The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-07-11
:EoUH-on In Mountain Area
- ilization; Tourists Came
vi his County As Early AS 1926
-ld Cabin Planes
ROOSEVELT After Coach and
IL, Sled of Old Days
Ru SADIE S. PATTON

of upward progress since the day
the first settlers started THEN
toilsome way atoot through the
passes of the Blue Ridge noun
taIns into Western North Caro-
lima, comprised by $50 years o.
change from the traveller with
his pack on his back to the pres
ent day Of swift, nOiSelesS cars
and the roar of motors in the
giant cabin plane that settles to
rest i'm the level fields amon%
these valleN1. As the facilities
for travel have improved, so has
our civilization advanced, and to-
day as we look back much Of -
Is like a stOry-bOOk tale
The men who came afoot were
followed bv the men with PACK
horses, and within a few snort
wears, patience and ingenuity
conquered the rough way so tnat
a wagon came safely over the
heights. and from this time on,
mans domination Of the virgin
area progressed more rapidly:
From the vast territory of Ten
nessee and Kentucky, stock rals-
ems began to drive their large
numbers Of cattle, horses, sheep,
hogs and even turkeys over these
mountain roads to markets furtA-
er south As early as 1900. Often
these droves numbered thousands.
one drive made his boast that
he had taken $500 hogs through
here at one time. Progress was
slow on these trips and over
night stops had to be made every
few miles. Tayerns zprang up
ali along the route, and often
several groups would reach the
same resting place together. Eacn
mans stock was accommodated
in separate pens for feeding, and
the caretakers then sought hos
pitality of the innkeeper. Gather
ed together in a big room, with
immense heaps of blazing logs IN
the fireplace on cool nights, the
men formed a circle before this,
living on the bare floor, with their
feet toward the warmth Of the
fire, and so the night was passed.
At that time, corn was almost
the only crop raised in QuantI-
ties in the mountain area, and
the feeding of these animals as
they passed through furnished a
welcome market for Drovender
that otherwise would have
brough no cash return.
Needless to say, in a country
with no outside communication,
in q day when newspapers were
almost unknown, the annual trips
of these cattle men provided
great excitement and were looked
forward 20 with intense interest.
This contact with the outside
world furnished fresh topics for
discussion and many a fast
friendship was formed between
traveller and host along the way.
EARLY HAULING IN
MOUNTAINS BY SLED
On the farms among the noun
tains,' much of the hauling was
done with sleds, for by these the
steep ways could be negotiated
with greater safety, and the OK
cart also served with great use
fulness in many ways.
About 1924, tn old State road
was opened for travel, and this
brought a constantly increasing
number who travelled by wagon
and carriage. Some of this num-
Der were attracted to the noun
tains in search of home sites.
Others belonged to a more spec
tacular clement who had been
lured to the Blue Ridge by news
of the gold then being mined in
large quantities. Every little
trail had it's group of prospec-
tors seeking the precious metal.
Many of these brought a pick,
shovel and but scant food, drawn
bv the will-o-the-wisa that has
ever led men in search for the
"pot of gold at the foot OF Tie
rainbow" Alas, many of them
found but an unmarked grave IN
the unknown mountain heights
FIRST TOURISTS HERE
IN 1926
In 1926, Henderson county be-
CAM host to its first summer
tourists when a small group from
Charleston, who had been spend
ing the summer seasons at Pleas
antyille, (the present Greenville,
s. CT came on over the noun
tain. They found the country
here so pleasing that they deeid-
ed to establish homes at Frat
Rock. The coming of this niue
colony soon encouraged others
and within a few years the an
nual cavalcade of horses, wagons