Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-04-15
LETTER FROM JEFFERSON COUNTY.

cambridge, April 9, 1874.
Jefferson county is one Of the oldest in the
State having been laid Off in 1902, previous
TO which time there were only seven coun-
ties in Tennessee. Thiswas four years before
Tennessee was admitted into the Union as
State The first County Court was held
on the 22d day of July, 1898, at the house
of jeremiah Matthews, four and half
miles west Of cambridge, the present
county site. The county was much
larger then than Mt present, includ-
ing, as IL did, SEWER, Cooke,
and a portion of Hamblen county. Its
rich river bottoms, fertile valleys and pic
turesque hills, attracted the attention of
families in the State are now to be found
in Jefferson county. The French Broad
river runs through the county, and along
this stream may be found some of the most
productive farms in the country. A great
many Of these farms are large and are in
the hands of wealthy men who are able to
keep them from becoming smaller.
One gentleman has farm in this county,
of twenty.one hundred acres, one thousand
acres of which is fine river bottom. Asan
evidence of what it costs to keep up such
farm, we have heard that the gentleman
who owns it recently paid three thousand
dollars for the single item of ditching. He
raises immense crops of grain and
grass, but not in proportion to what
would be done, perhaps, if his large
farm were divided into from six to
ten smaller ones. 1t must be pretty
hard now TO get labor in the control of any
one man sufficient to cultivate 80 large a
farm.
If the French Broad river could be so
improved as to make it navigable at all
seasons of the year to Knoxville, it would
in a few years be worth millions of money
to the country through which the river
flows, and would largely increase the trade
of that city. We are informed by those
whose opportunities for knowing are good,
and upon whose Judgment we rely, that
such an improvement is perfectly practi.
cable, and that it could be made for COM
paratively a small sum of money. An
application is pending before the Chan
Gerry Court at cambridge for narrow
gauge road from Clifton or Leadvale to
Knoxville. If such a line could be built
it would add untold wealth to Jefferson
and other counties, and we can see no rea-
son why it could not be made to pay.
In passing through q portion of the
county, we were struck with the almost
unparalleled prospect for good crop of
wheat. From farmers all over this county
and from adjoining counties, we hear the
same report. Many large fields are cover
ed thickly and the growing wheat is in
many places twelve to twenty-four inches
high. Judge Randolph informed US that he
has wheat nearly waist high. Unless
now unforeseen takes place, we
may confidently expect bountiful wheat
crop to gladden. the hearts of East Tennes-
see farmers. The same is true of the fruit
crop. We have examined for ourselves in
this county and find but few peaches killed
by the late frost. There is no end to the
apples, cherries, &c. The farmers are now
corn and the only trouble Is they
will plant too much.
The school question in Jefferson is not be-
ing neglected. The Board of Education met
at cambridge to-day, for the purpose of
textbooks. The gentlemen COM
cosi"C a." Iossrd SOON TO hitvo tho good of
the cause at heart, and we look for good
reports from them.
, circuit Court is in session, Judge Ran
ioiph presiding. A large number of can
lldates are in town, each one anxious to
convince the sovereigns that he is lust the
man for the position he seeks.
cambridge has always been good
point for business. Some men have
made snug little fortunes here.
ana the merchants, taken as a whole,
are about as safe as in any town of its eiEe
"a the country. n large amount of pro-
luce is shipped from here. There are some
very fine Touring mills in this county, |
among them being the fine new
mill OF DIR. j. Nat. Lyle, which now has a |
capacity of two hundred bushels per day, |
and may be increased to three or four times !
hat amount.
When the rich lands, the healthful cli- |
nate, the forests of good timber. and |
Nj the elements forming the found |
ltlon OF success, are taken into con-
liberation, together with the honest,
moral, industrious and intelligent
population, Jefferson county will be found |
me of the most desirable localities for |
pleasant home to be found anywhere in the !
south.
AS an evidence of the intelligence and |
good taste of the people, it is only neces- |
AIRY TO say there are more copies of the |
DAILY and WEEKLY CHRONICLE taken in |
Jefferson than any other paper published |
n the United States, and that the list is |
increasing. W.R.