Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1925-09-24
FRED A. OLDS
In the Orphans Friend

has shade trees which down state
folks would think mighty nice, for
they are black heart cherries, those
big fellows which literally melt in
your mouth and make your lips like
those of flapper who has used her
lip-stick very freely. The road is
paved between jefferson the county
seat, and West jefferson, the latter
bang on a branch of the Norfolk
and Western Railway, which traver-
.ses the county north and south. This
railway leads out of Ashe county
northward so that the folks have to
take the highway to get down into the
state, of which most of them know
but little. All of them know that one
of the county's chief figures is Tam
Bowie, great developer, who prays
three times day for railroad cross
ing the Blue Ridge. Not yet has he
got it, but who can tell what will
happen if he prays hard enough and
long enough?
From jefferson a road leads south
ward to Wilkesboro. There was an
old road used by the stages of the
long ago, and about 1890 State con-
victs built another Now the High
way Commission has a road which is
rot yet hard surfaced all the way
and which climbs over and down the
Blue Ridge by means of innumerable
-'hairpin" curves. This road makes
YOU think of the man who was de-
v;0us in his moral meanderings and
who was described in a very famous
poem thus: "He wires in and wires
out, leaving the mind still in doubt,
whether the snake that made the
track was going out or coming back. y
Anyhow the road was nice and gave
thrills and pretty views now and then
4 few miles west of Wilkesboro we
turned westward and took the road
to Boone. 1t was not long before we
began to climb the heights again.
we had crossed the Blue Ridge at
Roaring Gap and again on the way
from jefferson to Wilkesboro and
row were to cross it the third time at
Deep Gap. The rhododendron in the
sorges was magnificent and made
great stretches look like a vast gar
den. At a peak of the ridge was a
gan. the Watauga line having been
crossed little before, and then a
scene of beauty was before the eye.
Blue grass, ripening wheat, snowy
buckwheat blossoms, another piled
range of mountains was in view. A
surprise too, for while year ago
the writer had seen Deep Gap as
natures own child, bless your soul!
here was a railway and saucy To-
comotive. for all the world like a
bath tub on a wheel barrow, which
proudly bore the name "Red-top Rail
way Company" while around it were
regulation size freight cars. This Is
a brand new railway and it hauls lum
ber down to Bowie,in Ashe, (named
for Tam), so it is branch OF the
Norfolk & Western, and before long
no doubt the latter will be at Deep
Gap itself. Then watch out Tor a
GREAT summer resort development at
that high place because Of the height
4l,ere is vast field from which one
can look in all four directions and
see the world, as the devil long time
ago showed it to the Lord from an
exceeding high mountain"
The devil does not like Watauga
for 92 per cent of its folks are OF
church affiliations. He is much more
Interested in some down-countrN re-
pions where he has far larger per-
centage of followers. To tell the truth
he half claims half of the North Car
olina folks; $3.50, that's all. They
will have to stir about to get away
from him. 1t may be the Blue Ridge
is too high for him.
We saw something else at Deer
Gan, namely handsome consolidat
ed public school, which covers quite
district. On the charming high
way, route (No. 60) we wten on tt
Boone, which is 1888 feet above ses
level, and which is 226 miles north
west of Raleigh. To our great de
light rain was falling, and when i
falls in the mountain it really falls
but it looked and felt good to US. W.
had been in three blue grass coun
ties Allegheny Ashe, and Wataug'
and they are like three pearls too
on a string around North Carolina
neck if you can fancy your state a
an. altogether lovely maiden. W.