Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-07-17
MOUNTAIN LAKE PARK.
A Glance at This Religious aud
.-se Literary Resort. 2-c2{
A Pencil Painting Of the Park-The Pro
gress of Rsdemption-camp and
Cottage Life-The cOmingSun-
day School Assembly.
INTERESTING READING FOR TOURISTS.

road, about midway between Oakland and
Deer Park, glance of an expanse Of glade
land, line of forest trees with just svision
of turretted cottages peepiRg up amongst
them, breath Of air fresh from the noun
tains and redolent of Natures perfume
box, a sky, blue and serene as any that
bends over Sunny Italy, and you have your
first impression Of Mountain Lake Park,
destined to be the great literary summer
resort of the mountains" The conductor
shouts Mountain Lake Parkp' just as
naturally as he would "Graftonp and the
tourist alights at a combination Of store,
station and postoffice and looks curiously
about him. This is what did. You have
doubtless heard, with me, of the unsatis-
factory ideas and views Of this place, OBJ
tanned from the windowso of passing train,
and want to say right here in the begin
ming, that the pilgrim who bases his intor-
nation on any such view places himself In
the position of talking Of something he
knows nothing about.
Very much, / imagine, as the Mayhower
excursionist felt when he stamped the
beach sand off his feet on Plymouth Rock,
pulled up his hose and looked about him,
did
The Pioneer at Mountain Lake.
He saw before him beautiful crescent of
virgin forest. thickly studded with oak,
and watered by the tiny stream which
afterward skirts into Pennsylvania as
the Youghiogeny river. The traveller to-day
sees much the same thing, with the addi-
ton OF the very evident effort made to re-
deem the forest and cause il to bloom and
blossom as the rose. The Park lies to the
north Of the railroad, and is separated from
il by a stretch of some two hundred yards
of low glade, from the edge OF which gen.
tie ascent begins and leads toan irregular
plateau of easy curves, which IS the Park
proper. From the station number OF
curving roads are visible, losing themselves
in the trees beyond. Ere long they will
be known to the drivers to the T-carts,
drags, and tandemS, which will whirl over
them, as Arbutus Glade Hazel Glade Drive,
Rluebell Avenue and Thorn Drive. On
the opposite side of the track stan Is Major
Alderson's apparently thriving enter
prise, Lake View Planning Mills. Extend
ing far away to the east is the low sweep
OF ground destined to be the coming lake.
The Park
is somewhat over mile square and con-
tains about 800 acres. 1t had been laid out
into ), 80 lots separated by so foot streets
and u foot alleys. This fact is, as yet
scarcely apparent, but in month many OF
the principal avenues will have been open
ed Already the underbrush has been
cleared away and the corners staked of,
and, with the progress made, it does not re-
uuire any very great stretch of imagina-
ton to picture the lovely spot built up
with beautiful summer houses and lying
nesting on the mountain top, a thing OF
beauty The location is certainly lovely
and grows upon the visitor as he rambles
over it, The country road sweeps around
uriYe 9 aiUng S mere VIII Zoe Oe It's Is E".. @ S-."-S
have given no detailed idea of the gen.
| eral appearance Of the Park, and to do so IS
! almost impossible. 1t looks like an inn
| mense grove, nearly clared OF brush and
| dotted, at wide intervals, with picturesque
| cottages, in various stages OF completion.
| The woods ring with the sound OF the ham.
mer and the saw, and the fresh smell OF
| the trees and dshrubbery is mingled with the
| odor of paint and yarnish is singular in
| copgruity. Approaching from the station
| YOU strike q large triangular space OF green,
] ending in a slight rise, at the head OF which
| stands the Mountain Lake Park Hotel
| or least the one wing OF II which Is
/ nearly completed. ltstandS, with relation
| to the Park, IN the positions of captain to
| company Of infantry on dress parade. Its
| piazzas will command an uninterrupted
| view of the exparse OF low ground, the
| hills opposite ard the dark green SUBMITS
of the distant Alleghenies which enclose
| the place. Ii is
The Ground Entrance
to the Park and will no doubt be a centre
of resort. A quarter of mile to the rear a
! large space has been reserved for camp
| meeting purposes and will be duly fenced
| in. In the centre stands the tabernacle or
| auditorium, already completed, save the
| tiers Of seats which are to surround 1t.
did not know the Park was inhabited
and in my early rambles through the grove
| | was surprised to come suddenly upon a
beautiful little boy wandering about He
wore a wrapper of gray alpaca with scar,
let sash and scarlet feZ and tassel, and
formed a beautiful, bright speck OF color in
the deep green about him,
"And looking, with his hards and eyes
| Uplffted 10 the glowing skies,
Like a stray babe of Paradise,
lust lighted on that fioweTy plain
| And seeking for his home again"
| He told me his name was Smith and he
lived on Biddle street, in Baltimore, and
was taking the morning REGISTER over TO
his papa, who lived in the pretty house
painted brown. Sure enough he had the
REGISTER under his arm and | after
ward saw Smith pers, reclining in q
hammock in front of the brown house,
intently reading of the evacuation of Alex
andria from that same REGISTER. Mr.,
Smith told me there were eight families
living there, of which four dwelt in tents,
on ArbUtus Glade Drive. As for himself,
he liked the place, with its cool pure ali
and freedom from care.
An Episode.
As left him and Sauntered on, | saw two
| MA SnllaY,lt- grrfprr hahinI Gnn
posing them natives of the original tribe OF
Indians, with fell designs on the remains ol
my hair, embraced the nearest tree. and
just in time. An explosion came, and fol
the next minute IL rained dirt and rock all
around me. They were only blasting 9
well and by jumbo" as one of the abo
riginalS told me, I'VE were agoin' to make
her come or bleed" And they did, and al
depth OF Is feet found an abundance Of
good, pure water.
! John NJ. Davis, of Oakland, superinteu
dent OF the grounds, kindly furnished me
with mule ard his own presence for the
better enlightenment through your col
, umnS, Of all who may be interested in thi:
resort and together We rode over it. II
was good mule and covered ground rapid
ly, and Mr.. Davis knew Just where to go.
We are not as far forward as we would
hke,or as we expected" he said, "but when
; you take into consideration the many
many things to be done to convert noun
tain top into park, think we have done
pretty well. But year from now will
work wonders for the place. am pTinci
pslly anxious TO get things in shape for the
National Sunday School Association which
meets here on the 18th of this month
They have made big preparations, and I've
no doubt have big time"
The Cottages.
Mr.. Davis was called off to attend the de
mands Of contractor at the tabernacle anC
his son, Charlie, left their new store to pilo
me about. Charlie has everything abou
the place at his fingers end. from the mos
desirable lot unSold. to the enthusiasm o
Major Anderson and the goahesditiyenes,
,, Of Rev. Masden, and talked blue streaklo
the great things the future has in store fol
the Park. He was greatly struck with tht
combination of colors on the lust con
pleted cottage of Charles W. Conners, @
Wheeling, and having the KEY in his pos
session, took me through it. Neatness com
pactness and ornateneSs are its principa
characteristics,a and family could certainl,
!. live very comfortably in il, with none o
the discomforts of csmpmeeting life. DR.
j. il. Logan has q YerY handsome cottav