Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1938-03-10
THE DEPARTED GLORY OF
CROOKED RUN

stranger was travelling a road
through the southern part of Brook
field township, which when the
country was mostly a wilderness,
was known as "The Federal Trail. .
But at the time of our story, tramps
and travellers knew it as the
"Barnesville and McConnelsville
Road" By system Of road i'm
provement such as was followed in
those days, this highway had been
worked into what was considered a
good average wagon road.
Leaving Hoskinsville and wend-
ing his way westward through a
rather hilly section for mile Or
more, he would suddenly, and per-
haps Unexpectedly, reach the divide
which separates the waters of Duck
creek from the head waters Of Dyes
Fork of Meigs creek. Here through
notch in the woods made by the
road, and looking over the tops of
timber that stood down in deep
ravine, the travellers eye would be-
hold a vista, such as only rugged
broken country affords. 1t was an
entrancing sight. AS his eye would
follow down a valley dotted with
farm houses, his gaze would be ar
the horizon, and if he didn't know
Ii
imagine that he was nearer the
Muskingum river than he was ex-
pecting, and the smoke was from
steam boats. Sometimes under 9TH
er atmospheric conditions, these
smokes would unite and hang like
pail on the horizon and he might
easily mistake it for fog over "a
body of water Leaving this point
he would rapidly descend into the
imh hah h lx
forget, for the time being, what he
had seen. After journeying down
this valley few miles, following
this same road, he would find him
self at little cluster of houses
which constituted the nucleus OF
the Dye Settlement, but now had as
sumed the new and senseless name
of Renrock Passing this point a
half mile he would come to little
insignificant crossing known as
murky oHvS waters VNs We're about to unite
with the more placid waters of
Meigs creek. Here he is confronted
with steep hill before him, and
perhaps unconscious of the fact,
leaving Noble, and entering Morgan
county. A sound, unlike any other
sound, reverberating against hill
side now attracts his ear. 1t is a
low hum, but dominated by dis
cordant clatter, and his attention is
at once directed to his right up the
narrow valley, from whence the
sound comes. He sees at a distance
of about quarter of mile, large
unpainted two story building, stud
ded with numerous windows, and Q
one story addition on the end with
a smoke-stack protruding far above
the roof belching forth steam and
smoke. Had it not been for this
smoke~stack, and the incessant
noise. the traveller might have, at
this distance, mistaken it for large
What can it be? We proudly in
form our traveller that it is the
Bush Woolen factory, and that it's
smoke is partly the cause of what he
had seen an hour or SO before when
he was back on the dividing ridge.
We bid our traveller adieu as he
journeys toward McCOnnelsville,
and now dear reader Well take 4
hike up this notorious CD run"
and see from whence came this
notoriety.
But why call it Crooked RUM"
The valley is as straight as others
study of the topography OF the mar
row bottom reveals the fact that be-
fore the white mans ak resounded
in the forest the stream of water
meandered, snake-like, from hill to
hill and the Indian following it In
pursuit of game would cross it many
times. But today he would cross it
but once in mile and half. But
let us get back to the woolen mill.
AS we get nearer to it we see that it
is taking on quite different aspect
from our first impression when look
ing up from the main road.
Hark! What's that noise break
ing in SO suddenly with the hum
and clatter of the machinery? Oh!
A miner has brought a car of coal
down over a trestle-work from the
hillside and is dumping it in at the
roof of the engine-rOOm. He Is now
pushing it back with a dog hitched
to 1t. As we get closer we observe
other small buildings hugging the
road and blum hillside
Out in small field in front of
the main building, numerous posts
are planted In the ground. Long
strips of woven goods, ''all wool
and yard wide." are stretched
from post to post. The great va
riety of bright colors, stripes, checks
and plaids gently swaying In the
wind attracts the eye. On entering
the building we note that the walls
are plastered white, but embellish-
ed (?) with numerous pencil mark
ings. 1t Is all In one room, and the
same upstairs, and houses all the
machinery, coloring pots. dyes, ETC.,
comes from the sleeps back to