Year: 1874

MOUND BUILDERS BEFORE ADAM-HOW


THEY FOUGHT, RAN FOR OFFICE,


LOVED TIE BEAUTIES OF NATURE


BEAUTIFUL ISLAND, BEAUTIFUL


PARK-LoyERs LEAP-TRoUT FISH


ING-NEw WAY TO RAISE SPIKES


NEW WAY TO RAISE MELONS.


DEAR GAzETTE.-Fish are not
biting much to-day. A live minnow
offers no inducement, and a craw-fish
has no charms. This island is stu
ated in the Holston, two miles above
Knoxville and one mile below the
mouth of the French Broad con-
tains about two hundred acres of
rich soil, yielding the best of corn,
wheat, oats, potatoes, tobacco and
melons. Colonel Dickinson is i'm
proving it very fast, and will soon
have the most beautiful island on
the continent. He is laying out
wide avenues. planting fruit and
shade trees, and enriching the soil
by careful and scientific farming.
something not much practiced in
this part of our State.


Immediately in the centre of this
island rises one of those mysterious
mounds, built by the prehistoric
race who hunted in our mountains.
fought bloody battles upon our
plains, run for office and agitated
civil rights bills. long before Adam
and Eve talked love and eat apples
in the garden of Eden. They were
robust race OF people and admired
beautiful scenery, and these mounds
were built commanding the most
beautiful views. This mound sur
passes all others in this respect.
From its nicely rounded summit we
can look down the beautiful Holston
for miles, to where the setting sun
stoops to take last drink from the
limpid waters before retiring. Look
ing eastward you still behold the
same river spread ont before you
like satin ribbon, with great mar
BILE bluffs standing as sentinels and
guarding her shores, up to where the
wild, bouncing, reckless French
Broad leaps out from her mountain
lair and clasps the Holston in loving
embrace. Beyond all this the blue
Alleghaney's rise, range after range,
capped with snow in winter, and in
spring with hazy blue. From her
couch in the mountains, the sun ris-
es up in the morning, cool and re-
freshed, and after washing her face
in the mist from the valley, quietly
pursues her journey down stream to
the drinking place in the west. Tru-
ly those old time fellows had an eye
to the beauties of nature.


On the main land opposite the is
land. Col. Dickinson has fine body
of land, which be has laid off into a
park for the benefit of us tired, dusty
fellows from town. with our wives,
mothers and sweethearts. On every
side are beautiful shade trees. wind
ing avenues, cool forests, high hills.
and deep valleys. festooned with
vines and spanned by rustic bridges !;
just the place of all places for the
Knoxville boys and old bachelors to
bring their sweethearts for a drive.
A sweet tempered girl could not
have the presence of mind to refuse
fellow among such enchanting and
love e-distilling scenery as this. If,
however, she did take it into her
pretty nogein to say no, then his
remedy is at hand, here hang the
grape vines. let him jump out and
hang his worthless carcass to the
end of one and swing himself across
the sluce on to the island and cool
his rage by eating a watermelon.
Or, better still, let him get out of the
buggy, walk deliberately to the edge
of the towering bluff that over-looks
the island, gaze a while upon the
blue water that separates the island
from the park, and imagine how his
manly form wonld look lying quietly
down there rejecting among the
pebbles, then take off his coat, write
a note to his only mother that he
will not be home to supper, place it
in the pocket of his coat. then rig
up his tackle and go to fishing for
trout, while the gal drives on home
and buys her own ice cream-for
there is no counting or ice cream in
the world to compare with the pleas
ure of trout fishing.


Col. Dickinson deserves credit for
the energy and public spirit that
prompts him to improve and beau
tify these grounds in the elaborate
manner in which he is doing it. In
connection with this he has estab-
lished a church, school and Island
Grange, No. Al. Long may he live
to enjoy these shady drives, cool
valleys, rich grounds and lovely
scenes. "A great many have offered
to advise him what to plant on his
island and how to plant it. Amongst
the rest, one fellow advised him to
plant three-penny nails, and raise
railroad spikes. just for that adj
vice he don't deserve a taste of ice
cream melon from that island this
year.


But havn't time to say any more
now. ] have caught something.not a