Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-03-18
STAUNTON, VA, TUESDAY, MARCH 49, 1873.


masonry-the most awfully sublime and grand
ly solemn and impressive work of His hands
not excepting Niagara, on this Continent; its
wonderful canyon through the Goshen Pass
Its beautifully winding North James, as it flows
on, curvlng and bending to it's mountains and
Valleys, until it bursts upon picture of living
light, In Its passage through the Fork Valley
before it joins the James; its Valley of Kerr
creek, as beautiful as its fair women, sparkling
with springs and laughing waters, teemiug with
herds and over-fowing with the wealth of its
productions; its Grand Turn as you cross the
North Mountain, 20 miles from Lexington,
coming from the White Sulphur from which
you can see expanding before you the loveliest
OF valleys, and most picturesque OF bills and
and wales: for miles and miles-to say nothing
OF the never-to-be forgotten splendor of the
view from the Jump mountain. near the Baths,
with its romantic legend of the Indian maiden S
leap, 400 feet down between the contending
forces OF her lover and fatber-and its never
ceaslDg music of babbling brooks and flowing
rivers, and grand old forests make it, for the
lover of Nature and Natures God. for the tou-
rlst, the pleasure seeker, or those desiring re-
newal OF life and health, land of Goshen, by
whose still waters they could roam forever, and
10 whose green pastures they could live happy
and contented, torevefmore.
10 fully appreciate what we have so crudely
attempted to describe, one must visit this great
county and see it and it's people, and in an ar
ticle intended to deal only with such material
facts as this utitarian age demands, in seeking
for homes aud investments, we hope the pic
lures We have given of this great county may
not be considered as lessening the manifold in
ducements offered by Rockbridge in every field
of industry. education, manufactures, aericul-
ture, science and the mechanic arts. Of her
agricultural resources We have already spoken
Education Is open and free to all, from the
hig hest to the lowest, and greater interest is
taken IN it each year. She now has the best
school houses and as good corps of teachers
as any county in the Valley or elsewhere, and
her colleges rank second to none. She is well
supplied With churches Of all denominations,
and her people are church people in every sense
of the word. Manufactures are attracting
much attention and capital alone is wanted to
utilize her immense Water-power to give sup
port to millions. Iron of all varieties-manga-
nese, iron pyrites, mica, kaolin, potter's clay,
granite, grlndstone sandstone, silica, and by
draulic cement, photographic stone, marble,
&C., abound, but iron has heretofore been the
most largely developed. At an early day Sam
uel Jordan and his brothers commenced mining
in the county, and their descendants still own
and work large mines at Buenna Vista, and
other points, and run large blast furnace in
Amherst, just below the Rockbridge line, with
ore supplied from Buenna Vista; California,
Baths, Bryans near Midway, Anderson s
Glenwood Furnace on james, Brady Forge at
Buffalo, and others have been and some are
still largely worked, and many others are soon
to be opened. At the mouth Of North River,
Capt. Ed Echols and Benz. Jordan opened the
now famous Echols' ore banks in 1853 1t is
now owned and worked by the Powhatan Iron
and Manufacturing Company, to which we
have alluded in another article. Iron abounds
in the whole Blue Ridge, and North Moun-
tain tof the Alleghauy) range throughout the
county, and new mines are being opened, under
the stimulating influence Of this and other COM
panies. We can only mention those On Ayers
and near John Laird farm on North river on
Brady's On G. c. Baldwin s, w. D. McCor-
kle's. James H Paxton's, Mrs e. j. Johns,
W. G.. McCorkle's, David Stovers or James,
Spot. Brawford's, Burke's. Williams, VIM.
Boyd s estate, Samuel Q. Robertson's, Henry
@. Lindens and others.
These Developments, and the untold millions of
tons they demonstrate the presence of to scien-
tfc experts have caused others to look into the
subject aud general l2terest to grow up in iron
and iron manufactures. With the cheap coal of
Kanawha aud the straight line to Lynchburg or
the canal at Buchanan, it is estimated that pig
iron, of best quality, 1.-THE charcoal iron of Rock
bridge now sells hig her than any north, can be
put on canal boats and railroad cars a5 net
cost Of $22 per ton, and some say less. The
mind can hardly conceive the wealth and pros
perity Of this section, when the iron kings of
the world, who have their eyes upon this ia
vored region, come in and settle among It's peo-
pie. There is no limit to the extent to which
the manufacture of iron may not be carried On
here, and in the no distant future, capital, sci
ence and labor will bring to these. now poverty
stricken people, wealth, prospeity and happl-
ness they never dreamed of-even 10 the flush
times of slavery and plenty before the war
The cement interest now aud since 1S4S, under
Locher Bros, employs forty hands and turns
out $50 barrels per month, and the vein is
inexhau-tbe and pronounced the best in the
u. s. The Lishographic stone is being devel-
oped by Company, with capital Of $780,
600, from Baltimore, and others are forming.
Kaoiin is found in quantities and fire clays,
but they have not been largely developed. Ira
dition says silver, copper and lead, have been
found in the Blue Ridge range, along North
River, but none has been found recently. The
Magnanese Banks on D. G. E. Brady's lands,
on Buffalo, miles from Lexington and from
Canal, have been successfully worked and are
soon to be opened again. Limestone of the
best quality, for building and agricultural pur-
poses, abounds everywhere and should be large
ly manufactured into lime, as well as used 10
iron making The timber is oak, Of all kinds,
black walnut, hickory, pine, chestnut, maple,
cherry, locust, cedar, &c, IN unlimited quantl-
ties. Farming lands range from So to $45 per
acre. Much land is for sale on easy terms, and
thousands of farmers and laborers can fad here
oh io oil itlo Of o.v,l1
tion, instead of going to the cold and inhosplta-
Northwest, 10 a climate so soft and genial that
stock is rarely housed and farm-work goes on
all Winter, and where the range OF the ther-
mometer averages about as or so IN January
and February and very rarely goes below zero.
This hasty sketch Of the advantages OF Rock
bridge will be found applicable to all our
great Valley, as we go from it to the Potomac,
and we will be thankful for any information
that our readers throughout its length and
breadth can give US, aud for any practical sug-
ges.ions that may aid us In laying before them
and the world, the great inducements the most
favored land on earth offers to settlers from
every cline. Situated between the Blue Ridge
aud North Mountain-r range OF the AlIegha-
MES protected from the severe winds and cold
blasts Of tue east and west, free from miasmat-
ic Influences, 1400 feet above sea-level, and q
healthy and gloriously bracing atmosphere, q
fruitful soil and high toned, educated, religious
people, there is no reason we should not have
millions where we have thousands, thriving
and rejoicing in variety of trades. Industries
and interests, until the whole Valley shall
become. with the glad sounds of labor, truly
the greatest and best poor mans country iu
the world, and to civilized millions realize the
beautifully poetic definition Of her Indian
name, Shenandoah-''T The Laug hing Daughte,
of the Stars"