The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1879-08-15
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The extensive mountain District III
Oh. south eamrsased IN certain portions
I'll three ~ fenf States. beginning with
Eastern krniAeky and rolng III 4 sort
III circle. irregular enough IN shape. a.
III sare. hni taking IN East Tennessee.
she Western portion ~ North Carolina
aud Southwestern Virginia. however
we'll known i, the events VI ihe late war,
were, ~ lar "A the average traveller WIS
known there. almost certain portions
III them real terra iHrognit1 before
tie war and nndistnrl,ed hy any
marked event from The time they were
pcopiel by cmigrNntA, principally from
tue older settlements III North Carolina
and Virginia they contain population
~ peculiar in many respects, and N we'll
worihy ~ study. ~ any known 10 the
nationality.
80 rough was the eastern portion pf
Kentucky. for instance, before military
rua,ls wrr. made necessity 10 some *.
tent there. TINT tho traveller on horse.
hack might ride almost from tho month
II nig SANDY, on the Ohio river, ~
Cumberland gap. without seeing 4
wheeled vehicle; the carrying III goods
being done. M intimatcd In another
place, on the backs III horses, and the
" hauling" for tho little farms or clear
inRs" done on "sli.lcs or lizards, 4
rongh kird 81 sled made 10 90, NOT on
the snow or ice particularly. but ON tho
ground while tho tirc.wuO<l, which
fortunately WAS always abundant and
handy, was procured bv hitching horses
or oxen To logs or limbs of trccs, and
by main strength aud awkwar,lncss' I
shaking thcm % the wood pile Ia front
of the cabin.
East Tennessee aud the other sections
named, with larger valleys, more open
land. and great rivers like New river,
the Holston, French, Broad, and others
which made wide tracks of arMhlc land,
had. ri course, great leading stage roads
In ample supply; hut even Last 'rcnncs-
see and Western Virginia had, right ad
jacent TO these great through routes, the
most primitive of populations people
of very much tho s,tinc stamp ~ thosc
have been describing IN residents oi
tho mountain districts OF Kentucky
The valley " Clinch river. and tho val.
lcys that supplied the niliuents or tho
Holston. French, Broad. Tennessee and
Cumberland had populations kindred
In character Ia many respects; and only
ny hunting expeditions, iannts to mo.
dicinal springs, etc, wAs the traveller
likely 70 h, led very lar into these lis
tricts, and 10 enabled u become &c,
q,.aintcd with the people who had made
them their home.
remember striking such n section d,
this on i jaunt a. M invalid for ths
time being, IN tho vel heart Of the hill
region, perhaps eighty miles north u
Cumberland gap. ] state only tho inc,
when | record that In the family W 10
journcd with, In 4 remote and deep val
Icy, the boots of the party were literally
curiosity for their rarity, thu fulnil,
knowing III nothing In that line I'M
@moccasins.' The older people hal
left Virginia ~ emigrAnts when chill
dren, aud had newer been twenty milel
from home; and an amusing feature il
the case was the .stnck.up" knowledg,
of an old contrabnnd, who had some
how broken from his mooringx about
Richmond 10 drift In there, and who
pridcd himself upon Knowing mors
about the convenience and luxuries 81
civilization than hin master and Iii.
family.
With . mild and healthful climate
and generally very rich soil In thos.
marrow valleys, few .,ortions of hi.
luton have presented equal advan
tAses FIR getting an easy ard comfort
sbio living, whore persons ambition
and wants were limited u tho haze com
forts, without the Injuries of life: fo
with the most scAnt, or next 10 none u
MI, means 81 transportation, and ii,
market. even II they could rot thci
little produce out Of The country, tho,
were obliged 10 content thcmselyc
with the few resources for cnjoymcn
immediately around them.
On ono occasion, remember. ! w
on hunting trip IN the mountains o
North Carolina, not fAr from the Frcncl
Broad river. whom langhabl0 and spas
modic attempt ~ unusual enterprise W
initiated, or sought 10 be, by sharl
monntAinccr, who took 4 notion 10 4.
into N Irish potato speculation. q,
. nat.boat jaunt down tho Tennessee
81 which tho French Broad Ii branch
hc hAd discovered market for potatoes
somewhere In North Alabama, ! believe
30, on his return home. having yer,
rich and suitable piece of land for III
growth Of potatoes In sort al valley d
crater high mp In tho hills, Ae deter
mined 70 appropriate that for his pun
pOk0.
Well. no went into tho undertaken,
with 4 will. and the result wax 1,
enormous crop. which he proposed /,
dig and market. Hc had already bull
Tho nat-hoAt which waA 10 transnor
thom, and tho next thing was 10 @
them 10 tho landing on tho river. Ga
ing mp there with nome hands, he turne,
out some hundreds ri bunhels al nohl
tubcrs, stacked them about, coverc,
with potato vines---f0r the nighta wer
frosty. IL l,aing In tho fsll--and, thi
work I'LL complete, he proceeded 10 "a
bis OK wagon 70 tho place 10 transpos
them down tho sisle ri the mountain
To his dismay he hadn't reckoncd ii
the engineering difficulties a III
Loading his hinge wagon heavily. for
- not 10 20 mp hut down hill, down
We0t, surc enough, with : vengeance
Tho Art go-oiI, and with Ill hand. I
~ wheels and holding back, and Iii
best ODows and yells hc could rain npo
The poor oxon from tho front, there W
10 going slow. Hut he undertook !
describe II himself. He was ! rong
old chap, and he told m. garnishing Ill
s1ory With some explosives which shal
no1 pat II here:
why, eir. hitchcd Z small trec i
each hind wheel Of tho wagon - drae
aller taking out half Tho losd. and
$1,000 $50 a~1m atHl RsnA II -,