Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-08-27


| States than that territory embraced
, on the two routes from Walhalla to
Anderson-the one by way Of West
minister, Oakway, Townviiie, Cross
Roads, the other around by Seneca,
Clemson College, Pendleton and
Sandy Springs. The whole section
stands out prominently now, and it
is but in the first stages of develop
ment, the past two or three years of
intelligent, thoughtful agricultural
work having done wonders toward
showing the farmers of this section
what it is possible for them to do.
Crops are fine everywhere along the
route, though here and there a field
will show that the wind and hail did
some damage to corn, the fodder be-
ing badly slashed and shredded. Yet
even this misfortune but serves to
show to the passer-by that this mis-
fortune was but slight, for the alb
sence Of the blades on the stalks
reveals the excellence Of the crop Of
corn that is now maturing.
What pity that the proposed road
is not already an existing modern
highway through from the coast of
this State on into the mountains of
Oconee and those still further ur \
Georgia and North Carolina, What
an amount of advertising this whole
section would have gained had this
route been travelled daily during the
summer by the tourists Of the North
and South who have gone by other
routes up into the mountains! This
road is going to prove a great bless
ing to this section so sure as it is
completed. We are unknown to-day,
and the possibilities of this territory
are unknown, because there is no
real highway open through our ter
ritory to the people who travel con-
tinualiy from one section to ano-
ther This road will make possible
the easy and convenient travel
through this section of the very
class Of people we need-people who
have means and are looking for
places in which to invest money or
TO make summer homes---peOPle who
viii go back TO their homes and tell
others of what they saw. the splen-
dlu country and fine crops: they will
tell Of the wonderful climate and
latent possibilities Of the whole Pied
mont section and the immediate ter
ritory in particular. This Columbia
to-Toxaway road is bound to prove
great investment from the very
start. Besides giving the territory
of the Piedmont section a notoriety
that it could rot get in any o,her
way, it will prove blessing to every
farmer and traveller who uses the
roads, no matter for what purpose.
One Of the speakers advanced the
theory that good roads were proba-
bly, Of more Importance to the coun-
try than education. We are not yet
ready to accept that theory, but Ger
tainly the two great problems are so
closely allied and so inter-dependent
is the more important. This fact is
certain: So soon as we improve our
roads we are going to have better
educational facilities and our people
are going to take advantage of those
improved facilities more readily.
And 1t is equally certain that where
we find educational facilities best we
find good roads. Why? Which fac
tor Is the greater in bringing about
practical and substantial develop
ment? Without education we care
little for good roads, and without
good roads educational institutions
are stripped of half their possibili-
ties for good. The best that there is
in each must be gotten out through
the medium of the other.
The run from Townville to Ander-
son was through n beautiful section
Of country, the car in which we trav-
eled taking the route by Portman
Shoals. Winding about the hills
along the line of the river, we en-
countered curves quite as sharp as
those we find back in the mountains,
but the grade Is good and the sur
face Of the roadway splendid, Offer
ing nothing that would be considered
an obstacle to convenient and safe
travel, though there is another route
from .Townville to Anderson which
is said to be better on account OF
avoiding these rugged hills and sharp
curves, but this route adds about two
miles to the distance. Going into
Anderson from Portman the road for