The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-09
|R|CH. lee COUNTY,
/ VARIED PRODUCTS
Splendid Farm Lands,
! Coal, Natural Gas and
Oil Bring Wealth.
FINE SCHOOLS
IN LEE COUNTY
People Aroused on Subject Of
Good Roads-They Will Vote
Big Money to Build Them
Town Of Jonesville and Its
Beauties-Historic
Powells Valley.
81 nODEnr T.. PENNINGTON.

BY ROBERT Il. PENNiN1IOS'
Jonesville, Va, october s.-The pur>
pose of this article is to give to the
readers of the Industrial Section Of
vour most valuable paper brief
sketch of Lee county, its history,
natural resources and present state Of
Thts county lies between the great
states OF kentucky on the north and
on the souh. AT historic
cumberland Gap one may stand at the
same time in the States OF virginia.
Kentucky ard Tennessee and from THIS
lofty point can not only view the out
living mountains and valleys OF the
three states. but may look across the
domain Of the great State of Tennes-
see, on clear day and see the Smoky
Mountains of North Carolina.
Lee county was formed in 1871, from
the county of Russell. and at that
time Included all of the county OF
Wise and portion of Scott. Its pres
ent area is about 480 square miles
and it has total length of sixty
miles, and an average width OF eight
miles. Long before its formation az
a county the country had been set
tied t.v a sturdy stock Of good English
and Scott Irish people.
The beautiful valley. known as
Powelrs Valley. reaching from Jacks
boro. Tenn, to Jonesville, the county
seat of Lee county. is about loo mica
long, and has an average Wlo.H oA
ten miles. This valley mas always
been famous for it's agricultural rich
ness It's settlement began In the
early part of l700 1t was across TINS
beautiful valley that Daniel Boone
missed on his way from North Carollna.
to the .rich blue grass lands OF Ken
t,,elsy and the trail over which ne
nassed is still known as Boone's fath, avn,
ana = nost-office in this county stiii
bears, that nayne.
Grain, Coal and Oil.
About two-thirds OF the .eouhtss -
rich farming land suited to hiue grass
and tho production of corn and wheat.
There is considerable land IN Ice
cn,1nty which, without the use OF iel. is
tilizer will produce as much as w
bushels Of corn to the acre. tAoou, A,
one third of the countys area Is eoa, a,
land from which may be mined coal
OF the finest quality In adal.ion 70 ..is shs
coal other rich deposits of minerals
arc iron. limestone, salt, oil ana gas
Salt wells were operated in Lee county
in the early days at Blackwater ,l ana
near Dryden. At one of the ola su,. SUI
wells on Blackwater, which was sunts IN
in the wear 1914 distance OF 6oa
feet. there has been from that day tc
the present a continuous flow OF gus,
which now, after nearly 100 years, on
the application of match VIII .aNe
fire and burn brilliantly. In lookins
over this field a short time ago, an olo
employe of the Standard Oil Company,
and now retired, said to friend that
If the gas escaping from this old we'll
was confined in container during the
.day. 1t would furnish sufficient gus
to burn light at night that woulo
Illuminate the Blackwater Valley as
bright as the MONDAY.
The Cedar, Valley Oil Company is
now sinking it's wells in Powells VAL
ley four miles west of Jonesville, wltn
full expectation of realizing a rich OIL
discovery. This company Is Phila-
delphia corporation, with ample cap
iital to develop the oil proposition In
the Powells Valley. They have leased
about $4,000 acres of land and are ex-
meeting to grow rich from the invest
4ment.
The iron mines Of the county have
.heen worked to limited extent out
have not been developed as they prob
ably will be in the near future
Devel0pmcEt Followed railways.
The Development of the natural re-
agricultural interest, did not begin un-
III the building of the railroads into
this county in 1890. The development
Of the coal fields of the county did nos
begin until 1905 when the Virginia
&. SOUTHWESTERN Railway Company de-
cided to extend its line from APP
pnlachia out into the Crab Orchard
and Pocket Country of the county, ana
the Loulsville and Nashville Railroad
Company began the construction OIL
It's arm of railroads from Pennington
Gap into the Pocket coal field. In
the Crab Orchard field place which
tho operators named keokee, g. =.
Perrin one of the most successful coal
operators OF this section, began the
development of the most complete coal
operation that has ever been under
taken in the South. Here they leased
a large boundary of coal land from
the Interstate Investment Company:
lands situated in Lee county. Virginia.
and Harlan county, Kentucky. The
houses for this plant We're al bui1t
upon a permanent8and expensive plah'
and the machinery Installed was OF the
very best character. The powerhouse
and the commissary and Offices were
CONSTRUCTED of stone, and the houses OF
the miners We're all we'll furnished, nice
homes. The plant is located IN An
open country on sort of inland
plateau, where the suns rays are not
obstructed by the surrounding hills.
Great Is Keo!ee.
The topography Of the country is
such as to be ideal for coal plant
The tipple was furnished and built
after the most modern and improved
plans. The power that runs the cars
operates the ,ipple and lights theStown,
and is all electrical. The power that
IgeneratssSthe electricity is furnishad
Eby the waste gas from q few of the
ovens. Instead OF firing the boilers
with aoal. Mr.. Perrin conceived the
idea Of utiHzipg the waste gas and
built circular tunnel along the edge
OF one ot the battertes OF ovens Al