Huntington County is one of the northeastern counties of the State. It has an area of 384 square miles, and had a population, in 1870 of 19,036. The name was selected in honor of Samuel Huntington, of Connecticut, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

The principal streams in Huntington County are the Wabash and Little and Salamonie Rivers. The Wabash enters the county near the middle of the eastern boundary, and, bending to the north, leaves it after again turning south near the middle of the western boundary. Little River enters a half a mile south of the northeastern corner of the county, and flows diagonally through it until it forms a junction with the Wabash two miles below Huntington. The Salamonie enters the county two miles southeast of Warren, and flows in a general northwesterly course through the southern half of the county.

The principal tributaries of the Wabash, with the exception of Little River, are Silver, Loon and Clear Creeks. The main affluents of Little River are Bull and Calf Creeks; while the Salamonie receives, in its course through the county, the waters of a number of smaller streams.

There was, at an early day, some wet prairie to be found in Union Township, but all this has since been brought under cultivation. There are still three or four sections, however, of wetlands, mostly prairie, in Jackson Township, being an extension of the Big Prairie, which comes in from Allen County, where the bulk of it is found.

With very slight exception, all the remainder of Huntington County was originally covered with heavy timber. The most numerous varieties of native trees were oak, ash, beech, soft maple and sugartree; walnut, wild cherry, poplar, together with elm, in the more level places, and sycamores along the streams. The bulk of these woodlands required but little surface drainage, but was at once fitted for cultivation as soon as the heavy growth of trees was removed.

The geological formation of the county resembles, very much, that of Wabash, on the west. Near Huntington, the limestone formation abounds in numerous fossils, affording a fine field for collectors. Lime is burned in large quantities, near the county seat, which has a reputation second to none in the State. Excellent building stone is also found, and measures are being taken to develop the quarries containing it, on an extensive scale.