Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-08-09
TO TEE SUNNY SOUTH

the Sunny South, and also told yo,
that perhaps would give you a shor
description of my trip and my view
and Impressions of the country; IT.
resources and also of the people wht
live here, But as the subject has beer
worn threadbare, by so many, much
better qualified for the task, fear my
efforts will appear tame and common
place.
Our party LEFT home July Odd, via
the G. II. V. & L. II. II. A severe
drought seemed TO prevail over the
country between Wood county and
Columbus.and all kinds Of crops seemed
TO be suffering severely aud the corn
looked very poorly after leaving Wood
county, until we passed the capital
city. The country. atraversed by the
C. & C. NJ. II. Il. is very fine and the
corn, which seems TO be the principal
crop, is immense. In places rs far as
the eye can reach you can see nothing
but corn and from the character and
condition of buildings and farm
improvements, the people must be
prosperous and in good circumstances.
We only made n two hours stop in
the Queen City," leaving at s o'clock
p. m. of the same day via the Cincin-
natl Southern II. r. for Chattanooga,
Tenn. ] will pass over the trip
through Kentucky as it was made in
the night. The route through East
Tennessee by this road, is continuous
succession OF steep hills, deep cuts,
tunnels and sharp curves. Aside from
its mineral resources | should pro-
nouncc the country almost worthless.
To those who have always lived in n
level country aud who first pass through
here there is much that cannot but
interest them. Some Of the scenery is
very fine, II succession of lofty hills,
covered to the summit with pines, fir
and oak, and their bases washed by
beautiful mountain streams, as clear
as crystal, fringed with laurul and an
endless variety of evergreen and decid-
nous trees. The G.. $. II. r. passes
through Dayton, the center of large
mining industry, blast furnaces, etc,
1t is located in Il beautiful valley. sur
rounded on all sides by lofty wooded
hills, filled with coal and iron ore. We
arrived in Chattanooga, ,the"Gate City,
OF the South, on the morning of July
9th, amid drizzling rain and thick
fog. We made the ascent of lookout
Mountain" in the afternoon but on
account of the thick fog and clouds on
the summit, we could not see much
while we were on the summit. When
about one-third the distance from the
summit on our return the fog lifted
and the valley of the Tennessee, the
city of Chattanooga, and the distant
mountains and valleys in all their
beauty and grandeur, lay before us.
This sight is we'll worth the effort and
fatigue of the ascent.
Beautiful Chattanooga If man will
do his part as we'll as nature has done
hers, no city in the union can surpass
it as place in which to reside. it
seems to have all the hustle and
enterprise of our Northern cities, and
Tar surpasses them in the attractive
ness of its natural surroundings and
situation. l have been told that a
majority of the people here are from
the Northern states and that millions
OF northern capital is invested in
mining and manufacturing enterprises.
believe such investments will prove
very profitable. Being as ii were, the
gateway between the North and the
South, Atlantic and Gulf states, vast
deposits Of coal and iron ore, as well as
other valuable minerals, u splendid
climate, cannot see how it can fail
to become the center of large and pros
porous business enterprises. We
left Chattanooga on the morning of the
18th inst, via the Nj. & c. II. II. for
Huntsville, Ala. For the first forty or
fifty miles after leaving Chattanooga,
the railroad passes through an almost
endless succession of mountains and
beautiful and fertile valleys, some OF
them veritable natural gardens, and
lovely parks. But while nature is
extremely prodigal in her gifts OF
beauty and natural advantages, man
does not seem to appreciate her bounty
and munificence, but is content to live
In wretched hovel, surrounded by
dirt and discomfort, with no energy
and ambition but seemingly content
to merely exist. could not but wish
that few thousand of our northern
people were in these valleys. They
could and would convert them into
Gardens of Eden.
We crossed the Tennessee river al
bridgeport, Ala, a thriving mining
and manufacturing town, with many
portherners among it's residents. Thence
through Stevenson to Huntsville, pass.