Lincoln County was formed in 1867 from Cabell, Kanawha, Boone, and Putnam counties and was named for Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. It produced oil, gas, and coal and was also noted for high-quality tobacco grown on its agricultural lands. Putnam County was formed in 1848 from Cabell, Mason, and Kanawha counties and was named for Gen. Israel Putnam, a Revolutionary War hero. Trails made by American bison cut across the county to the Ohio River, and its oldest town, Buffalo, was named for them.