Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1914-06-25
GREAT ESTATE TO
Be U. S. RESERVE
Government to Buy So, 700
Acres at BiItmOr0, N. C.
GAME AND FISH ABOUND.
Mrs. George w. Vanderbilt, Following
Wishes of Her Husband to Have For
est Preserved, Will Sell Place to Un-
Gle Sam-One of the Most Magnfi-
cent Domains In America.

Gle Sam-One of the Most Magnlfi-
cent Domains In America.
Asheville, n. C.-The S6,70O acres Of
beautiful wilderness at BiltmOre. y. g,
which the United States forest reserva-
ton commission recently decided to
buy from Mrs. George w. Vanderbilt
is the largest area owned by the ma
ton east OF the Mississippi river and is
destined to serve as Il national park
for the 35,OO0,O00 people who live with
in Il radius Of days journey from it.
Most of them know nothing of its
| character, and few of the many thou
sand visitors who have passed on the
white roads Of the Biltmore estate and
admired the magnificence of Biltmore
/ house have glimpSed more of it than
/ the misty blue barrier that bounds it
3, on the northwest
1t is Il lOrdly domain of 1874 square
miles of wooded mountains and rush
ing streams which has thus been add
ed to the national possessions. 1t is
the most extensive hardwood reserve
east of the Rockies. 1t is Il game and
! fish preserve which has few equals. 1t
/ has seventeen miles Of good roads built
for use by automobilists. Cresting
/ heights over 5000 feet above sea level
Great mountains rise in its bounds,
! eliminating in the rock peak of 5,757
feet high Pisgah There are grassy
"balds" and domes dark with balsam,
and rock cliffs governing bear and
wolves. On the slopes are magnificent
/ trees and tangled areas of rhododcn-
dron and laurel
Thousands of high placed springs
send their icy waters in rushing riVulets
! down to streams which foam over beds
of rock and swirl in dark pools by vast
/ powders. The beds are paved with
rocks, and often the white water
spreads in silvery simmer over giant
floors Of granite Waterfalls are here
and there one on Looking Glass creek
having an abrupt fall of sixty feet
Scores of small streams unite to form
the Davidson river. which empties into
the French Broad.
The reserve extends from Il point
six miles from Asheville southwest to
PiSgah Forest station ON the ToXaWay
branch OF the Southern railway, lying
between the Brevard- .ASheville stale
road on the southeast and PiSgah ridge
on the northwest, its due north lmit
| being a line drawn from Pisgah to
point four miles from Biltmore house.
Much the greater part of it is in Tran
sylvania county.
The automobile road built by Mr..
Vanderbilt overlookS it. and by using it
one can be in the midst of the wilder
ness in two hours ride from Asheville.
and Ashevile is only twenty-one hours
! journey from New York The automo-
bile road ascendS $500 feet to the elab-
crate hunting lodge of the Vanderbilts.
which with 800 acres adjoining is eX
cepted from the sale, and then contin-
ueS along the ridge ten miles, topping
some heights and circling other peaks
while maintaining an average elevation
of 1900 feet above sea Lowell.
Each turn of this road develops new
beauties. Sometimes it hangs over
precipice looking down on a sea OF
greenery, and again from lofty point
one sees Il vast panorama of noun
tains rising and falling apparently like
pillows several of the balSamS being
higher than Mount WaShngtOn-and i'll
the distance the prOdigiouS wall of the
Great Smokes on the Tennessee line.
The secretaries of agriculture. interior
and war came up this road from Ashc
vile to the hunting lodge, twcnty-seven
in nd a
that the chauffeur took no chances OF
creating any vacancies in the cabinet
/ These government officials inspected
the property in June, 1913.
An extension of this road Il dozen
miles to Brevard would connect it with
the state road to Ashevillc. now in
very good condition. and thus provide
Il sixty mile tour for automobiles
| From it Mr.. Vanderbilt constructed
two we'll graded roads leading down
/ into the valleys, and there one finds
many miles of easy gradient highway
which he built along the water courses.
The Appalachian Park association,
whose headquarters are In Asheville,
has been for 4 year actively promoting
the conversion of all lands bought by
the forest reservation commission into
| national parks, which should be con
nected by automobile roads built by
the government,
1t is estimated that there are now
5000 deer on the tract, besides bears,
wolves. foxes, squirrels. raccoons. quail.
wild turkeys, native pheaSants and the
descendants of the English and Chi.
neSe pheaSantS and the wild boar with
which it was stocked many years ago,
blind MsrcifuI 20 blind