The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-01-19

| carolina The Roam Contains all
Desirable Features for Great
Park-But if Not ObtainabIe There
a Baisam Peak Might be Gotten.
VIM. Z. Burbank, Esq, Editor SEN
| TINEL:
DEAR SIR Il beg to acknowledge
| the receipt of your letter and copies
| OF IHE SENTINEL containing articles
in regard to Il National Park in Wes-
tern North Carolina, all OF which [
| have reud with great interest. II is
| with pleasure that | avail myself of
| the opportunity to publicly express
nv views on the subject.
| Ii the basis for the making Of such
| grant lies in the fact tiiaU there is Il
| tract OF wonder land to be covered by
| it, and such dedication is necessary
| for its preservation. why all you WeS-
! tern North Carolinans have to do is TO
have your representative petition
| Congress for it. You need not hang
| back for fear that upon comparison
| with other scenic sections OF the Uni
| ted States, the gfandeSt Of your thoiI-
sand and one tracts OF primryal forest
| may suffer. The region of the South
| ern Alleghanies is the most pictur-
esque in the United States. / have EN-
| amid lofticr mountains aud forests
I ana beside greater rivers than yours,
| but no where else are the skies 80
| deeply blue. cloud effects SO glorious
| mountains 50 universally green clad.
| valleys SO beautiful and summit views
so ineXpreSsibly grand.
fear that the necessity for such Il
| dedication eXi is. 1t has been ten
| years since | was i'll the Southern Al
| leghanies. Shortly before that time
| SpeculatOrS were buying up the tim
| ber OF that region, and later portable
sawmills were moved through the
| valleys and along the mountain slopes.
I Great destruction must have occurred
| wherever the forests lay open to easy
| egresS. and much more will follow as
| the timber resources grow less and
| prices advance. 1t is a result to be de-
| plored, and it would be an everlasting
| source Of regret if at least one of the
| forest tracts was not preserved. L
| take it for granted that the State
| would accept such a reservation and
make the necessary yearly appropria-
| tiOn. This is what we have done in
| our State in regard to the Yosemite
and Mariposa Big Tree Grove granted
| by act of Congress, approved June 30,
1864.
a valley tract would not be either
suitable nor available; firstly because
| in these the finest timber has been
| felled, ana secondly. the lands being
| adapted to cultivation are held at
| high figures.
This is the condition even in the
| almost inaccessible region of the Cat
| aluchee, and | was about to add. the
| Nantihala: but the term "inacceSsi-
| ble'' could hardly be applied to the
| latter, for | hear that a railroad has
| penetrated this valley since last
| L journeyed an enthusiastic tray
| eler along its cold rushing waters and
under the shadows Of its pcrpcuuicu-
| lar mountain walls.
| The borders of the Grant should
| embrace mountain top, with some
| portion of the slopes extending down
| into the region of the decidu0ns trees.
! A large area might be necessary for it
| should be one OF your grandest peaks
| where clouds are at times below its
| head and WherefrOm, to the behOlder,
the surrounding country appears an
ocean of purple billOwS.
IL should be one OF the peaks, called
| bald" for nature has already planted
| them in luXuriant grass; and the
| dense evergreen forests which fringe
these meadows are soon interspersed
| with and then resolve into the woods
| of oak, cherry, walnut, cucumber, ma
I pie and almost every tree indigenous
\ to American soil.
As to the extent of the grant. Il
somewhat circular tract Of say 30
! miles in circumference would en-
brace enough Of the mountain to in
clude all species of giant trees and
afford an unsurpassing view. The
| Yosemite is ID miles long and one
mile wide. The Mariposa BIG Tree
| Grove includes 2,540 acres.
/ have been through nearly all the
mountain counties or foot or on horse
| back. These trips were made with
the object of seeing and describing the
most picturesque'localities. They led
me along and across the SUNNI t of
the cncirciing ranges OF Blue Ridge
and Great Smoky and every trans
verse chain, including the Iron Noun
tainS, the Linyiile, the Black, the
BalSdms, Cowee. NautihIla and VAL
| ley River ranges. | was along every
mountain stream that attainS to the
dignity of river, sometimes following
them from their sources to where, cut
ting through walls OF rock
they flow into the valley of
the Tennessee. None arising with
in the mountain plateau flow through
the Blue Ridge although its deprcs-
SionS are greater than those OF the
Smokes. While [ am therefore to
seme extent competent to speak on
the question as to where the proposed
park should be located, L am afraid
that Travelled and saw too much Of the
, picturesque and sublime to be an ac-
tive advocate for any particular spot.
The Roam probably combines all
desirable features. [ say probably
because while [ know from actual OBJ
servation tnat its slopes are covered
: with cherry and other hardwood trees,
I cannot, at this distant time and
place say accurately as to how far
they extend upward to bring them
within the limits of a reasonable
grant. The summit meadow is there
, where the rocks are hidden under a
soil clad Ewith urich grass, mountain
heather.and clumps of rhododendrons
and azaleas. | can recall the sombre
forests of balsam which stretch like
, natural fences around the edges of the
| treeless expanse which for over two
miles pursues the central ridge of the
mountain, and the cliffs at one point
descending into soundless fgorges, and
lastly the illimitable view. One
!. drawback might be the sum required
to buy up the titles to the Roam, for
presume that they have been acquired
by private individuals who hold them
: at prices much in advance of what ad
jacent and less frequented mountain
SUBMITS command. OF this Others
must speak