Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1924-09-18
BOONE TO BID
FOR NEW ROAD
Boone Trail Offered-North Wilkes
boro also to Seek to Pull the Tour
Route That Way.

(L. j. Hampton in Winston JournaD
Boone.-This town and North
Wilkesboro are going to make a bid
for the lakes-to-Florida highway that
they want to come by the way of
Bluefield, w. Va, down the Lee high
way, through the valley of Virginia
to Bristol and then from the twin
towns at the Virginia Tennessee line
to Mountain City and on up through
the Gorge to Boone From Boone it
is a direct shoot to Winston-Salem
over the Boone Trail, and highway
no. 26, Elkin to Charlotte, intersects
at Brooks Cross Roads.
In the big Hudson sedan of Geo.
L. Patterson of Concord and accom-
panied by Major w. A. Foil of Con-
cord, principal spokesman of the N.
c. delegation to the Bluefield ban
quet held last Saturday night, and
A. F. Hartsell also of Concord, your
correspondent made the return trip
yesterday afternoon over the famous
Lee Highway and to Mountain City
whore the night was spent at the
Grand Hotel.
The Lee highway is magnificent
thoroughfare and it traverses some
of the most splendid scenery to be
found anywhere in West Virginia,
Virginia or Tennessee. The highway
climbing over Holston Mountain and
Iron Mountain from Bristol to Noun
tain City, is one of the greatest pie
ces of engineering in the whole high
way system of Tennessee. The road
is veritable paradise of scenery of
gorgeous mountain type, as one de-
clared, and it is fully improved and
easily negotiated from the plateau
surrounding Bristol to the top, four
miles away from Mountain City.
Major Foil and also Messrs Pat
terson and Hartsell have travelled ex-
tensively over the country, but they
were unanimous in the opinion that
for wonderful scenic beauty the Lee
highway is equal to any in either
Virginia, North Carolina or Tenne-
ssee:. And they were equally enthu-
siastic over the splendid mountain Wis
tas opening up at every turn of the
highway from Mountain Cit yto Boon
and on down the Boone trail to North
Wilkesboro.
The party stopped at the North
Carolina line and gave thanks for
the splendid highway that stretched
away down the mountain slopes to-
ward Boone for it was here that the
rough travelling was left behind. The
stretch from the North Carolina line
to Mountain City, lies in wonder
fully beautiful country, but it is still
n road so common
V seen in this state several years ago.
Grand hotelwh
However Mr.. Allen proprietor of
the Grand hotel, told the passing Wis
itors that the state is getting ready
to undertake the Improvement of this
highway at an early date.
Leaving Bluefield exactly at noon
Sunday, the party driving leisurely,
arrivedin Bristol at 80 o'clock, hav
ing made the journey of 105 miles
in the intervening time The first
town on the route after leaving Blue
field was a town of the same name
in "old Virginny," distant from the
former only few miles.
Then began the unfolding of the
great grass land farms Of the noun
tain valleys. Tazewell, the county
seat of Tazewell county was the next
place and the party continued on to
Lebanon and Hansonville. This high
way is hard surfaced the entire way
from Bluefield into Bristol. 1t is not
as wide as North Carolina roads of
the same type of material, but it is
easily passable for cars going in op-
posite directions at any point. How
ever the rule is many wrecks on this
road because of its narrowness, it is
said, and only the most careful driv-
ing brought the Concord party thru
without a mishap.
Leaving Bristol at o'clock, the
start was made up the mountain and
the 40 miles to Mountain City was
made in one hour and forty five min
utes, this time allowing for several
stops to view the magnificent seem
cry. Spending the night at Mountain
city where wholesome country food,
cooked country style, and served in
abundant proportion, the party left
for Boone at 8 o'clock, arriving here
today at $3.50 a. m.