The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-11-25
BY d. ". Mc1ver.

spondence. )-This III one of the old his
toric towns of Alabama, the capital town
of Washington County, which a glance
at the map will show is as large as
some of the States Of the Union. although
not quite 90 thicklv settled. The fact IL.
much Of It is yet in Its virgin state and
abundance Of wealth yet undeveloped
abounds in the way of agricultural. min
eral and ore lands and in Oil and gas.
The soil and climate is especially suited
to the raising of VII kinds of agricultural
products, 1t being possible to make two
and three crops year of everything
planted in the Safe. such as corn, oats.
rice, potatoes, PEAS and tobacco, and all
kinds of vegetables grow here to perfec-
tion. Besides the finest cotton l have
seen this year II saw along the roads
of the county cbming here and going over
the lands of the investment and develop
ment companies which are now making
every effort til find and develop the Oil
and gas which abounds in this locality.
There were q number Of salt works here
during the war and salt was manufac-
tured in large quantities. There is to be
seen the remains of the old salt works
all about in valleys and ravines, old
shells of boilers, the holes left uncov-
cred, and n some instances water is
running out of the bored wells and it Is
in some instances as salty as one could
wish. 1t does not seem that 1t would
take much boiling to make salt out of
some of 1.-THE water l drank and it, is
just about the right temperature for
bathing purposes, being between s5 and
100 degrees, all the time.
The old Court House here Is about as
good as the average court houses of the
State, where new ones have not been
- olA xxHfh ha
houses at some of the towns I saw in
East Tennessee last summer. 1t is a big,
almost square house. and answers
every purpose for the holding of all the
courts. The town Is very small, not hav-
ing but four or five stores and dozen or
so dwelling houses, but the people are
scattered along the roadside in every
direcAon, as do not believe single one
of the county officers live in the town
proper
This is not the town where the Capitol
of the State was located at one time in
the drst year of admittance into the
Union and taking on the responsibilities
of government under form of Statehood.
The site of the old town is some two
miles away on the river, and it must
have been the unhealthfulness of the site
that made it necessary to move the town
To higher and safer place for people
to live. The present town is situated on
al high ridge over a mile from the river
and is reputed to be as healthy as could
possibly be desired. There are churches
and a large and commodious school house
and the people are receiving enlighten-
ment and instruction in religious and
secular matters that do credit to their
civilization and high moral character.
There is some excitement here over re-
cent discoveries in ores and minerals and
lands are being eagerly sought after in
this locality. Much of the lands have
been bought at from 81 to 50 per acre and
options have been obtained on much
more.
For Agricultural Pursuits.
While the opening up and development
of all the other resources of this section
is desirable, and am glad to see 1t, 1 am
particularly anxious that its advantages
and possibilities in agricultural pursuits
should not be overlooked, but that the
lands should be thickly settled, divided
up In small farms among thrifty, INTEL
ligent and frugal classes of people, who
will live at home, bring the lands up to
the highest state of cultivation, and
raise everything that is required for the
necessaries of life. Hay and cane abound
here in inexhaustible quantities, cattle
can be raised with as little extra food
and with as little care and attention as
anywhere in the world. and on the ham
mocks and woodlands there are an abund-
ance of hazel and beech nuts, acorns and
hickorynuts in quantities to feed all the
hogs that will be necessary to be raised
all the year round without any expense
of additional feed, 1t only being neces-
sary to round them up occasionally and
to salt them to prevent their going wild
and getting beyond reach when wanted.
over at Mr. Howard Douglass place be-
low here on the river l saw the fipest cat
tie and hog pastures in the world, and
while he is taking advantage OF it raising
cattle and hogs, there are but few others
that are, and hope to see at no distant
day the advantages Of this section util-
lied and developed in the way that 1t
really looks to me nature intended 1t for.
If the agricultural resources will be
properly developed it will soon be the
garden spot of all Alabama and with
the bringing out of all the other wealth
with which the county IL blessed it will
surely be the richest in other respects.
Now it does not seem that people are
coming in singly to take up these lands
in small lots, as / have suggested, and
the only way that 1 see that it can be
done Is for landowners to bring In and
establish colonies MADE up OF the sort
of people I have described above and in
a few years the value of all the lands
down here will have increased in value
one hundred fold. There must be good
roads, too, and l am glad to see from
the character of the soil, and their stu
alton that they can be built at a very
small cost The people VINO know how
to farm and who make desirable citizens
and build up and develop these lands as
1t should be done, are not coming here
or anywhere else in Alabama until they
are assured of having good roads all the