Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-06-01


strip OF forest land along the backbone
OF the Allegheny mountains from Penn.
sylvania to Georgia has now been put
under the administration OF the United
States forest service. For several
years the service has been engaged IN
purchasing and surveying these areas,
strengthening out titles that date back
to the land grants of colonial times
Now the actual work Of forest admins
tration has begun. Roads and trails
are being built telephone lines, look.
out towers and tool stations have been
established; guards and rangers patrol
the woods.
Although much smaller and less i'm
posing than the great western forest
areas, these new national forests are
of more immediate importance than
any of them. They cover the water
shed which is the source Of all the
great rivers of the South Atlantic sea-
board. The Potomac, James. Roanoke,
Santee, Savannah their tributaries and
many smaller streams rise In these
mountains. These rivers carry com
merce, furnish cities with water sup
plies, are the basis of important indus
tries. Their even flow-the prevention
of freshet and food-depends upon the
protection of the forests that cover the
watershed at their sources.
Furthermore. these mountains are
within easy reach Of Philadelphia, Bal,
timore, Washington, Richmond, and
Raleigh and many lesser cities of the
South Atlantic section. The people Of
the west have learned to use the ma
tional forests as their summer play
grounds. They resort to them by the
hundreds of thousands every summer.
The establishment of these eastern for.
est reserves means for the people OF
some of our largest cities similar play.
grounds, where the natural scenery IS
preserved, where the most desirable
camping places are made accessible by
roads and trails and where anyone
may lease the land upon which to
build summer home for nominal
sum.
The forest service has now secured
the most important areas along the Al
leghany divide. and the purchases have
ceased for lack of funds. The foresters
assert that congress should immediate
ly make further appropriations SO that
these reserves may be rounded out and
made certainly sufficient to serve their
purposes.
One of the most interesting phases
of the establishment Of these new for
ests has been the contact between the
government forces and the mountain
GERS. The people of the Alleghany
ranges have been the subject OF great
deal OF romance, usually centerng
about their feuds and their moonshlne
stills" and of occasional mintstrations
by the forces of uplift, which have
brought them religion and sometimes
small quantities of food and clothing
But no one has taught them the eco.
nomic efficiency which Is the basis OF
all modern civilization and so they
have remained picturesquely BACK
ward. ~
The forest service has enabled them
to take some steps toward the attain
ment Of economic efficiency and 1t may
he that conservation will be an impor'
tant factor in the development OF these
people.
When the foresters first entered
these lands they found themselves
confronted by an attitude OF profound
suspicion. For generations govern
ment officer had been to many OF these
people simply a revenue oficer, IN
search OF illicit distilleries. A people
of fine natural intelligence. however
they were not long in perceiving that
the foresters we're in no way danger.
GUS to their interests. The government
men found that in each 'neighborhood
there was usually some old patriarch
who. as one forester described 1t, was
the kingpin of the community. with.
out the authority of Office, he exercised
wide control and once he had been
won over. to the cause of conservation,
the way was open. The mountaineers
took the foresters into their homes
and even showed them their hidden
Stills"
In these mountain people, the gov
eminent men found a race OF strange
contrasts. OF excellent Scotch, irish
and English blood. the men were tall
we'll formed, proud and often had 1eat'
ures Of decidedly aristocratic cast. The
women were pretty when young, Dut