The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-08-10
PRESTON COUNTY.
4 People Who saw They are Happy.
and Yet Show Strong signs of I'm
happiness-An Interesting Letter
About the Resources ana OtIer
9nings of the Mountain County.
BRUCEToN MILLS, w. Va.


gnings of the Mountain County.
BRUCEToN MILLS, w. VA.
Editors OF the Register:
Although your interesting and well
edited paper mas long been welcome
weekly visitor to this community, we
have never had the pleasure OF seeing
any local news in its columns from AT
last. this portion Of Preston county.
We are an isolated community, deprived
of any communication by railroad with
the outside world; and yet | can safely
and truly say we are not unhappy. 1t
is true we do not enjoy the manifold
blessings and advantages accrulng from
railroads or public works OF any deserIp.
ton; vet on the o.her hand, we are not
bothered by strikes or strikers, and the
tramp is only known 10 our people by
reputation. Gentlemen OF that migratory
profession seem, from some unknown
cause, to shun Us, having, no doubt
heard that we mountaineers subslst
almost exclusively upon that historic,
triangular grain called buckwhest. Now
we 30 not by any means wish to say
ANYTHING which will induce these
Gentlemen to visit US. Not at
AL But we will say that
when that same buckwheat which is sup
posed to be very plebian, by many who
nave never enjoyed the luxury to its
fullest extent, If properly managed In
the culinary department and served hot
with some OF the fresh butter and de-
licioas honey, tor which our country has
,,,wavs held u very enviable reputation,
Is fit, not only to grace the table Of
mountaineer, but even that OF KING.
Gur naople have always been known 10
be good llvers;' the best the field, the
Garden, the flock. the herd, the streams
rr the forest can produce, graces the
hoard of almost every farmer in the
cou,trv. and in fact it mas been SAID OF
our people. that, while in some other
communities, especially when ready
market Is ctlorded, the people "eat what
they cannot sell, our people sell what
tuer cannot eat, and think this Is, to u
certain extent true, and partly accounts
for the poor financial condition CT many
OF oar neighbors.
Living thus, with an abundance of
pure air, and the best and purest water
with which God has blessed the globe,
with few paupers to supports no tramps
lo pjllace our chicken roOSta; no strikers
To bring blood, fire and ruin upon our
heads; no public works TO suspend and
leave hundreds Of poor men with large
families to support In our midst, where
almost every man owns sufficient land to
raise his own living; where murder -
never known. and theft, no matter
how trihing, Is n seven days wonder, Is
il any wonder that We are Happy peo-
pie
Notwithstanding sill this our p ople
wan, to be made unhappy; they want
railroads; they want public works; they
want our portion of the country devel-
oped they want y market tor the vast
store of mineral wealth which lies hid.
den under their farms and the sorround-
I'M, hills, together with the vast
forests of valuable timber, which
are yearly being sacrificed
u the woodlands axe, TO MAKE room Tor
hi, crops; the timber, much of which Is
very yaIuhlc. beIng used 10 make rails
and the remainder is piled up in huge
heaps and burned, simply to get II out OF
the way. Thus is fast perlshing the
vslu4bIc and worldwide famed West
Virginia "hard woods, simply from
sex OF transportation to market. We
know that thousands and thousands of
fine large trees, (oak, poplar and p,ne.)
many of which made from four 10 five
and SIX SAW logs. have been sold on the
bank and hills Of Cheat river for the
palt-v sum Of ten cents simply bccaUse
the owners OF the property considered
mem of no value whatever, and thought
the future would be. a. the passed has
been. and It would not pay to get them
out for market. The day i coming when
this great waste and sacrifice OF timber
Will be regretted Our hills seem
TO be filled with various minerals,
iron ore, coal, &c, the exact extent o.
which we do not know anything about,
AS We. from some UnscCOU.tabDc cause,
either Ignorance or iazlnesS. have failed
to have geographical survey made OF
our county. or | believe OF any portion
of Il. | do know that our black
smiths. parties who run engines, farmers
and Others who use coal, simply 60 out
side their door and oTcn drift. Iron
ore OF the best quality is here also in i'm
mense quantities. All We wait, rs l
said before. Is to be made unhappy O.
by the building of railroads through our
country and our people may not eat
50 much or 1--we so we'll but their tinsn-
cial condition will be vastly improved,
and this portion OF the State greatly
benefited. and we would be enabled to
pay much larger share of the take; Of
our commonwealth.
ii has been but few years since We
were called mounlsineerS, and considered
an ignorant, uneducaled community by
our friends, who, because they happened
to live in that graud old State of Penn
svlvania, and were blessed with good
free school system, had educated her peo-
pie to higher degree than We hsd been
able To- 10. under the old system OF things,
with our few old dispidated log school
houses, very sparsely scattered over our
county. But things have changed, our
hills and valleys are now dotted over
with fine. comfortable school houses, ILL