Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1911-08-04
DRY FORK COUNTRY
A Little Gossip About That
Section of the County
And its People

time, but to help MIR. Henry Linkous
out in the Sunday School business. and
to talk up the county organization. A
small instalment of gossip about this
trip, to me memorable one, may not
be uninteresting.
Henry Lnkous lives on what is
known as "Dry Fork" small
stream heading up about A1ria and
winding its way down the narrow val.
ley between high and broken ridges
straight up and down-for miles. and
finally unites its waters with Beech
Fork, believe, and then, don t
know what becomes of it. IL is known
as DRY Fork" for the reason, il is
dry more frequently than it is wet.
TO reach Dry Fork you can go around
by way of Willow Bridge or through
Baptist Valley and over "The Jump. ,
| chose the latter route because il il
the shortest. Jo Taylor lives at the
foot of "The Jump on the other
side. The Jump has no foot on this
side. You go on level ground, turning
of just beyond John Keesee's. and all
at once, you turn little bend in the
road, and there you are, looking
straight down gulch thousand feet
encountered Jo on the road, and he
piioted me down the narrow, winding
road, and told me what he knew of
the country. He has n productive farm
on Dry Fork, good deal of which
lies high. away up on the mountain
sides, where he has fine corn grow
ing. asked Joe how on earth he ever
got his corn down after making it.
lie said the trouble was to get up to
it to work it-no trouble to get il
down. Sleds are used. and "down she
comes,' if you can "hold back" and
not permit the sleds to run over the
mules. So with all the farms. The
little valley is narrow, and the steep
hillsides must be cultivated. Henry
Linkous and also Joe Taylor and 9TH
ers had sheep and cattle grazing away
up on these steep hillsides. The stock
have to stand straight up and down
the hill when grazing, and stick their
toes in the ground to keep from slip
ping. If the "toe holt" slips the dan
ger is that the COW or sheep will roll
clear to Kingdom Come" at the bot
tom. and land in Dry Fork. However.
the people get along, and live well,
and are as kind and hospitable as can
be found on earth. Just over another
Jump is Dicks Creek. In this sec
tion brother Jim Baker lived once
and taught school. There is neat.
little white school house up in the
woods, in the shade, near the road.
which the boys pointed out as "The
Baker School House," where brother
Baker taught, perhaps 80 years ago.
Some of his pupils of those days
speak kindly of him yet, and are fond
of telling of the old days of long ago,
and incidentally remarking that Mr..
Baker made the boys "do about. &"
He is now spending the evening of his
life quietly and easily or his farm in
Tennessee, far off from these quiet
and rural scenes of his earlier labors.
and from the graves of his loved
ones, but ] will wager a penny that he
hasn't forgot day of it, and that
his eyes will moisten and lump
about as big as goose egg will rise
in his throat as he reads these lines.
and he will suddenly find out that he
has cold in his head, for somehow a
fellow can never get away from these
old days, and fact is, he don't want to.
In this same section the Johnson
brothers, Jim and Dave, cash ier and
physician respectively, in this town,
own farms now. But, ! mustn't let
my pencil run away.
/ had fine time with Mr. Linkous
and his family and met large num-
Der of the good people of that sec
tion. The sun had crept behind the
ridge when lifted the latch of the
gate at the road leading to the house,
and Henry said "light, and look at
your saddle" an old form of greet
ing that 1 hadn't heard for years, and
| was glad enough to "light" after
my horseback ride. Henry has lived
here for years, raising corn, sheep,
molasses and children. His fine family
of boys and girls are married except
about two, and live mostly in this lit
tie valley, nearby. Mrs. Linkous was
Miss Sparks. Her aged mother, more
than 80 years old, is tenderly cared
for in the home. was impressed with
he kindly treatment given grandma
by every member of the family. You
know sometimes old people become
wearisome to young people. They
are pushed aside, into one corner and
neglected. Not so here. Grandma
Sparks is being eased down gently,
and is waiting calmly for the last call
This neigbhorhood is full of Hankins-