Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-10-07
Enrntt,g Glrat

after reading last evenings appreci-
alton of Susquehanna Valley seen
cry in the vicinity of Harrisburg.
remarked upon the fact that things
worth seeing near at home were not
well known or often visited, there
Will be set down just a few of the
spots in Dauphin county that are
Wlth1n easy automobile distance of
thls city and some of which are al
most In sight of the State Capitol
or oak Knob at Reservoir Hill. If
the average Harrisburger would
climb the crest of the ridge at the
reservoir once year and rot put
OIL gong 10 visit It just as he does
that sightseeing hour or two he is
| always going to devote to the State
House and State Museum, he would
get an idea of why the people who
came to Harrisburg a century ago,
soon after it had been made the
capital of the State, confirmed the
statements of early sojourners at
harris Ferry. John Penn and the
Duke de Laincourt remarked upon
the unusual setting of Harrisburg
ana Ihomas Ashe, who visited here
ABOUT 1906, went into rhapsodies on
the location, it's surroundings and
the splendid river. Other writer's
have dore the same. But the sub
1ect has never been given justice.
Dauph:n county is bounded by
three unusually attractive streams.
The Susquehanna is nationally
famous; the Conewago, the southern
boundary, is at the bottom of a re-
markable valley into which the Lam
caster pike dips and which is strewn
with boulders left by the glaciers.
and the Mahantongo, the northern
llne, abounds m beautiful country.
On the north, back from the river,
there is Uniontown gap which is a
smaller edition of the Susquehanna'
gaps and lets one of the frequent
small streams join the larger. The
Lykens valley, unknown to so many
Harrisburgers, is bordered by ridges
that are largely woodland, forest
ard game preserve. Deer look
down on coal mines. The W.conisco
valley is bordered by mountain
ridge on one hand and farms on
the other, going from Halifax to
| Millersburg by way of the river or
by way of Baskerville to Elizabeth
vile one gets ideas of scenery which
are rot associated with our county
and a ride down through Powfs
valley and over Peters mountain is
worth taking on any afternoon. The
l eastern ends of Clark's and Stony
creek valleys are Woodland rapidly
going back into timber. In old days
they furnished charcoal for We
toria and Emmeline furnaces, which
made iron for Harrisburg. Perry
county hills, which might almost be
said to have been made by some
Cyclops in playful mood, so oddly
are they laid and turned, need to be
seen from Peters mountain or the
, site of the Country Club of Harris
burg in Fishing Creek valley to be
appreciated. Manada Gap, where
there was a blast furnace making
I iron eighty years ago, has bits of
scenery that in New England would
be advertised.
Swatara creek valley, which BIZ
sects lower Dauphin county, not
=, only contains some of the prettiest
country one would want to see, but
is historic because along the side
of this stream, almost hidden by
underbrush, is the ditch of the I'm
ion canal. 1t was the first built in
the United States and was favored
by George Washington to connect
the Schuylkill and the Susqnehanna.
It touches some of the fairest 'coun-
| try in the land and passes out into
Lebanon county from gap of its
> own. Our own Paxton creek, If one
takes certain roads running as spurs
| to the Linglestown pike, affords
| some lovely stretches of stream and
\ bank And the Harrisburg park
] system, If one has not much time,
has charms all IT'S own for short
| ride.
:, AS for the Susquehanna itself one
has only to go along the river front
q | or drive over the bridges in the
spirit of the visitor to Harrisburg
to appreciate the mile wide splen-
" dor of the stream, the first of the
series of gaps, the rural beauty of
the Yellow Breeches or the winding
Conodoguinet, or if one warts real
untouched woodland trip up the
west shore to Duncannon and then
a canoe up Sherman's creek.
IS The Harrisburg Public Library,
! which has been enjoying a run from
e the boys of Harrisburg on books
IS about airplanes,. is now meeting a
s. new series of interesting demands.
: They come from soldiers who have
returned from foreign service and
e who want the books they have been
e studying in army courses. There
"a are requests for books on automo-
q bile truck repair internal combus-
. ton engines, practical engineering
/ and all sorts of things which SOL
y diers were instructed in overseas
is It is a rev field for the Library and
,e several orders for books especially
" to meet this demand from returned
r soldiers have been given to pub
oI lishers