The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-07-17
Several School
Buildings, One
Hospital Erected
Other Projects Include Sewer
Lines, Streets, Commune
ty Bldg, Lunch Rooms.
$1,655,OOO is SPENT
By FRED ]. COIN

constructed by WPA workers in
Ashe county during the past five
and one-half years placed in two
parallel lanes, the folks of West
Jefferson could travel on them
to Raleigh and back. The amazing
total of 416 miles of roadways
have been improved in Ashe
county by WPA through the spon-
sorship of the State Highway and
Public Works Commission. On the
trip from West Jefferson to Ra-
leigh and back again, there would
be enough miles left over to stop
in Greensboro and Winston-Salem
for shopping and sight seeing
tours.
From the days of Daniel Boone,
those living on the mountain pla-
teau bemoaned the fact that they
had not enough all-weather roads.
It took the advent of WPA to give
Ashe county what it needed most.
Ashe county could never be
dubbed a truly farming county,
even though 1926 farms are list
ed there. An analysis shows that
more than eight percent have less
than ten acres. while 14.6 percent
have less than twenty acres. Near
ly forty percent of the farms are
between the size of twenty to Ill
ty acres and such does not mean
that all of those acres can be cul-
tivated.
A Livestock County
Ashe county's precipitous slopes
do not readily lend themselves to
the growing of crops. True, the
land is fertile and grows grass
easily. For that reason, livestock
has been a great source OF llveh-
hood for the farmers Of that reg
ion.
For years, the men OF Asne
county who made their subslst-
ence from the soil were forced to
supplement their incomes through
livestock raising or working in the
timber industry with few going
I'D into the coal mines OF Tennes-
see and Virginia for part time
work.
With the great depression, the
growing of livestock became not
profitable. Herds were neglected
and livestock went into terrl1lc
decline for the simple reason that
there were no markets. Neeoless
to saw. coal mines needed no ad-
ditional workers.
Even before that, Ashes tine
native forest of hardwood, plne'
chestnut and acid woods had fur
nished most Of the supplement
through local workers aiding IN
the hewing and milling OF the
trees. The lumber industry as
source of livelihood ceased way
before the depression. To rapidly
make fortunes for a few, Ashes
forest were cut to the bone. Until
recently, there had been no re-
forestation.
Thus, one of Ashes resources
was destroyed by the pioneers:
This fact is attested by the aban-
doned. decaying sawmills dottlng
the county where once a devas-
tating industry flourished.
Need For Supplement
Those and many other factors
found hundreds of able-bod1ed
men and women forced to seek
employment from benign state,
county, municipal and federal
government. The work provided
by WPA projects was the only
source of jobs for the countys
needy unemployed.
Most of the roads improved are
of the farm to market type,
though the main arteries too have
received attention.; such as, the
Improvement to U. S. 221 and N.
c.. route No. 16. The work in the
main has been to lift the workers
home county out of the mud. This
made possible the building OF con-
solidated schools for after the i'm
provement to the roads, school
buses could make their appointed
rounds.
WPA Built Schools
So. WPA workers have been
busy providing needed school IA
cilities where their and their
neighbor's children could obtain
an education. WPA workers have
built or improved the schools at
Nathan's Creek, Lansing, Healing
Springs, Grassy Creek and River
view. -.
Those schools, away from mu-
inequalities, have needed water
and sewerage systems. They have
been provided. "A large school adj
dition is being made to the JEFF