Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1925-09-24
TRAVELLING CROSSC0UNTRY -
NABREEEZY HUPMOBILE
COUNTIES ASHE, ALLEGHANY WATAUcA ARE WONDER
IN SCENERY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

SO went TO LlOnvllle, II miles fur
ther on, through country so charm
ing that it exhausts descriptive pow
ers. There we let our friend, Miss
Hupmobile, set her front wheels in
tennessee, 243 miles from Raleigh,
for there the hard surface ended. We
were told wonderful story, namely,
that Tennessee is actually building
real road from that point to Noun
tain City. 1t seems incredible and
some of the Zionville folks cannot be
lleve it. 1t was agreed two or three
years ago by the State of Tennessee
and the State of North Carolina
that if our State would build to Zion
vile, the boundary, Tennessee would
build there too. In fact the ennis
sary, or shall we say the ambassa-
dor of Tennessee, the "Volunteer
State" very proudly said, eve will
get there before you do" but he fail
ed to speak truly for his part of the
road did not arrive, to the great grief
of the Wataugans. 1t is up to Ten
nessee.
Boone has changed delightfully."-
in various respects, but not yet are
its streets paved Flour is not quite
so fine as it's dust, but like the Chill
dren of Israel in the Wilderness the
folks are going to get out of this
disagreeable condition They have sold
bonds and are to have real streets
and after they do that will ''take
nobody's dust"
The great features of the town,
besides its location and its atmos-
phere, is the Appalachian State Nor
NAL School This school is con-
tinual performance, running -
in the year. In a year it
has wrought wonders, having built a
spacious dormitory, gymnasium and
swimming pool combined, a mess
hall, ice making and refrigerating
building combined and a particular
ing on the normal school grounds so
as to be available for demonstration
and practice work, to give practical
teaching to the many students who
come both to the regular term of
nine months and to the two summer
school terms which cover nine months
the public school going on all the
1me and having like the other bull
dings been constructed by the state.
The Highway Commission has laid
off the grounds for drive ways and
walks during spare time, for it has
a considerable force making sur
vey from Boone to Jefferson to tie
in those two county seats. At this
normal school there were during the
regular term GAO students, during the
first sumner term 649 and at the
second 483, and over three fourths
of the counties in the state have been
represented. More is to be done and
one may say that the school has
splendid present and far wider
future. 1t is now building perma-
nently. Forty per cent of the stu
dents at its regular term are men and
rs per cent at the summer term.
There are many interesting things
to see in the vicinity of Boone. The
first cheese factory in the south was
established at Cove Greek in 1914
was enlarged twice and now new
building houses it. 1t does not fail
to set out this fact above noted.
There are four other cheese factor
les in Watauga county, the largest
being at Brushy Fork, also right be-
side highway no. 60. This cheese
is in great demand. So is the kraut
made from the splendid hard head
cabbage. Another new industry is
the canning of beets, and yet anoth-
er the raising of Irish potatoes for
planting in eastern North Carolina,
this already being an extensive bust
ness. All these plants are coopera-
tive, the cheese factories being good
examples Of cooperative ownership.
When the writer used to come in
the high mountain region many years
ago and then on down to 1914 there
were no end of beef cattle in all Of
these blue grass counties and horses
too. He has seen of Boone rs colts,
with their mammas, but they are now
as mountaineer once told the writer
about rattlesnakes powerful scerce." :"
The drop in beef cattle is just be-
cause prices dropped after the crazy
period which directly followed the
World War. 1t was poor business not
to keep on raising them, and horses
and mules too.
A splendid highway has been built
from Boone to Blowing Rock, ten
y,;las opd IN, r. ona nassas hetwoen