Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1907-05-15
IN IN The BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS.
THE GOVERNMENT ISSUES A PAMPHLET
DESCRIBING THEIR BEAUTIES.

pared an interesting bulletin and map
descriptive of part of the Blue
/ Ridge mountains, and especially of
the Sapphire country. I
This quadrangle is in the southern
part Of the main Blue Ridge, in
region which is wild and picturesque.
The streams have numerous falls of
great beauty and power. Especially
noteworthy are the Upper Falls of
the Whitewater river, where it takes
perpendicular leap of over 800 feet,
and the falls of the Cullasagee and
Tuckasagee rivers, oataraots of con-
siderable size and volume. The val
leys are small, but fertile, with rug
ged slopes. Frequently the high
peaks measure more than 5000 feet
from base to summit, attaining a
height nearly equal to that of any
peak in the Appalachian range.
The rainfall is heavy and keeps the
streams we'll filled. The flora is of
great beauty and variety-ferns, aza-
leas, rhododendrons and laurel bloom
ing luxuriantly from early spring till
late in the summer.
The southern part of the quadran-
gle is what is known as the Sapphire
country, an ideal pleasure ground.
Trout are plentiful in the streams,
the mountains are high, but easy of
ascent, some having roads leading to
their SUBMITS, while others have
bride or foct trails, which wind their
way past falls and through gorges of
rare beauty and grandeur. There
are number of tourist resorts in this
country, including Highlands, over
$500 feet above sea level; Cashiers
Valley, at $500 feet, above which
towers Whiteside mountain, the most
picturesque sight in all the Blue
Ridge, and Fairgeld and Sapphire,
where there are artificial lakes at an
elevation of over 3,1OO feet, well
stocked with trout for the sport and
sustenance of the visitor.
In the northeastern part OF the
quadrangle is Waynesville, $500 feet
above sea level, with Englehurst
looking down upon it from the top
of the Plott Balsams, at an elevation
of 5000 feet, and we'll graded road
leading up to it. From here splen-
did view of the valley of the French
Broad river and the highest peaks of
the Appalachian range can be OBJ
tanned. Six miles to the southwest
OF Waynesville is Balsam Gap, $500
feet above sea level, which divides
the Plott Balsams from the Richland
Balsams. 1t is the highest railroad
summit in the eastern part of the
United States. At all these places
are good hotels, which are crowded
during the summer and we'll filled
the year round.
Various valuable minerals and CLAWS
are mined here. Mica, copper and
kaolin are the best paying properties
at present. The kaolin is shipped to
the potteries of Ohio and New Jer-
sey. Owing to its depreciation in
value corundum, which was once
taken from here in great quantities,
ls no longer mineI. Rubies, sap.
phlres, garnets an other precious
stones are frequently found here.
Large quantities of amethysts have
been taken from the southern part
of this quadrangle, but the stone is
now rarely found.
The country is we'll covered with
great variety of fine timber. Some
OF it is difficult of access. Numerous
small portable steam mills are saving
the more valuable and marketable
varieties into lumber, while the tan
neries consume large amount of
chestnut, oak and hemlack bark, of
which there is an abundance.
Very little farming is done. Nearly
all OF it Is confined to the valleys of
few of the larger streams. The
best farms are in the vicinity of
Franklin, where the soil is deep and
fertile red loan. Corn 10 tho stonlo