The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-12-18
A CHOSEN SPOT.
sTAUNToN IN VIRGINIA. VALLEY
A Comprehensive Statement of the City's Ad-
vantages. Industrial and Social-The Me-
tropolis of Goodly Land Where the
Summum Bonum Is Attained.

Now at the close of 1890, an eventful
year of progress for the nation and es-
pecially for the historic Old Dominion,
the VALLEY VIRGINIAN is constrained,
by it's gratitude for the rich heritage of
it's constituency and by its bright hope
for the future, to set forth in order a
statement of the advantages that now
make Staunton the Queen City OF the
Valley of Virginia, and that are destin-
ed hereafter to make Staunton a city of
$4,000 people Striking boldness and
brilliance of assertion are not attempted
here-are purposely avoided, with vague
generality of expression. The richness
of the subject and the emotions leading
to its consideration preclude in this case
exaggerated statement or overdrawn
portrayal, and the information to be
given is sufficiently sure to bear definite
statement. The enumeration and de-
scription arise from present view, and
from familiar knowledge of the city and
its surrounding district.
SUPPORTING TERRITORY. 4.
Ertent-First to be described is the
fertile area that for century has sup
ported Staunton as prosperous market
town. The Shenandoah Valley, 2Omiles
wide and universally spoken OF as the
garden portion of Virginia, extends from
Staun.on 20 miles toward the south to
the boundary of the James River valley,
and 1875 miles toward the north to the
junction of the Shenandoah River with
the Potomac. Augusta county, ~ miles
square, the largest and richest In the
State, belongs exclusively to Stauntons
trade territory, by reason of the clty's
position as the county seat at the coun-
tvs centre. Stauntons trade territory
comprises also, without noteworthy com
petition from other towns, Highland
Bath and Allegheny counties, composing
| together at the western edge OF the val
lev a mountain strip 20 by 70 miles in
size and rich in minerals and timber
The people of large part of Rockbridge
county on the south, nearly as good for
agriculture as the Shenandoah Valley
proper, trade principally at Staunton,
whose merchants control also a valuable
share of the trade from the mountainous
counties of Pendleton, Randolph, Poca-
hontas and Greenbrier, all lying across
the line in West Virginia. To partial
vet valuable extent, Staunton's trade is
contributed to from the adjoining coun-
ty of Rockingham on the north, and
from the railroad towns located between
so and 100 miles away.
Fertility.-The Shenandoah Valley Is
naturally as fertile as the best portions OF
New York, Pennsylvania and Kentucky,
which portions and the Shenandoah Val
lev form geologically one body OF lime
stone land. The best farms in Augusta
and Rockingham counties compare well
with the best in the three States named.
The average rate of production per acre
In Augusta county could easily be made
equal to the average in Lancaster coun-
ty. Penn, which is considered the best
agricultural county in the United States,
if the methods of the Lancaster farm
ers were universally followed in Angus
ia county. They are now followed to
large extent by the best farmers in Au-
gusta. and in time will make Augusta
equal to Lancaster. The character OF
the soil. and the grains, grasses, fruits,
vegetables and live stock raised, are
substantially the same in Pennsylvania
and the Shenandoah Valley.
Population Between $4,000 and co.
900 people, in person or through country
merchants, buy most or all OF their goods
and supplies in Staunton. Augusta has
population of 1900, and 10000 addition
al people live in Highland, Bath and AL
leghany. Staunton has population OF
5000 in the city proper. and $4,000 In
Guiding the suburbs.
The territory described above is what
| Staunton controls as a market for farm
produce. and in general retail trade and
country store iobbing. Staunton's three
or four exclusively wholesale grocery
firms, supplemented by several other
grocers that sell at Wholesale, control
the jobbing trade for more than 100 miles
westward on the Chesapeake & Ohio
railway, After Staunton's present
growth has continued for a few years,
her jobbers vii! doubtless control the
trade of the valley for 200 miles. between
Roanoke and Winchester, and for 200
miles from east to west, between Char
lottesville and Charleston, W. Va.
RAW MATERIALS FOR MANUFACTURING.
Timber-S stanton has close and di-
rect access to what is perhaps the largest
and most valuable body OF hardwood
timber in the United States. The numer-
GUS ranges and spurs of the Appalaeh-
ian mountain system, with the farming
valleys between, are covered over great
| portion of their surface with hickory,
ash, locust, red cedar, maple, birch, white
and yellow tulip poplar, black walnut
cherry, chestnut, white oak ard several
other kinds of oak, and other less yaiu-
able varieties of timber. The Appaiach-
ian system of mountains, with the valleys
between and the hilly land on each side
of tbs system, is $50 miles wide at Staun-
| ton, extending from Charlottesville, at
the eastern base OF the BlHe Ridge, to
the Ohio River. This wide belt OF tim
bered territory extends from Pennsylva-
| MIA on the north to Alabama on the
south, including almost the whole of
West Virginia and q strip so miles wide
from the western edge OF Virginia. 1t con-
taips. besides the varieties Of hardWQod
named. many extensive forests of white
pine. yew pine or spruce, and hemlock.
East of the Blue Ridge, in southeastern
Virginia and in North Carolina, there is
an enormous quantity of practically I'M
touched yellow pine, known in the north
as southern hard pine, the strongest,
most du able and most valuable Of al
pines.
hon.-Iron ore--brown and red hema-
tita, limonite, specular and magnetic
inexhaustible in quantity and excellent
in quality, is found over wide areas in
the Blue Ridge range II miles from
Staunto4. in the various ranges lying
west of Stauptop within 70 miles, and in
paying quantities at perhaps score of
places In the valley portion Of Augusta
county. The first iron furnace in Amer
20, ,,,oc oc{ n bIicbaS 1 m vearS 400 nv Al.