Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-07-27
Letter from Ducktown.

Ducktown is a region of mining country
sometimes known at distance as the East
Tennessee, or rather Tennessee Copper
mines. It is almost entirely settled by
| miners, most of whom are Englishmen
The number of the inhabitants in the
place has been Yariously estimated and
| what is strange these estimations differ
very widely. Three thousand, / believe is
| the lowest, and some say even higher than
five thousand, which learn was the last
report of the census-taker. This report
seemingly ought to be reliable, but find
many here who do not hesitate to doubt it.
DucktOwn is located about forty miles
south east of Cleveland, and fifty odd from
Athens, being right in the southeastern
corner of East TennesSee-formedb by the
junction of the state line between Tennes-
see and North Carolina, with the Alabama
line. The distance from the center OF
Ducktown to this junction is perhaps not
more than three miles and a walk of not
more than an hour or two will enable one
to travel in three states. The situa-
ton and surroundings here are wonderful,
beautiful, grand. Here is a regular am
phitheatrical basin of eight or ten miles
diameter constructed by an opening in
the Iron or Great Smokey mountains.
Gaze in what direction you will, mountains
rise and take their stations to shut out
DucktOwn from the outside world and
constitute it a little world in itself. These
mountains, thus nearly surrounding in the
nomenclature ofDucktown, are Little Frog
Big Frog, Stanberry, Killdeer, &c. This
basin formed by these mountains is not as
level as plain-no level places about it
but it consists of irregularly arranged ele-
vations and depressions. Again, III the
"Ducktown nomenclature, here is field
of ppOtat0 hitlsf with no orderin its arrage-
ment. These hills are covered with dense
undergrowth, all the timber having been
cut of for the use of furnaces &C., in con-
nection with the mining operations. Here
and there among them are found splendid
springs rendering this a well watered place.
The Ocoee runs through this basin which
is q small river. / am informed by good
authority that the fall in this river from here
to its mouth at the Hiwassee, distance of
thirty odd miles, is about twelve hundred
feet. The HiYassee runs through the
mountains several miles East of this.
DucktOwn is said to be one of the most
healthy sections in East Tennessee. There
is almost continually a delightful breeze
going which is at least not so common in
other portions of our country. The water
is said to be very healthy. The nights are
cool and refreshing. The land is high and
dry being estimated at from twelve hun :
ulCu W lOuIGctIl IIuIltlIcO IcSt StUONS NlcNt-
land,
AS before stated, the inhabitants are
mostly Englishmen, and with few excep-
tions all miners. They are candid, social,
intelligent, and liberal both financially
and in respect to opinions. None are
strongly prejudiced on any subject. There
are four churches here, two Methodist, one
Southern Methodist and one Baptist. The
people maintain one academic school and
other primary SCHOOLS, At the regent ded
ioatiOn of the new Methodist Episcopal
Church here, by DR.. Cobleigh, the people
subscribed over fifteen hundred dollars on
the debt of said church, which will entire
ly liquidate it. This collection was by
many unexpected and serves to show the
liberality of the mountain region.
The people being miners, of course the
land here mostly lies uncultivated, the
quality of which. and adaptation to GER
tain crops, together with something on
the history and condition of the mines l
leave for other articles. G.. NJ. NJ.