The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1901-07-30

,and. the West its Colorado. the
Pa, iiic coast may glory in h'r Sierra
Nevads. and British Columbia in
her Cascade range, but nowhere on
the face Of The earth is there re-
gon more pictur, squeiy, more
charm ingly beautiful than the
mountain country of western North
Carolina, poeticaIly known as The
Land of the Sky 1t is true there
are mountains of greater elevation
IN each of the localities named. but
the greatest canvases in the gallery
of art are not the choicest gems, nor
is the beauty of nature to he mea
ured on geodelic lines. Where the
mountain ranges of the West are
rugged, barren and foi bidding.those
in Western North Carolina are rob-
ed in deep hued forests TO their
nl2ntSt suHiiitlS. uNic tue Stco
ter peaks of the Sierra Nevada
frown. those of The Land of the
Sky" smile through banks of rho
do endlons and azaleas. Where
the valleys of the one are rocky and
impossible goi ges, in the other they
are fern-carpeted forest labyrinths,
through which crystal streams tum-
Die merrily along over moss-grown
rocks in their race to the open.
Picture in your mind a region
where range after range of heavily
forested mountains parallel each
other like waves OF the sea. where
interlacing valleys are rich with
verdue and flowers, and where sill
YER streams murmur increasingly.
Imagine an air so light and pure
that breathing itself seems new
found joy then throw over all
canopy Of bluest of Italian blue,
aud you have ''The Land of tie
Sky"
This rugged mountain r. gion em-
braces the extreme western portion
of North Carolina and the eastern
edge Of Tennessee. Within these
confines are several districts alike
in heir general features, but each
having distinct charms and advau-
tages peculiarly its own. The one
most generally visited has Asheville
for its tourist center.
None the less beautiful, however,
is that country in and about Blow
ing Rock and Grandfather Noun
tain, cf which Lenoir is the entire
pot. Southeast of Asheville are the
Flat Rock, Tyron and Sapphire re-
gions, which attract many visitors
because of the charming environ
ments. Southwest of Asheville,
and between that city and Murphy,
is the Balsam Mountain country,
wild, solitary and Swlss-like, with
the Hayward Sulphur Springs as
the chief tourist rendezvous. Over
to the west, and near the Tennes-
see line, is the less rugged, but more
picturesquely beautiful, territory in
and about the Hot Springs, while
almost due north from here and
across the Tennessee line looms up,
in the majesty of its towering
height, Roam Mountain, crowned by
a hotel, the highest building eastof
Colorado, and favorite summer
gathering place for people from near
and far. Taken as a whole, no sim
liar area on the western continent
compares with "The Land of the
Sky in beauty or sublimity. in
square miles it is the equal of Swift
zerland. In attractiveness, acces-
sibility and health it is its rival.
The Southern Railway. which
brings "The Land of the Sky"
within easy reach, approaches it
from all directions of the compass.
From st. Louis daily sleeping cars
are operated direct to Asheville,
which is an all-the-year- round re-
sort, thus putting st. Louis tour
lists into that beautiful region with
only one night on the oad.-Globe-
Democrat, st. Louis, July 4th, 1901.
Camp Meeting at High BRIDGE,