Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-10-14
louisville Courier-JournaI.

L was talking with an old farmer the
other day on various topics, writes a
Noxville (Tenn.) correspondent of The
Courier-J oUrnal, and after we had dis
cussed politics, tariff legislation, and
kindred subjec the conversation turned
to the ''goOd old days. when my veneer
able friend was but a barefoot farmer
boy.
Il was born" he began, land partly
raised near Athens, Tenn, and my father
kept stand or tavern, on one of the
great stock trails leading from Kentucky
and Indiana to Augusta and the south
east. There were two of those trails
crossing east Tennessee in those Gays, be-
fore we had ever dreamed of railroads
and did our travelling by stage, or on
horseback. One of the trails led from
central Kentucky, across the Tennessee
line, near where the Cincinnati Southern
railroad now crosses, and crossed Walden's
ridge at. Emory gap, and led on diagon-
ally across the hills and valleys of east
Tennessee to the Georgia line, and thence
to Augusta. The other led through Cum
berland gap to Wanna Springs and on, via
Ashville and Spartanburg, to Charles
ton. lived on the lower or Bl1gh's fer
ry trail, as it was called. There were
trail. My fathers stand was not unlike
many others. A large two-story frame
house with ample kitchen and sleeping
rooms on the first floor. A short dis
lance from the house were several large
Enclosures for the use of stock stopping
over with US. Why, sir, I've seen as many
as fifteen thousand hogs in the pens at
one house at a time and"
How many?"
Fifteen thousand hogs. Yes, sir, and
most of them good big ones at that, and
fat as they could be-"
"How would you manage then ALP"
''The drOvers attend to that. Under
stand me, [ don't mean that one drover
would have as many as that, but they
would be in several different droves, pos
sibly seven or eight.
every man knew his own hogs, and
the droves were kept about mile apart,
so there was no danger of their getting
mixed. Each droyer would place his
smallest and thinnest hogs in front, and
the big fat fellows would waddle along
behind. So fifteen thousand hogs would
make a procession several miles long"
How far would they drive in a day."
mine miles was the rule in driving
hogs. You SEE it is a long ways from
Kentucky to Augusta, and unless they
| travelled slowly the choice of the pOrkers
would give out or die by the roadside
Ten per cent. of the drove never reached
the destination at best, and when the
roads were rough the loss was even
greater"
''How did the drovers get their money
back?"
"Well, it didn't cost much to raise g
hog them days. They would turn them
! o.-t Oh tho range ana allow Lo-44 60 fat
ten on the mast. When the mast CROP
was short a few bushels of corn at &c
cents per- bushel, would do the business
Of course the greatest cost was in mar
keting. They had to pay about % cents
| for corn at the stands, you better believe
it took piles of corn to go round. Their
they had to employ drivers, paying then
about 25 cents per day and expenses
They sold their hogs for three and -four
cents per pound in Augusta"
''When did driving begin?"
'Why, in October, or as soon as the
weather was cool enough. 1t would take
! them over two months to make the trip
Each driver carried his own blanket
and they always have their provisions
along by the wagon-load. They would &C
]
meals. After supper they would builC
great log fires iE the sleepiug-rooms
! Two of them would sleep together. one
placing his blanket on the floor and the
other using his as covering. At daylight
they would rise and in a short time be or
the road, whOOping and yelling at theil
droves. They seemed to enjoy it, and The
boys would run away from home to joi1
! the drOvers.
''Later the horse and mule drovers
would come along. They generally
travelled thirty or forty miles per day, anc
put on more style than the hog drovers
! Those were great old times, and the hours
spent with the drovers were among the
most pleasant of my life. rode the big
! fat hogs as we'll as the horses and mules
and was the pet of all the droyers
Things have changed, you see, and ifteer
thousand hogs in drove would brighter
you young fellows"
! The old mans story reminded me OF
an occurrence which happenrd on the
! Cumberland gap trail, near Warm Springs
n. c., IN those good old days. There was
stand six miles above the springs. kept
! by man whom we shall call Smith, OF
| course without a desire to cast a slur or
the hOnOred and numerous family of thai
name. Smith was to all appearance ar
ideal tavern keeper of the olden time
He was hospitable to an alarming degree
and his sidebOard was always literally
supplied with ''good cheer" wealthy stock
drovers from Kentucky and Indiana made
his stand stopping place both going ant
coming. They always had large sums Of
money on their return, and had no fea7
as to its safety in journeying across the
mountains, until one winter, when rob
berries became frequent in the neighbor
hood of Smiths stand. The drover:
would rise long before daylight and pro
coed on their journey. On several oc
casions they were held up short distance
from the stand by burly negro, who
would suddenly emerge from dense
thicket of laurel and hemlock. He seized
the bride reins with ono hand using
a formidable looking pistol with the othe1
always coming out successful. The negro
was never seen in the neighborhood a
any other time and the robberies created
no little excitement.
The mystery was solved in due time,
Kentucky drover came along with severa
thousand dollars. He had heard of rob
berries and had determined to prepare
himself Other men who had been rOb