The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1913-06-13
jenkins, Ky.
Creating a COIIiGTy Community
in Kentucky Highlands.
Article from the Manufacturers Record
Of Interest 10 the People Of
This Section.

JENKINS. KY, May 31.-High up
on the mountain that rises from the
southern side of this town stands
the solitary giant pine that gave its
name to John Fox's charming story,
~ he Trail of the Lonesome Pine"
A little westward is deep gap in
the mountain, in which may be seen
the fast decaying ruins of the big
cabin that was the home of the
"yarb" doctor whom the author used
as .he original of Red Fox" Across
the mountain on the Virginia side
he was hanged for murder even
more atrocious than that described
| In the book. Just below here are
the remains of dam that once held
the waters OF Elkhorn Creek and de-
livered them to mill whose founda-
ton logs may still be seen. That
was the mill of uncle Billy" and
l"Old Hon." A short distance up the
creek in the mouth of hollow is
a neighborhood"b urying ground" in
which is the grave of the man who
in Fox's book is made the leader of
the "Falins" in their feud with the
"Tollivers. He is reputed to have
cut 2S notches on the stock of his
rifle before he "cashed in" Devil
Judd Tolliyer'' is still alive, and is
well known under another name
his own. His notches are said to
number &c.
Fox's story of the people, the
country and the time is largely true
with the picture little foreshort-
eHed to bring 1t within the limits of
the printed page, the action a trifle
hurried to suit 1t to the public taste.
The people and the country were
In practically the primitive condi-
ton described by thesnovelist when,
less than two years ago, the magic
wand of industrial progress was
waved over the scene, with effect
almost Aladdin-lamp-like in its sud
den results. Nor is there in the
novel a single more romantic page
than that wherein, in the history
of actual accomplishment, is written
the story of the Consolidation Coal
Co.'s activities in this section dur
ing the last "a months, transform
ing a region that was a veritable
wilderness, though settled hundred
years ago, into center of tremen-
dous productive energy.
In July, 1911, the Consolidation
company began here development
that has worked complete meta
morphosis, changing an isolated,
sparsely-settled countryside, whose
people gathered scant subsistence
from their little patches of cleared
land in narrow valley and on steep
hillside, to series of close-lying
towns with an aggregate population
of 1000; a community of mines and
mills and stores and hustling peo-
Pile, closely connected with the out
side world by railway communication
and commercial interest.
The tract of land which forms the
basis for this work consists of 1907
600 acres, lying in Pike. Letcher and
Knott counties, on the watersheds
of the Big Sandy and Kentucky riv-
ers, and the plans laid out for the
development provided for building
a railroad 40 miles in length and
preparing for production of $500
tons of coal day by the time the
railroad was completed, which would
be increased to 10000 900 tons an
nually within two years from the be-
of shipments, and finally to
Z, 900. 900 tons.
This was chosen as the site of the
town which is the central point of
the entire operation. having the gen-t
eral offices, the bank, the main store
the power station and the residenc-
es of the general operating officials,
and it was named Jenkins in honor
Of one of Baltimore's chief bankers
and financiers. jenkins lies on Elk
horn Creek, some 80 miles from it's
mouth, at Elkhorn City, terminus
If the Big Sandy branch of the
& Ohio Railway, and a
iczen or so miles from the terminus
II the Marrow Bone branch, run
ling to HELLER, with very high
mountain intervening. The closest
abroad of any kind was a narrow
sauge lumber road eight miles away
Ind also across mountain. From
hese things 1t will be seen that the
ask to which the Consolidation Co.
et its engineers was no small one.
I was TO construct railroad forty
niles long, open up mines. drive en-
ries and erect tipples. establish
lumber Of towns and build homes