Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-06-27

RAwLEY SPRINGs,
ROCKINGHAM Co.. VA. June u, 4,

winch IL Is reached, ana YET To-Day MAJORITY
of the visitors here are from the Federal city,
and more, hear, are stir 20 come. The Inva-
lids are naturally the first TO arrive, bat the
pleasure seekers will follow after Ia July and
August The season in this mountain country
lasts into November, anu in the month OF Osto-
Der is singularly beautiful
THE MOUNTAIN COUNTRY.
Rawley Spring is located in the western part OF
Old Rockineh an the "oanner county OF the
Tenth Legion" as the democracy once fondly
called it. You pass fan after farm robed Ia
It's mantle OF grass OF gram; yoH pass cows anh
should ever lack for milk OF butter, yoa look
almost With envy, certainly with admiration,
upon pleas ant peaceful homesteads, where one
might pass a summer so nicely away from al
the dust, heat, and malaria OF the cities, ana
after the eve has been Toasted with such scenes
and you think eagerly OF supper, and that y
miles of staging from Harrisonburg is enough,
you enter the foot hills OF the North mountain,
which bounds the celebrated valley OF Virginia
or so ,you finally Lauilup at Rawley' and Wood
ward, the hotel manager, soon lands you at the
supper table; but not before you have dashed
down TO the spring to taste the clear, cold, in
life. '~' ~ = y So : ~"
The railroad ascends all the way from Wash
ington until you enter the valley. The scenery
from Washington to
MANASSAS JUNCTION
is so well-known that L need not describe il.
There You can look around you and try in vain
in the streets of the prosperous little village that
has slrurg up like magic to magine Beauregard
encamped here, surrounded by his aids, or tue
blue and the grey enve,opei ia the sulphurous
canopy of the battle field. Better and more
peaceful days have come, and now our Chief
concern is not to kill some honest man on the
other side, but what sort OF cars We are to get
and how long we are to be making our Journey
Leaving Manassas station or town-must cali
it-you branch OFF to the north west, striking di
county. The tourist who is not pleased here
must surely be cynic. A. every step of the
rosd you come to the most beautiful views. From
Manassas you never loss the pleasing sight Of
the mot ufains. First, there are the Bull Run
monRtalns, from which, some fifteen CT
twenty miller away, issues the Bull Run river or
creek, on the banks of which was fought the
| first important battle of the wsr-the muddy
waters of the stream vieing with most of the
histories Of this struggle In lack OF clearneSs.
These Bull Run mountains have pretty out
line, and when you pass through them at the
celebrated
L "THoRoUGHFARE GAP"
memorable as the avenue BY which, l.. 1862,
jackson and Longstreets fOIces descended
upon Pope, you catch glimpse of the yet more
delicious and picturesque outline of the Blue
Ridge reposiBg In grandeur far above. To this
youT iron horse now climbs, stopping now and
then at some little village where there was a
fight, skirmish or raid, or all three for every
foot of this soil was fighting and debatable land.
Here, in fact, lay what the confederates used 10
call
"MoeBY's coNFEDRRAcY."
1t is goodly land for the farmer, and every
house was a choice place for your Hans Brett
| man to repose himself in during the hot after
| moons after his long and weary ride, and with
no foe in view to work him any "anuoy." Fancy
| calls up our Hans, with clanking saber and
| swelling port, shouting for a glass of butter
milk, something stronger, If the said something
| stronger could be had. Manassas, Gainesville,
| Thorough fare, Salem, Rectortovn, Piedmont
| with such names how can you keep thoughts or
conversation from turning back TO that wonder
flu struggle now fortunately closed forever?
THE whole Of this country Is little Travelled
No hxve anal TxtN .r~.. .-l-.a-
| it boasts a railroad comparatively new. Ii is
out Of the beaten track OF travel, but ere long
suspect, II will be preferred spot for imml
| grafton. II is one of the richest most salubri-
Gus and attractive portions of Virginia 1 did
not inquire the price of lands hereabouts, bat
doubt not that they can be had on very reason
able terms. They seem TO me almost equally
well adapted to grain or stOck-raIsing, OF the
| growth OF fruit. 1t il capital country for the
| grape. There is no reason Why the whole coun-
| try should not be covered with vineyards
| You enter the valley by the celebrated Ma
nassas Gap. The grade is comparatively easy
| and don't believe there il a very heavy grade
on any part OF this road. The road strikes first
| for the town of Front Royal, in Warren county
and then for Strasburg. 4 his place is the point
| where the road joins with the railroad leadin,
| via Winchester to Harper's Ferry. But our route
lay up and not down the valley. For a while WI
coursed by the side of the Shenandoah. neei
not state that every foot of our road was through
country marvelously fertile, aud which has
rapidly recovered from the devastation of the
war. But on this occasion the valley did not
| look its best. There had bee L long and severe
drought, and both the grass nd the grain crops
showed the effects OF II: MI, OF the wheat had
the stalk smaller than hs ever seen before.
The Oat crop had also suffered much. And vet,
in spite OF it all, and though the farmers had in
some places to haul the water for their stock
| the cattle did not seem to have suffered Such
is the wonderful fertility of this valley, and
such the compensatons OF nature that il sur
vived a drought which elsewhere would have
blighted every thing in its path.
Strasburg, Front Royal, and Woodstock are
all small villages; and Bsrrisonburg, which il
larger, has some 4, 800 inhabitants. You see NO
large towns in the valley; but you witness, on
the other hand, q thickly settled neighborhood.
well managed farms, AID general prosperity.
There is not the slightest sign of disorder. did
not in my way hear a discussion OF any sort, and
still less an alteration. The most nervous man
might come this way without any fear of being
caught up by kuklux. Political talk is very
rarely heard, and then only bet~ eeD persons
already acquainted. In Tact the chief concern
of every man in Rockingham and Shenandoah
| just now is rain.
RAwLeY sPR-NGs.
1t is l3s miles from Alexandria by rail
to Harrisonburg, and then you stage it
II miles over an excellent road to the
springs The journey could easily be done in
two hours or less, but three hours are usually
consumed in making it. Life and the day are
before you-why hurry when all nature seems
to be sleeping and dreaming in the pleasant sun
| shine? Ladies, too, like 10 arrive al night
when their toilets cannot be scrHtinized, and -
we get in at eight p, N.
Rawley Is, judge, some 400 feet above the
sea level, and cool morning., evenings and
nights are natural consequence. You are half
intrenched in the mountains and there are
am told, some interesting walks and rides near
by: But you can linger, if you choose at the
hotel all day, play croquet, ten-pins, billiards
dominoes, cards, &c, or read the papers. The
Washington and Baltimore mail arrives each
morning, and you thus keep pace with the ne VS.
OF the day. The hotel accommodates about 450
persons. The furniture, bedding, &c, are all
new, and this, need not assure you, is a great
point gained. The table is a good one; YOU yet
meats Of best quality, eggs, milk, Sc, and the
best of butter. The Improvements OF the place
forward. :
The Rawley water IL confessedly the strongest
chalybeate water In the state Of Virgins and
Il regarded by the medical faculty as the best
For long time il was not easy to get TO Raw
ley, and being out of the beaten track of travel
It's patronage was limited chiefly 70 the valley
people. But since ii Is readily accessible by the
railroads the crowd has largely increased and
Ii Is getting to be the fashion OF the doctors IN
send hither that class OF their patients Whose
systems require to be built up by tonic Some
striking cases of cure have been reported TO me.
butths article-already too long-is not intended
Tor Q medical dissertation, and win add no
more, save that those whose curiosity lire
NINE cnrrioa than m, Re