now waterless or used by insignificant brooks. This epoch is dated back to the time of the glacial river and the soil to the lacustral, for we find that on the hillsides an ash gray soil prevails, very sensitive to draught or moisture, the modified or washed residual sands of the latter epoch."

"It was written of this county thirty years and more ago that, owing to the [jcculiar formations, the surface deposits endow the county with a variety of fertile soils and insure a variety of pursuits so necessary for the social and pecuniary development of the community. Stone suitable for building purposes is not very common. The ']\Ierom rock' is usually friable, and will soon distintegrate on exposure. Fair quarry stone is found at a point east of Hazelton, at Severns' Bridge, on Patoka. and near the county line. Stone of a much superior grade is found in the vicinity of Oakland."

Coal of an excellent quality in abundance sufficient to supply any possible demand occurs along the line which separates Gibson from Pike county.

Clay, bricks and tile of a good quality can be made from material found in almost all parts of Gibson county. All the coals are underlaid and the places of the barren seams occupied by fire clays, which in the future will equal the coals in value. These clays are suitable for the manufacture of tiles, terra-cotta and potter's ware, fire-brick, etc.

A recent soil survey of this county states that the cuunty has a large variet_v of soil types, with a wide range of adaptability. All the ordinary crops are grown, nianx^ special crops, truck farming and fruit growing, and each finds a soil especially suited to its needs, corn along the streams and river flats, the uplands for wheat, the sand hills for melons, etc. These soils all have a good degree of fertility and fertilizers are little needed, save where some special crop is raised.

Summary

"Gibson county is in a prosperous condition agriculturally. The county is large, has great wealth, and the farming population for the most part are a progressive people, as is evinced by the appearance of the homes, farms and general conditions throughout the county. All crops are grown successfully. The melou industry, however, has made the county famous. A superior quality of melons are grown on the soils and they find a ready market in St. Louis, Louisville, Indianapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh and other large markets. The sand areas were formerly considered of little value, but at the present time little can be bought at less than a hundred dollars an acre, and there is little desire to sell at any price. Three varieties of cantaloupes are grown, chiefly nutmegs, netted Rockyfords and large netted. There is a good sale for all these varieties. They are marketed in baskets which hold on the average about eighteen melons and the yield is from two to four hundreds baskets per acre. The cantaloupe season begins about July 15th and they bring about fifty cents per basket to the grower ; later in the season the price drops to from twenty to twenty-five cents per basket. The baskets cost the growers about four or five cents each. Some shipments are made loose in the car, also hauled loose in wagons to surrounding markets, but the price obtained is usually lower. In drawing to the cars the growers take from eighty-five to one hundred and fifty baskets at a load. Cantaloupes average about sixty dollars per acre to the grower.

"Watermelons begin about August ist. They are hauled in wagons to the market and about one hundred and twenty-five is a usual load. The first cars shipped bring the grower about twenty-two cents each. Watermelons average about two to three hundred melons per acre, but many fields run as high as seven hundred to one thousand to the acre. The principal fertilizer used is well rotted stable manure. The melon crop is generally plowed four times in cultivation and additional care is used to keep all grass out."

"The county was formerly covered with a heavy forest growth. Some good timber yet remains and considerable tracts of small timber are found in ])arts of the county. Practically all of the trees of this section are of value and those which usually indicate a good quality of soil. Fifty or more species may be found in any wooded tract anrl in some parts one class of trees will predominate and in other locations different species will take the lead.

"The soil condition in this county should be carefully studied and a series of investigations made as to their needs. The soil is naturally productive, but by the continual cropping the soil is depleted unless proper attention is given to the rotation of crops and the methods of cultivation."

Of the thirteen coal-producing counties in this state, Gibson is within two of the bottom of the list, Daviess and Perry counties only producing less tons than Gibson, while the greatest coal-producing county in Indiana is Vigo, which produced in 1908, 3,490,349 tons. The same year the output in Gibson was only 208,654 tons.

The 1909 state reports show that Gibson county mines employed 172 miners, at an average wage of $769 per year. The Oswald mines employed 137 men inside and twelve men outside; Fort Branch mines worked twentyseven men inside and a total of forty-three; Francisco mine employed a total of thirteen men.

The output of coal in the county during the last named year was : From the Oswald mine (now the Princeton Coal Company), 176,403 tons; from the Fort Branch mine, 28,926 tons ; from the Francisco mine, 3,325 tons, making a grand total of 208,654 tons.

Natural Gas

At one time the natural gas industry was one of consideraljle importance in Gibson county, but with the passing years the supply here, as well as in most Indiana points, has greatly diminished. In and near Oakland City, in IQOQ, a numljer of wells were sunk for gas. There are numerous gas wells in the northern half of the county, but none of great force, hence it is no longer spoken of as among the notable industries in the county.

Petroleum Oil Fields

The state geological reports for 1907 contain much concerning the Gibson county oil fields, a portion of which the writer draws from in writing this chapter. The hrst discovery of oil in this county was in 1903, at least that was the first of any commercial value. It was struck in a sandstone varying from eight hundred and tw.enty to nine hundred and twenty feet below the surface. The history of this industry, however, goes back to 189 1, when a subsidy was voted by I'atoka township to the Southern Railway Company, inducing that company to locate their central shops at Princeton. A little before that time William R. Wright, of Princeton, while in search of coal and gas, had completed a well known as "Evans" Well," on the eastern edge of the city. A considerable pressure of gas was found, which induced him to pipe it to the court house yard and burn it, so attracting public interest to his well. This event, along with the voting of the subsidy, created some excitement and in a short time afterward four wells were completed. These, however, were unsuccessful in producing any quantity of gas, although the presence of heavy strata of coal and shale was shown. Three of these wells were near the Evans well and one located in the yards of the Southern railway shops. Then another well was located on the J. B. Hall tract on the western edge of Princeton, directly south of the Evansville & Terre Haute railroad depot. It was carried down to a depth of 1,274 feet, and at 355 feet a vein of coal strata measuring six feet in thickness was passed through ; at 470 feet another six-foot vein was found and still another at the depth of 670 feet. The largest vein was struck at 730 feet, being seven feet in thickness, and finally, at the depth of 1,020 feet, three feet of coal was encountered, showing five strata of coal in this one location. But a small amount of gas ever emitted from this well. In fact none of the 1891 gas wells exer pro- diiced a commercial natural gas. Ten years rolled by and nothing of importance was done in the way of sinking" more wells. But in January, 1902, a company composed of business men in Princeton was organized and incorporated as The Inter-State Oil and Gas Company. These men were the pioneers in the Princeton oil field and were as follows : Seth Ward, Sr., S. T. Heston, Eugene Criswell, G. E. Bryant, Harry Kurtz and J. W. Archer. The capital stock was $500,000, in one dollar shares. They leased three thousand acres of land in the vicinity of Princeton, and early in the spring of 1902 let a contract to drill two thousand feet, with the understanding that Trenton rock was to be reached. A bore was put down on the Charles Brownlee farm, south half of the southwest quarter of section 6, township 2, range 1 1 west, a half mile north of the limits of the city. Indications of oil appeared at the depth of 869 feet, but on the workmen went until 1,026 feet was reached, when another showing of oil was discovered, but this, too, was not a paying oil find and so more work was done, and on a day in February, 1903, after expending $5,000, the discouraged operators abandoned the enterprise and some time elapsed before another entry was made in the field. But capital and enterprise kept steadily pressing forward, and by the close of 1906 there were one hundred and twenty-two gas-producing wells, forty- four dry holes, eleven abandoned pay wells and one well drilling, making a total of one hundred and seventy-six wells, eight}'-two of which yielded gas. None of these wells are large producers, but they have lieen the source of much- wealth in the county in the few years they have been in operation. In 1904 there were shipped from Gibson county 32,000 barrels of oil; in 1905 there were 65,000 barrels shipped and in 1906 there were 103,843 barrels shipjied. These wells are largely to the north and west of Princeton scattered over quite a territory.

The output of the wells are largely under the control of the Standard Oil Company, known here as the Indiana Pipe Line Company, who change the prices here in harmony with the oil markets everywhere in the country, hence- some months the wells are more profitable than in others of the same year.

This oil field extends over an area of about twelve square miles and lies in section 35, township i, range 11 west, and in sections 2, 3. 10 and 11, in township 2, range 11 west. They are mostly all in Patoka civil township. The eastern limit of the field is about one and a half miles from the northwest corner of the corporate limits of the city of Princeton.

The following are the elevations at various ])oints within Gibson county : Yeager's Hill, 642 feet; Bald Hill, 634 feet; Francisco, 430 feet; Fort Branch, 440 feet; Gordon Hills, 500 feet; Haubstadt. 473 feet; Hazelton, 422 feet; King's Station, 463 feet; I-yles, 400 feet; Owensville, 507 feet; Patoka, 429 feet; Princeton, at the Evansville & Terre Haute railroad station, 478 feet; Southern station in Princeton, 429 feet; court house, 501 feet.