The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-25
Hoped to See Underwater Virginia
Brought in Touch With the
Valley.
TO KING GEORGES HEALTH
Standing OH the Summit OF the
Blue Ridge Knights Of Golden
Horseshoe Drank to King.

beautifully described IN MISS Mii } ooH'7
ston's novel; Audrey"
The changing seasons of neatly Two cen
turtles have passed since that summer IN
the year TIA, when the royal Governor oi
the colony of Virginia, Sir Alexander
Spotswood and his suite of twelve gen
tltnen, made their historic ride from inc
capital at williamsburg westward, TO en-
More and take possession Of IN the name
nf the English king, George l., the iahu
hidden bv tIle wavy outline Of the blue
mountains. ~.
This party of gentlemen planters s VINO
were courtiers and scholars as well. must
have had some serious thoughts as they
nscenled the wooded slopes of the gfeat
dividing ridge and looked o ,,t owe, n, t,e
grand panorama spread out before them.
IA that time most OF the land a.ong
tho rivers UP to the head OF naVlgal.oh
had been taken up. and many OF me y, 70 >
bacco planters were wealthy l, ana , naa
comfortable and beautiful homes aiohs
the James, York and Rappahannock XIV
crs o,
The demand for iron and coal became
necessity, and also the sons OF the En ~
fish beef eating race wanted blnegrass
be be- found ol' in Underwater Virginia. 50 ther
thoughts turned to the biue hliis rlSinE
rivers Of Piedmont and, over, the valley Of
the Shenandoah, doubtless their thoughts
turned to the hills and hedge rows OF
''inerry England.
They looked to the westward across the
rich limestone soil of the valley and saw
tho unbroken chain of the Alleshanies;
here they knew they would find what thsy
wanted III minerals and the blue grass
grew all about them.
They climbed down the steep Limestone
side of the ridge and Camped on the oanh
of the Shenandoah.
Of the si party o on that unique ride, says:
grayed ny naS on y Soe
with O paper enclosed. on WHICH lie writ
that he took possession Of this place, III
the name, Of and for lis Majesty; King
George L. We had dinner, and nf.er
It we got all the men together and loaded
all their arms. and we drank the king
health in champagne and fired q voley;
fired volley, and all the rest of the
royal family in claret, and fired a volleV.
The Governor had craving irons. but
They rode back 21s miles to their homes
on the Chesapeake Bay. full of the hopes
minion.' as England had been developed.
by nropagating the mechanic arts along
with agriculture. Doubtless their first
ton between this rich valley and the
falls Of the James River, now the great
mia,nuuf;a,cturins city of Richmond.
But It was not to be. The stupidity and
greed OF the secretary for the colon es,
Of the English government, was so Coos
cal that they prohibited by stringent laws
any step towards manufacturing In the
colonies, thus compelling the people TO
BUY IN England. and at the same time
selling them thousands Of negro slaves,
tnr e toy oyer in English sh to be pad
me dne burden Of negro slavery on her chill
dr a,i In the Southern States of America.
ebo ee sons b, OF the knights Of the Horse
inc INC, mother country longer cast loose
and proclaimed their independence. and
he r IL x ,@tni,ni q That earned her t1te BY
WIS nrst and foremost in establishing our
sr 81 t m 2, %, or States In America.
hopsesb 3ne creams asrn no OF the knSa9s Of
The old Dominion" In the early days
OF the colony had grown rich by means OF
1G or y rs supite OF slavery. The negro under
peop race bad Of the SUI
as cattle and horses are. They multiplied
70 such an extent especially in Virglnia)
a aIstn, me i men, of foresight viewed with
and the INCREASED cost of keeping slaves.
Early in 1900 tlGre was much uneaslness
IN i regard "a, d, 70 slavery. siany slave owners
nf,el'p!ed Il TO put them to work as me
found that though the negro was supreme.
~ htted for labor in the tobacco and
cotton helds. ne was entirely unfit for
anything else. Many owners at their own
expense freed their slaves and sent them
back TO Africa or other places. The other
states OF the Union, unlettered By slavery
grew BY leaps and bounds and new and
rich States grew UP further West Thus
me part Of the Union, south Of Mason
with the rest, and TIE gulf bctw cen i them
wdened.
The Southern people found that they
were as much bound up In slavery as the
slaves We're fetiered 10 them. and Vir-
ginia became known as a save- breeding
State for the more Southern States where
agriculture was more profitable,
OF the Golden Horseshoe A hundred
years had passed and still the natural
resources OF the western part of the state
were untouched, aid the black pail Of
negro slavery was hanging over the coun-
try, Something had to he done, for many
saw the storm which was approa ching TO
break rsa, * over the land In 1861. The men OF
velopment: TO keep up the economic race
with The '>.oung giants of the West" and
that The means OF doing it was the rail-
road.
And now we come to the real beginning
OF the story; how few planters and gem
tlenen farmers built railroad from the
tideway OF the James River at Richmond,
westward through the slashes of Hanover.
the pine forests Of Louisa, curvng around
the massive hills of Albemarlc, past Mon
ticello and the University of The grea,
Jefferson. and pierced the rocky barrier
OF the Blue Ridge
The dream OF the Knights of the Golden
Horseshoe was coming true at last they
thought; the grass and grain fields OF the
Shenandoah were In communication with
v the waters OF the Chesapeake. But the
great calamity OF GIGS interye ned, The
Z South had chosen 10 regard the grea,
i question OF the day negro slavery as q
Constitutional question, when II was II
reality an economic question, touching al
the people OF the Union.
In my next paper sill show what man
ner Of men they were who conceived III,
idea and built the great raiiway nov
known as the Chesapeake and Ohio
''l'lEDMONT."
Charlottesville, Va. June ., 1906
Hotel ROYAL Onnpc