The men, Clinton Hutchinson from Kansas and Samuel Kelsey from New York, fresh from establishing Hutchinson, Kan., in 1872, had come tothe area after reportedly drawing two lines - one from Chicago to Savannah, Ga., and the other from New York to New Orleans. Where the two lines intersected, the story goes, a great commercialcenter could be developed. The fastest things in these parts could be the bows on thecellos at the Highlands Chamber Music Festival or the rafts plunging over the white water on any number of nearby rivers. With the exception of a hotel and maybe a store or two, most businesses here are homegrown, said Kelly. People don't come to Highlands forBig Macs and a movie from Blockbuster.
People are very protective of Highlands.
And it is a nice place to raise my children. But Kelly is the exception. Fewer than 900 people actually live in the city of Highlands on a yearly basis, although during the summer months,the peak season, the population can swell to more than 20,000 as summer residents and visitors take to the mountains. Former president of Clinton-based KLH Industries Frank Lauritzen and wife May Lou have made Highlands their second home since the summerof 1990. The couple discovered the town while on a trip to the East Coast.