The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-08-30
GREAT DAY COMING
IN RAPPAHANNOCK
Diamond-Shapcd County Rich
Beyond Count-Its Folks
Don't Know II.
NOT AN INCH OF RAIL WAY LINE
People Prosperous and Happy
Have Best of Country Roads.
Getting to Market.


ties OF Warren, Fauqnier. Culpcpcr
Madison and Page. has not q single mile
of railroad In IT, and yet is one Of the
richest counties in tho state of Virginia
This statement perhaps requires cxp'a-
nation. and that IL exactly what this
article Is being written for
Rappahannock is small county COM
pared with a majority OF the subdi-
visions in tho state. having an area OF
only 26t square miles. There are said
to BIO nearly 900 farms In the county.
mono OF them being very large. we
think of the big acred plantations In
some other parts Of Virginia and the
South. Tho people are long ways
from market. tho nearest railway sta
ton to tho COUNT scat n small village
in tho centre called by tho high sound
ing name OF Washington. being KIM
ball. eighteen miles away. on the Shcn-
Rndoah Valley branch OF the Norfolk
and Western. and the more convenient
and easier to reach being Culpcpcr.
twcnty-four miles away, on the south
crn Railway. For this reason, the lack
OF transportation, tho people have never
Impoverished their lands by ovcrcrop-
ping them. PcriHp5 no county in tho
State has greater variety Of timber.
Oak chestnut. pine. hickory. poplar aud
walnut cover vast ntcas. especially In
that part OF tho county where tho l!me
Of the Blue Ridge Mountains - visible.
facilities, these vast fcrcets have been
hardly touched. for very little timber
Is shipped from the county and but a
limited quantity IL manufactured by the
half a dozen or more local sawmills
and planning shops.
INDEyELOrED WEALTH AND
VARIOUS KINDS THEY ARE
Thus 81 IL seen that because OF tho
lack 81 railway facilities tho county Of
Rappahannock is rich IN timber. In fer
tile producing lands. and other re
sources that hav. never been fuzzy dc
veloped. II ia as rich as II Was 90 or
200 years ago. Iron. knolin and other
minerals have been found In the county
and are known 10 exist I'm very large
quantities. beneath the ground, but no
one has ever undertaken ia develop
these sources Of wealth, because they
nre really not sources Of wealth unless
there can 10 brought about some way
10 get tncm TO market ~ quickly and
as cheaply n. The sam" kind Of wealth
can ho gotten there from other parts
OF the State.
The reader VIII now very naturally
ask what the people Of Rappahannock
live on. Well they grow pretty much
everything they need 10 cat and n
great deal more The lands are undu.
lating and easily cultivated The soil
is very fertile and produces abundan,ly.
The very hnos, l,nd Of corn crops
wheat crops, cat crops, rye and buck
wheat and como tobacco ere grown. 10
ray nothing or tho general variety OF
fruits. and tho surplus.unds its way to
market after = While, as shall herein
after appear.
There arc large areas OF grazing
lands in tho county and fat cattle.
sheep and hcgs are raised In very
large numbers and converted into
mules are also raised for the mar
kets. Cattle. sheep end hogs may be
said to be the peal money crops OF the
people Of Rappahannock County, These
are driven IN large droves TO the rail
ways. that run through adjoining coun-
ties. so far away. and shipped to tho
markets CT Washington. Baltimore.
Philadelphia ans New York. and the
surplus grain aud fruit and other
crops arc hauled to tho same roads ny
wagon and shipped This is the old
fashioned way, and ! am told that the
people get along we'll In tho old
fashioned way. making good living
and considerable extra money easily
and with little worry. they really
are not particularly anxious for rail
way outlets and conveniences. other
wise they might have had them long
age. They seem TO be perfectly will
inB Ia let we'll enough alone. and we'll
enough, rs they SEQ II. is pretty good
From information that has come TO me,
] dare say the average wealth OF the
farmers OF Rappahannock. and all OF
her citizens are farmers, Is as great
as those of any other county in Vir-
ginia.
FIRgT-CLAsS Fixes AND ROADS,
INSTEAD OF RAILWAYS
After all, the marketing of tho sur
plus crops the fruits and the cattle,
sheep and hogs is not such tremend-
Gus Undertaking as one might suppose,
after hastily reading tho record made
above, for, because CT the lack OF other
IncqRs Of transportation. the people OF
Rafpahannock have given more atten-
tlon for nifty years and more past TO
the making and maintaining of good
reads than have the people OF any
other one county OF the State. perhaps
The turnpike IS one CT the best. If not
the very best, country road in the State,
and the pike Is intersected with first
class public roads hore. there and
everywhere. This pike and these in
tersecting roads have not only been
mace good, but they are kept good.
man who has Travelled the country
roaos pretty much all over the State,
ana mas recently been through Kappa
hammock, Is my'authcrity for the state
rnene mat no county in the State. in
i"'t' no county in the South. keeps its
improved roads in better condition or
watches after them as closely rs the
county or Rap2ahamnock. without an
men OF railway, ana the DcopIc de-
pending entirely on. the turnniItc and
tho other good roads tc get TO tho mar
lcts OF the outside world With fha
grains and fruits ana like stock. thnv
are compelled to keep these roads in
good shape. "
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES GREAT DAY
COMING ~ THE NEAR Ftjrr1I,E
III is, therefore, not such n heavy
matter to &C; the surplus products or
the rich lands to market. and it is a
very easy matter to drive the live
stock 10 the distant railway lines
when the county has such fine roads
to tako them over, but when II comes
10 other kinds of DEVELOPMENT. tho
railway is Il necessity The devotion
ment OF the vast timber interest and
the digging down in tho earth for tho
development Of tho iron and ether
mineral interests must Of necessity be
postponed until tho rails are laid and
the voice OF the iron horss Ia heard
Continued On Sixth Pago.)