The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-06-02
ROCKY FORK.
The Caves and Other Curl.
Osities.
Sights to be Seen at Sam Pat
toms Summer Resort.

II Dame Nature ever tried to put on
airs and cut dash anywhere, she does
30 in the eastern part Uf Highland
county, near where Paint and Rocky
Fork creeks 60 into partnership. Great
professions Of giant hills stretch them.
selves out on every hand, till the outer
most ranks are clouded by the hazy blue
of distance. Birds sing all day and
frogs croak all night. Cataracts tumble,
rills ripple and the breezes sigh as II
their hearts would burst, a. it were.
The landscape is as pretty a. a picture.
Sandwiched between the hills and scat
tered along the water-courses Is the little
village which has more names than it
can make use Of; none Of them intimate
anything Of the locality, but the one
which seems TO be most popular 10 "The
Point" .u H' ... s.f .t
Nearly every one knows where Rocky
Fork Hotel is, and those who don't
should find out Immediately. It has al
ways been q pretty spot, but its beauty
is being constantly enhanced by various
improvements and the care bestowed
upon the spacious grounds. Here the
genial "Sam" Patton spreads himself
like q bay tree, not a green one, but one
full grown and thoroughly accomplished
in the art Of spreading. And of all the
landlords who ever graced this terres-
trial ball Sam is the best, the jolliest
and the most obliging. Now we mean
no disrespect to his predecessors nor his
rivals, but we can't retract the above
and we wouldn't tell a lie for less than
$2.75 cash. The house has been nicely
fitted up for the accommodation OF all.
Meals are served that could not fail to
please the most chronic grumbler on
the continent, and as whole the hotel
is intensely satisfactory. A ten.pin alley
is in the process of construction, and
the landlord and his most excellent
wife spare no pains for the amusement
of their guests. Rates are reasonable
and If the visitor is the same there will
be no trouble. A few amusements(?)
are absolutely forbidden. No drinking
or gambling is allowed about the house.
Samuel N. Patton is man OF sterling
principle and besides maintaining the
orderly character of his house, has some
conscientious convictions that are not
to be monkeyed with.
1t is little less than a mile from the
hotel to the gorge containing the caves,
and the season when these are visited
so much is just opening. The romantic
scenery in the gorges is awe-inspiring.
Quite number of caves are small and
others are 80 difficult of access as to be
unnoticed by the rambling visitor. One
in particular, which is said to be very
fine, was pointed out to us by an article
to the Bainbridge Chronicle,
in 1880, by Henry w. Hope. An en-
trance to it can be seen from the wooden
bridge over the gorge, about half way
down the smooth precipice. The article
by Mr.. Hope is the ablest and most in
structive description of Rocky Fork
scenery to be found anywhere. The
wet cave is probably visited more than
any other, and the huge cavern will
impress all with admiration for Natures
grandeur. On entering it you feel a. If
you were in the mouth Of Mother Earth
and you half dread that the old lady
will close her jaws and begin chewing.
Perhaps the reader has felt called upon
10 penetrate the cavern back to the
spring where the mud is as cold and
shiny as snake with an ague chill, or
still beyond it through the series of
key.hole apertures where one is likely
TO break his anatomy and utilize pro-
fanity.
The grandest scenery in the region is
TO be seen in boat ride of about two
miles up Rocky Fork from the hotel.
Such a ride, ON account Of frequent riff.
aes, is very difficult, but the sights
amply repay one for all the trouble
taken. The banks of the stream on
either side are unbroken walls, rising
perpendicularly from fifty to seventy.five
feet. Beautiful ferns stoop down from
their footholds in tiny crevices; gigan.
tic rocks sit far out in the stream, i'm.
pudent opponents of navigation; little
brooks steal through chinks in the
smooth walls and glide into the water
below and far above, the Intervening
boughs of pine and beech and cedar
shut out the sunlight, making the rocky
solitude more gloomy. "Ship Rock"
away up the creek, is well worth seeing.
Like stranded vessel it stands ON its
keel, high out Of the water, and matted
bushes, like watchful passengers, lean
over the rude bulwarks. Just below
this is Mussett Hole, where Mr.. Mussett,
having imbibed too freely Of bug juice,
old and strong, found an aqueous burial
beneath the placid waters whose depth
is seriously uncertain. Leaving the
boat at the rifle above the old still
house, we climbed over the rocks and
through the underbrush for mile and .