Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1891-08-20
SOME NOTES OF TRAVEL,
IN A WONDERFULLY BEAUTI-
FUI. VALLEY.
rbe PRESS eeting-InterestinR
RaiInOad History A Delightful
EsxcursiOn-An Old Canai hrOJ-
ect-First settlement of Mora
vians in the state.

have recently returned from attend
,nce upon the annual convention OF the
North Carolina Press Association at
Winston, full of the impression OF pleas
ant experiences and instructive observa-
tions. As attended more in the ca
nacity of guest of the association; and
as, moreover | was unavoidably de-
tained from participation in the pro-
cecdings OF the first dav, and from the
elegant entertainment OF the night OF
that dav at the Salem Fcm"le college l
leave il to my brethren OF the press 10
illusl rate that pcriodln their most ornate
and enthusiastic words; for they were
all wrought to the highest pitch oi en-
thusiastic delight. Nor can | with Justice
to the citizens OF Winston and Salem,
undertake, in the space you kindly Nllot
to me, to speak Of their cordial welcome
their boundlcss hospitalities, their eic,
giant entertainment, their thnughtiu'
Kindness; or, of their wonderful prog
rcss. their substantial municipal I'M
uroyencnts, their finely paved Streets
their convenient and well managed sys-
tenn of electric street railway, their e1-
handing industries, their rapidly increas-
inc manufactures, their steadily growing
business, and the substantial growth OF
both the cities, nov practically SO b'ehn-
ed as to he one in appearance as thcy
are one in interest and destiny. lhesc
thinrs shall also leave to the consider
alton of the editors present who are as
ull of the subject us am, with anpier
liberties to express their admiration ana
their imprcsslonsI
A Humble Hanger On
shall conhnc mvsell to things outside
of Winston Salem; yet things vitally IN
strumcnta in the striking development
so apparent all around. These things
are at once cause and effect, reciprocal
action so inter-dependentin in their motions
as to be inscparablc in their influence
: upon results. ,,.
It is well known that Winston owe
its business being to the construction o
the Northwestern North Carolina raII
road. 1t had previously existed yer.
humble hanger on upon the ontskirts q
=. the yeneIable old town OF Salem; and Il
the county seat of Forsyth county, ha
only that significance and nothing more
But the extension OF that road WAS mt
the very heart of the tobacco region
long established reputc. Surry, ot"ke
Rockingham, Forsyth, with lands lynn
along the Dan, the Yadkin and their III
), merous tributaries, had, ever since the
settlement, been famous tor their prouu
tiyeness aud particularly tor the quanti'
and excellence of their tobacco. hut Inc
markets were distant. The complet,c
of the road to Winston brought mark
tn their doors, and they resorted to
- without DELAY. They prohtcd BY 1t al
Winston grew and prospcred. 1t becar
strong enough to project other lines,
that il might reach other sources OF su
ply, and also secure to itself the bencf
of competition.
A Delightful Excursion'
1t NAV I've said in Justice to the ORG u
Z road, that its managers did not propo
to restrain Winston in its purpose
reach out for more business. On
contrary, the management OF the X.
D. road has built that splendid line
Wilkesboro, and another to Mocksvi
with view to still farther e1tensi'
What may be called the rival road IS
2 Roanoke and Southern, from Roano
Va. to Winston, a north and south II
or nearly so, of 12l miles in length,
which about 70 miles out from Wins'
is in use. and the whole line will be
nv ished by tho first of November. On Il
& the traffic is already SO great as to
an excess OF So, 900 per month over
penses. On this road the association
given delightful excursion as May
river on the north side of the Dan,
1T tauce of 81 miles, the road passing q
a fertile country, gently rolling, until
waters OF Town Fork, tributary oi
Dan were reached, and then 1t enters
Dan river coal basin. an old sea bed
solutcly level, exceedingly rich. D'
this creek for two or three miles,
IT crossing the Den and down the vale
that stream through continuous helt
corn until the mouth of Mayo'sriver
reached, and the surface changed
L. dead level to picturesqullly mi y
mountainous, md the channel OF
river was broken by a long successio
rapids, constituting "Mayo's falls,
making the inducemcnt to their pure
by a Winston improvement COM
with view to the profitable appl'c'
of it's great water power.
A wonderfully Rich valley
This excursion made valuable add
m to our knowledge of the resource
w., North Carolina developed under Tn
fluenccs of railroad construction,
80 new road becoming key to the III
" ing OF some, perhaps known, but h
to unattainahle, treasure,
This idea has had splendid illustr
in the construction by the Richmon
and panyille system of the line from
"'P"' ston to WikesborO, a distance ot se'
five miles, and opening to intercour
wonderfully rich and surprisingly
tiful Yadkin valley. Striking into
valley twenty-four miles northw
WINSTON, anu lICl ~ ~
tinuously for ftty-six miles, the don
. feeling was that of amazement.
AND with indignation that in an age OF
r ress like this so much that was va
in fertility, in variety OF products
Inducements to enterprise, apart fr
beauty had remained unknown e1'
il forced knowledge upon other p'
the state by the use of primitive
1890 and primitive modes of transpor
;GAGE 1t is a reflection upon the saga'
projectors that access to this great
had been postponed to this late d.
ion. A long time ago, as tar back as 1921
railroads were unknown, and
"Se"s thought to be the only available
oughfares leading to development
,sponsi- nal was begun around Bean she
connect the more placid waters
=. ,.,.,. Yadkin above and below that Q
tion. The line Of the railroad nj
without lows the bed of that forgotten
consequential work.
oteis, at But anticipate somewhat.
Depot. Old. ola Town.