The Daily Texarkanian., 1896-08-24
TaZABEAEA ARKANSAS, MONDAY EVENING. AUGUST a. 1896
RICH MOUNTAIN
The Future Summer Resort For Tex
arEala and South Arkansas.

EDlToB TEXARKANIAN:-Ou my de.
parture, nearly three weeks since,
Z promised a letter descriptive OF
Rich mountaip. Itproyedinconven-
lent to fulfill this promise while
there, but l can now give you a
summary of my impressions of this
really remarkable mountain.
Rich Mountain extending east
and west for about thirty miles, is
about three thousand feet above
the level of the sea, and towers
sixteen hundred feet above the bed
of the X. c. P. & G. R. R., which
ruos at the foot of the mountain,
parallel with it nearly the whole
ieugth of the mountain II is inn
possible to climb the mountain on a
straight rad, its steepuess beng
very great The topis from fifty to
two hundred yards across and is
comparatively level
AS the name indicates, it has a
rich soil, the growth on the top and
north side being much like that
found on the most fertile bottom
lands. Much oE the mountain is
very rocky; notwithstanding this,
tbs the ioosest soil [ ever saw. 1t
produces vegetables to perfection,
such as potatoes, onions and cab
bage, being the best, It is said, in
the world; aud you only have to try
them to admit the reasonableness
of this claim,
BUTT is the climate mainly that
is to make Rich Mountain the most
popular summerresort in the South.
This has been tho,warmest summer
ever known on the mountain, yet
from the best information l could
get, the thermometer has not gone
much above ninety-perhaps to
uinety-two, the hottest days. Even
that temperature lasts only an
hour or TWO in the middle of the
day
spent the day before l got to
Rich Mountain, Aug. 7, at Poteau,
waiting for my train. The ther-
mometer there went up to 113o in
the shade everybody was looking
for cool place all in vain and
tanning for dear life. The next
day at noon l stood on top of Rich
Mountain before a campfire assist
ing in the cooking of dinner, and
yet not uucomtortably warm, and
not perspiring enough to soil my
linen collar did not use a fan, or
even see a fan while | was on the
mountain. Every night while there
| slept under cover, and often with
all windows closed
If you are sick whel you go up
Gas ! was) the excellent chalybeate
water and the pure eXhilarating
atmosphere, will soon make you
well, aud give you an appetite that
will make you appreciate all the eX-
cellency claimed for the mountain
grown vegetables and fruits.
asked an old resident: do you
ever get sick up here?" ooh, no, "
he answered, But" | said, "if
you should need physician how
far would you have to go to find
one?' ""Well, there's two doctors
at Dallas-that's twenty-five miles
from here, But if there's ever been
a doctor on this mountain to visit
the sick, ! don't know it" Hasn't
anyone ever died here?" | continued,
eyes, there are four graves in our
grave yard but no one ever died
from disease contracted on the
mountain y
give you the above dialogue as
it occurred, and so far as | know,
the statements the old man made
are correct,
The great difficulty in the way of
this mountain becoming a noted
summer aud health resort, has
been and stiIl 49, the arduous APP
proach and ascent The wagon
roads in all that country are very
rough, and the road leading up the
mountain is doubly difficult to trav-
els being very steep us well as rocky
When therairoad,. now in progress,
is complete the main difficulty is
overcome, aud then, too, capital
lists are getting into possession Of
the mountain, and rumors Of hotels
and trolly cars, are rife, II this is
done ] predict that in q few years
Rich Mountain VII be famous Ia
the South as q most desirable SUM
mer resort
Another thing claimed for the
mountain that will be highly attrac.
tive TO the tImid Is, that while the
wind nearly always blows a stiff
breeze, stoms never visit there;