Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1909-07-23
Valley Route Ever Logi-
eel
Roanoke News.

ed through this city en- route to ATTAIN
Ia from New York, committee desig-
nated some time ago to draft the in
s'fument, includes hummer of facts
N which the public generally is great
| ~ interested. The committee drafting
the memorial was comprised Of Rev.
Or. ". G. Campbell, chairman; I. T.
Eishbnrn and Edward L.. Stone. The
chairman of the joint committee dele
gated TO look after the local and near
local Interests in the movements look
ing toward the betterment Of the roads
in Southwest Virginia, is C. Edwin
Michael A copy of the instrument, as
pre- sented TO the scouts, is as follows:
Attention is at this time turned TO
the question of good roads. Among
the routes being considered is that Of
great autimobile road between the
North and South connecting the great
cities of the two sections. At this time
three routes between these cities are
under consideration: the eastern, via
Richmond, the middle via Charlottes-
Vile and Lyncbburg, and the Virginia
Valley route.
Irto the question of routes many
things enter: good roads, and mate
rails for making good roads, some
thing TO see along the route, worth see
ing, something TO know, worth know
ing, and places for rest and recreation.
All these the valley road offers To the
traveller. Its route parallels the great
mountains aud the rivers and mate
rails for road making are present every
where in the outeroppings of the great
limestone strata. Years since trav-
eler described the valley of Virginia as
the most delightful climate aud the
| richest soil imaginable. Said he: "Tbe
people are everywhere surrounded with
beautiful prospects ana sylvan scenes
lofty mountains transparent streams
falls Of water, rich valleys and majes-
tic woods, the whole interpreted with
an INFINITE variety of Towering shrubs,
constituting the landscape 1t is safe
to say the valley has lost none of its
beauty, but every year grows more
beautiful and attractive. One is never
out of sight Of the most beautiful
mo untaln scenery ON the continent,
not as towering as that of the Rockies,
but rising up to peaks 1000 feet IN
height, and presenting variety Of
70 nm not surpassed in the Rockies.
Where can one find mountains more
majestic and beautiful than one sees as
he rides along the Valley of the
Hawks Bill, in Page county, or about
the city of Roanoke, in Roanoke coun-
ty, or as he rides up the valley west Of
Salem. 1t matters not when one sees
these great mountains, they are al
weys attractiye; whether in summer
when clad from base to summit in
their covering of green, in winter when
clothed in their garment Of white or
in the fall of the ear when with col
ors no artist ever mixed, they stand
robed.
IT'S rivers ard sparkling streams
have always been an occasion OF re-
mark. The Indian saw their beauty,
and in his own musical and expressive
tongue called one of its rivers s'Shen-
andoah y "Laughing Daughter of the
Stars" To the traveller wearied with
his ride these spar king streams with
fIos rftt 10 tft,a
rest.
1t is through this great upland val
| ley, thousand feet above the sea level,
! with its endless variety of valley and
mountain forms, bounded on the west
| by the great North Mountain and on
the east by the Bite Ridge, that this
attractive route lies
1t was down this valley that the tide
of Immigration began to stream in the
early portion ofthe eighteenth century
the great flank movement OF the En-
glisb for the projection of the Eastern
colonies. Among these immigrants
were the men within whose veins ran
the blood of the Scottish Highlands,
men of fearless, incorful tible and re-
sourceful mold. They were men whom
the Indians feared and called ''Long
Knives" aud whom the Briton learn
ed t, fear, whom Washington respect
ed and esteemed. and the men whose
sons stormed the battle beivhts OF
Gettysburg and left a memory that
North and South delight TO honor
1t is an Interesting fact thae as early
as l749 a road was established through
This valley and called ssrhe Great
Nerth Road 1t began al Philadei-
phia, and going by the way u Laneas-
ter ana YORK, Pennsylvania crossed
tae otomac at WilIismsport, Mary
land, and going by the way Of the