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Is in the second tier of counties from the northern boundary of the State, and the fourth west of the Mississippi river, and is bounded on the north by Mitchell, on the east by Chickasaw, on the south by Butler, and on the west by Cerro Gordo counties. It is watered by the following streams, which flow in a southeasterly direction: The Little Cedar River flowing through the northeastern portion of the county; Cedar River entering near the centre of the northern boundary, and passing out near the southeast corner; Lime Creek, flowing into Shell Rock River, and Shell Rock River flowing through the southwestern portion of the county. "These are all beautiful and rapid streams, skirted with timber, and furnishing good water power at numerous points. There are also many rock exposures in the banks of these streams, although no high bluffs occur, the ledges of rock not usually exceeding ten or twenty feet in height. The region between the valleys of the streams is mostly gently rolling prairie, destitute of timber, which is almost exclusively confined to the edges of the streams; the soil is usually highly fertile. The settlements are chiefly in the neighborhood of the rivers, where timber, water power and building materials are abundant, and where the flourishing condition of most of the towns attests the presence of an industrious population, possessed of unusual advantages of position and soil.: The county was organized in 1854.

The Cedar Valley Railroad, which is now completed to Waverly, will eventually pass through the eastern part of the county, thus affording a ready market for all kinds of produce.

CHARLES CITY is the county seat, and is beautifully situated on Cedar river, on the stage route from Cedar Falls to Mitchell.

"In passing up the Cedar river to Charles City on the west bank, the road lies over a rolling prairie. In the ridges limestones occur, as is shown by the prescence of occasional fragments lying on the surface, or perhaps here and there an imperfect exposure. The beds, as observed, are mostly shaly, and singularly devoid of fossils. An actual river section seems necessary to the determination of their relations to each other.

"On the Cedar, at Charles City, there is a small opening in thin beds of hard, buff-colored limestone. Under these beds occurs a thick-bedded, light-grey limestone, shading off into buff-grey: it contains numerous concretaions. Both the upper and lower beds contain a few fossils, all of which are in a very imperfect condition, so that only one, an Atrypa retieularis, could be made out. There were a few fragments of corals obtained here, which are too poorly preserved to be distinctly recognized.

"The next section was taken at a quarry three-fourths of a mile above Charles City, on the west side of the river. The beds are of very hard limestone, which is mostly fine-grained and rather brittle: they vary in thickness from four inches to one foot; and the different layers resemble each other so much that they could hardly be distinguished in hard specimens, especially as they are all equally unfossiliferous. The whole section exposed is only nine feet above the level of the dam at Charles City, of which two at the base are concealed by detritus.

"The court house at Charles City is built of this rock, which is a good material for building, although too brittle to dress evenly and handsomely. The quarry is conveniently situated for use, as the back-water from the dam sets up as far as that, and allows the blocks to be rafted down to the town. The beds exposed at this point are probably a little higher in the series than those of the section at Charles City."--Geology of Iowa.

The soil is sandy, but excellent, and the water power of the best kind. There are a large flour mill and two saw mills here. The town has, four churches, Baptist, Christian, Congregational and Methodist, a Masonic Lodge, No. 141, and a Lodge of Good Templars; three general stores, two grocery stores, one drug store and one bank. The Charles City Intelligencer is published weekly, by Hon. A. B. F> Hildreth. Population, 700.

FLOYD is situated on the west side of Cedar River, with excellent farming lands on the west, and heavy timber on the east. It is thirty-five miles from Waverly, the present terminus of the Cedar Valley Railroad, and on the projected line of the Iowa Central, which is to

connect St. Paul and St. Louis. It contains a Methodist church, two general stores, two grocery stores and two saw mills. Population, 500.

ROCKFORD is in a township of the same name, in the western part of the county, on the stage route from Cedar Falls to Clear Lake. It has three churches, Baptist, Congregational and Methodist; also two general stores, one flour mill and one saw mill. Population, 300.

ULSTER is a post office in the central portion of the county, on the Charles City and Plymouth stage route. Population of township, 172.

The remaining post offices and villages are Marble Rock, Nora Springs and Watertown.

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