Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-06-10
FACTS ABOUT EAST TENNESSEE,
Inform al iOn About Land, etc, in
BIOunt County. .Atka
NO. OK

The following article, prepared for the
CHRONICLE by citizen of Blount county
we give as fair description of that fine
county: fe5f
In presenting the advantages of East
Tennessee, or rather of the State OF Ten
nessee, through the columns of your pa
per, the claims of various localities have
been presented, intended, no doubt, to be
fair representation of the whole. But IN
a section reaching the length and breadth
of East Tennessee, there must be locali-
ties having special advantages, each of its
order, commencing itself to person seek
ing some special avocation. 10 a person
desiring to engage either in agriculture,
the manufacture or delivery OF iron from
the earth, the county of Blount, lmmedl-
ately south of Knoxville, almost part of
Knox county, presents advantages rarely
equaled; and as we commence to write
and think of them, they startle us with
their number and the indifference with
which they have been treated. Feeling
that we must be brief, we will call the at
tention of the reader to some of our adj
vantages in the fewest words possible.
To person desiring to engage in farm
ing, we offer rich variety of lands. Start
ing into the.county from Knoxville, we
strike the line only marked by the river
hills of the Holston which are metby those
of Little River ,astream that, followed by its
meandering, washes and enriches at least
seventy-five miles along either side
what we may term the center of the coun-
ty, we observe that which might be term
ed dividing ridge between the Holston
on the north. and the Smoky mountains
on the south for distance of thirty-fiv
miles. BY this route we have some of as
rich scenery and as fertile soil as are belt
ed in by our own East Tennessee ranges,
watered in every direction by creeks, upon
which, at convenient distances, are locat-
ed grist and saw mills, affording power to
run almost any kind of machinery,
Bounded thus-on the east by the Little
River; OH the north by the Holston on
the west by the Little Tennessee; on the
south by the Smoky mountains; with
creeks leading in from never failing
springs, it will be readily observed that
we are well supplied with water and wa
power; nor may the agriculturalist too
highly prize these streams, as the farms
along their shores do not suffer from
drought as the uplands, and then the fire.
quent overflow serves to fertilize the soil
with rich sediment. 4
Within twelve miles of the Knoxville and
Charleston Railroad we have an abundance
OF iron ore, rich in metal. The few at
tempts made to open this great source of
wealth We're made before the war, and at a
time when all enterprise was frozen out by
the curse of slavery In the western end
of the county is found as fine marble as
can be found anywhere in the country.
This is being developed; workmen are
now engaged opening the quarry, but there
is room for many more. No more health
full region exists for the invalid than the
climate we have, to which we add healing
waters that flow out from the side of our
mountain and need onlyt to be used to re-
invigorate those whose health may be inn
paired. For reaching the markets of the
world we have the Holston river, draining
one-half the county, upon which may be
foated to the best markets of our section
and through them to the world all the sur
plus we may possess. These are some of
our natural advantages, to which may be
added many desirable improvements and
room for many more. Churches of the
primitive kind we have upon every hand
at Maryville. We have Maryville College,
which has been filling its sphere for up
wards of half century, and now, with
new buildings and efficient teachers, bids
fair to equal any institution of like char