Glass fu l f Book_„_ We£ern N. C. Railroad _- Mountain Division. INTRODUCTORY. The purpose of this little pamphlet is to present to the reader the advantages, resources and possibili- ties, together with the attractions, the mountainous section of North Carolina offers to immigrants, capi- talists, manufacturers, invalids, tourists and others. The Old Noeth State Yestebday, to-day and Forever. H. A. H. ASHEVILLE, N. C, MARCH 4, 1886. all 'A Will i - '.■■//B'. ,, ■'. ,, ■'' 4 ■■.■■. -ySawMi ■■":'.. '■' 531 8P ; in J :/« if i d II I % as ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. A SUMMER RESORT AND WINTER SANITARIUM OF PECUL- IAR ADVANTAGES— REST, QUIET AND REPOSE IN MOUNTAINS 6,000 FEET HIGH— POETRY, MUSIC AND SONG ALONG THE RIPPLING. SWANNANOA— NATURE'S TRUNDLE-BED OF RECUPERATION. HISTORICAL NOTES. F THE earli- est traditional Knowledge of the mountain- ous section, or the Southern Highlands of North Carolina, it may be said that it has been handed down by the Cher o k e e Indians, as stat- ed by Col. Thomas several years ago in an interview while acting as Chief of the Cherokee tribe. Long before the Cherokees came to the Southern Highlands the country was inhabited by a people known as the moon-eyed race, 3 who were unable to see during certain phases of the moon. The Creek Indians inhabited this section before the Cherokees, took advantage of these moon-eyed people, and during their period of blindness killed them out- right. The Cherokees afterward conquered the Creeks, nearly annihilating the whole tribe. In 1729 the Lords Proprietors sold to the king for $45,000 their whole right and title in North Carolina, which then lay between the parallels of 31 and 36 degrees north latitude, and extended from the Atlantic ocean westward to the South sea. In 1749, twenty years there- after, emigrants from the west of Scotland flocked to the Cape Fear region, and one year later the first settle- ment of the Upper Yadkin was begun by the Scotch- Irish. One among the early settlers on this water-course was Daniel Boone, who in 1754 chased the bear on Bear creek, a small tributary of the South Yadkin, near Mocksville, N. C. Several years later there came an- other class of immigrants to the State, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, who also largely settled along the banks of the Yadkin, and gradually diffused themselves among the valleys of the Catawba and Yadkin. After the Kevolution immigration to the mountains became very large. In the year 1795, says Wheeler the historian, the first wagon passed from North Carolina to Tennessee by the way of Warm Springs, and from this time forward this beautiful, wild and picturesque sec- tion began to fill up. On the French Broad at the mouth of the Swannanoa the first white child was born, on the inter-montane plateau, and the name of the child was James M. Smith. SOME OF THE EARLY SETTLERS. "O happy days of innocence and ease, Blest with each charm, where every charm could please." Daniel Smith, who settled at the mouth of the Swan- nanoa in 1785, was one of the first white men to press the soil of the present limits of Buncombe county. He maintained a warfare, generally single-handed, against MAIN STBEET, ASHEVILLE. the Cherokee Indians for many years, and it is said that over one hundred bit the dust from his old flint rifle. John Patton, the father of Montravelle Patton, set- tled here in 1790, and made his first clearing on the Swannanoa, near "Patton's Mills." He was the first county surveyor of Buncombe, and held the position for many years with great fidelity and trust. 5 Samuel W. Davidson, a man of most noble parts, re- moved from Morganton to the Swannanoa in 1786. He was a man noted for his great liberality and broad views. His descendants are men of note in the State. James Patton came from Ireland to this country in 1783, first settling in Virginia. He came to Buncombe county in 1792. He purchased from James M. Smith for a small sum the present site of Asheville. Zebulon Baird, the maternal grandfather of Gen. B. B. and Senator Z. B. Vance, came to this county in 1795 from Georgia in a four-wheeled wagon across the moun- tains. Mr. Baird built the first storehouse and court- house as well as jail on the present site of Asheville. He was an industrious and progressive man in those days, and represented this county in both branches of the State Legislature. Col. David Vance, grandfather of Gen. K. B. and Sena- tor Vance, came to this county from Virginia, settling on Keen's creek. He was a brave soldier and a man of dauntless courage. He took an active part in the battle of King's Mountain, October 7, 1780. David L. Swain was born in Buncombe county in 1801. By the exercise of native talent he afterward became Governor of the State, closing his remarkable career as President of the University of North Carolina. There are the Alexanders, Weavers, Whitsons, Chums, Brevards and others, whose illustrious deeds and courage have made this county rich in personal narrative, but space forbids the further mention of their names or doings. THE METKOPOLIS OF THE LAND OE THE SKY. Asheville as far back as 1812 was a trading post, where the palefaces and the red men would oftentimes assemble to trade and barter and pass their leisure hours by throwing quoits for bear skins and whisky. Twenty-one years thereafter the place was incorporated, 6 PINEWALD— GKOUNDS OF GEORGE W. PACK. and for years was known as Morristown. This name, however, was afterward dropped, and the spot became known as Asheville, having been named in compliment to Samuel Ashe, of New Hanover. Asheville is the capital of Western North Carolina and the county seat of Buncombe, which county was formed in 1791 from Burke and Kandolph, lying imme- diately west of the Blue Ridge and the center of the transmontane section, occupying a beautiful rolling country down the Swannanoa and French Broad rivers, which streams water it freely, and along the valleys of which are found thousands of acres of very rich lands. Asheville, in the very heart of the Alleghany mountains, situated at the confluence of the Swannanoa and the French Broad rivers, among the foot-hills of the Black mountain range, thirteen peaks of which pierce the clouds at an altitude above that of Mount Washington, is pre- eminently a resort intended by Nature for the invalid and tourist. Placed at an elevation of 2,339 feet above the sea, in a charming valley, with a genial, soft, yet bracing climate, in the midst of enchanting scenery, this town has always been a place of great resort in summer as well as in winter, and must become more so when its many charms become better known. It has four or five hotels and numerous boarding-houses, at which pleas- ant lodgings and surroundings may be found. By day, in the season, the streets of the town are crowded with private equipages, parties on horseback and in buggies, enjoying excursions in the beautiful -vicinity or going on to other resorts. At night the hotels are gay with music and dancing, and all goes ' ' merry as a marriage bell." The town has several fine churches and well- organized schools. The citizens are cordial and hospi- table, at all times ready to oblige strangers and assist them in their plans. This town had so long been the resort of persons from the low country, before the war, that many of the wealthier class built themselves summer-houses here, whither they come each year. Many of these residences are elegant, with neat lawns and pretty shrubbery, and nearly all embowered in fine shade trees of the natural growth, or of the fine evergreens transplanted from the higher lands. The court-house is a large building with a high tower — quite a striking object in the midst of the PATTON AVENUE, FROM COURT HOUSE, ASHEVILLE. town. There is here also a college and a male academy, with excellent and commodious buildings and fine grounds. All these give a very impressive and charm- ing aspect to this mountain town, especially when seen from any of the noble eminences which surround it to- ward the northwest. The climate in summer is simply delicious, while in winter it is invigorating and health- giving. It is highly recommended as a place of resort for consumptives, many of whom have been entirely cured in the first stages of the disease by a residence in this place. The streets are being macadamized, while water-works, erected to supply fresh water from a cluster of springs on the mountains overhanging, and other useful improve- ments, are being added in every direction. Thousands of people resort to this place every summer, seeking health and pleasure and rest, and from April to Novem- ber the hotels, boarding-houses and private residences are crowded with visitors ; costly equipages go rattling over the streets ; splendid horses prance aloDg the ave- nues, bearing beauty and chivalry, wealth and joy, poetry and song, to the numerous romantic retreats, mountain views and gushing springs which abound in this lovely region. Everybody is gay in this joyous season, and Nature rejoices with her admirers. Nothing can excel the brilliant flowers of the mountains. First, the graceful azaleas, bending under their load of red and yellow lily-like blooms ; then the pink clusters of the ivy, on their dark evergreen foliage for a back- ground, succeeded by the crowning glory of the season, the rich, waxy clusters, pink and white, of the royal rhododendron. There are great jungles of this hardy evergreen, with its large, glossy green leaves, matted in their luxuriance along every stream, and in July it breaks out with large bunches of flowers, made up of innumerable small blooms coming out from one foot-stalk, the whole making a most gorgeous and brill- iant display. No other summer resort in the country possesses so many attractions as this place. The tourist or health-seeker may gratify his fondness for hunting and fishing in the woods and streams. He will find the country rich in fauna, flora and minerals. 10 He can lake pleasant walks or rides and drives in every direction to points of special interest, as follows : Bat- tery Porter, Beaumont, Fernihurst, Tahkeeoskee Farm, Bichmond Hill, Elk Mountain, Tennant's View, Straw- berry Hill, French Broad Biver, Swannanoa Biver, Chalybeate Springs, Yellow Sulphur Springs, White Sulphur Springs, Arden Park, Hickory Nut Falls, Bald Mountain (of volcanic notoriety), Cave of the Winds, Pools, Chimney Bock, etc., Pisgah Mountain (altitude, 5,757 feet), Mount Mitchell (altitude, 6,717 feet). He will luxuriate in a climate which for pleasantness com- pares favorably with that of the cities of Southern Eu- rope, as will be seen by the following table : THE CLIMATE OF ASHEVILLE COMPARED TO FAMOUS EUROPEAN RESORTS. Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter. Year. Asheville 54.3 Geneva 52.2 Turin 53 7 Vienna 56 2 Milan 54 9 RAINFALL AT ASHEVILLE. Spring 10 1 in, I Autumn 7.1 in. Summer , 13 5 in. I Winter 9.5 in. Total 40.2 in. This climate is so invigorating and the air so pure that a residence here of a few months will rid the sys- tem of malaria, and some cases of pronounced dyspep- sia have been cured by its effect. Its advantages in pulmonary and throat affections are attested by scores who have sojourned here, and are well known to prom- inent physicians of the country, among whom may be mentioned Dr. Albert L. Loomis, of New York City; Dr. G. C. E. Weber, of Cleveland, Ohio; Dr. Charles Kearns, of Covington, Ky., and Dr. Henry O. Marcy, of Boston, Mass. 11 71.3 55.3 37.2 55.3 70 3 54 2 34.0 52.7 71.5 53 8 33.5 53 1 71.8 54 6 38 7 55.3 72 8 55.9 36 1 54 9 HOW TO GET TO ASHEVILLE. From New York — Leave Pennsylvania depot at 4 p. M. (via Virginia Midland), through to Asheville in Pullman coaches, in twenty-six hours. From Cincinnati — Leave at 8.10 p. M., via Louisville and Nashville Railroad or Cincinnati Southern, reaching Asheville, in Pullman coaches, in twenty-one hours. Through cars from Louisville, Ky., to Asheville; close connections at Louisville with all trains from Cin- cinnati, Indianapolis and Chicago. ferr-"! JLSHEVIini ST. C, From Florida, Charleston and the Southeast the route is via Charleston and Salisbury, also via Columbia, Spartanburg and Hendersonville. From New Orleans and the Southwest the trip is made via Knoxville and Morristown, Tenn., and the Warm Springs direct to Asheville, or by Atlanta, Spartanburg and Hendersonville. Those coming South via the Shenandoah Valley Route reach Asheville via Morristown, Tenn., and Warm Springs. 13 table of estimated bates oe Babe, distance and time in transit between asheville, n. c, and poin1s named. To Asheville from New York Jacksonville Jacksonville Savannah Charleston Charleston Augusta New Orleans New Orleans Mobile Montgomery Atlanta Richmond Hot Springs, Ark. . Memphis Nashville Louisville Cincinnati Fare. Distance Hrs. $23 55 756 26 21 65 646 31 21 65 646 17 20 14 15 14 15 13 25 519 431 386 25 24 24 22 45 758 28 22 45 20 20 617 24 14 90 437 18 10 70 13 30 26 50 262 383 915 13 16 45 17 05 712 34 12 25 553 24 12 40 12 75 400 427 19 24 ] oute. Pa B. B., Va. Mid., and B. &D. S. F. & W., B. & W.. Cent. Ga., and E.&D. S. F. & W., Cent. Ga., and B. and D. Cent. Ga., and B. & D. S. C. By., and B. & D. Atlantic Coast Line. B. & D. or Cent. Ga., and B. &. D. L. & N., W. Ala., A. & W. P., and E. & D. Q. & C, Ga Pac, and B. &D. L. & N., W. Ala., A & W. P., and B. & D L. & N., W. Ala., A & W. P., and B. & D. B. &D. B. & D. St. L. I. M. &So.,M. & L. B., N. C & St. L., W. & A., and B. & D. L. & N., N. C & St. L , W. k A., and B. & D. N. C. &St. L., W. & A., and B. & D. E. T., Va. & Ga. Cin. So., or L. & N„ E. T., Va, & Ga., and W. N. C. Explanation. — Pa. B. E. Pennsylvania Bailroad; Va. Mid"., Vir- ginia Midland; B. & D., Bichmond and Danville Bailroad System; S. F. & W., Savannah, Florida and Western Bailway; B. & W., Bruns - wick and Western Bailroad; Cent. Ga., Central Bailroad of Georgia; S. C. By., South Carolina Bailway ; L. & K.-, Louisville and Nash- ville Bailroad ; W. Ala., Western Bailway of Alabama ; A. & W. P., Atlantic and West Point Bailroad ; St. L., I. M. & So., St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Bailway ; M. & L. B., Memphis and Little Bock Bailroad ; N., C. & St. L., Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Bailway : W. & A., Western and Atlantic Bailroad ; E. T., Va] & Ga., East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia ; W. N. C, Western North Carolina Bailroad. 13 CLIMATOLOGY. ONDITIONS of climate form one of the first considerations in a place that sets up a claim as a resort for invalids. The advantages of Asheville in this respect have long been re- cognized and the place was a health resort before the war. Dr. E. A. Gatchell, a well known physician and a man of great re- search, in a letter addressed to me regarding the climate of Buncombe county, says : Many of the most prominent physicians in the great cities have of late years turned their attention to the climate of this region, and it has been steadily growing in favor with invalids and tourists. People come from 14 all parts of the civilized world on account of the climate and other advantages. It is especially desirable be- cause of its being an all-the-year climate ; in other words, the four seasons are equally beneficial in promoting the recovery of patients suffering with pulmonary, malarial, STREET SCENE FROM COURT HOUSE, ASHEVILLE. nervous and other diseases. Thousands of invalids and tourists now visit Asheville annually in search of health and pleasure. During the January cold wave, which swept over the country from Manitoba to the southern extremity of Florida, Asheville, notwithstanding its elevation of 2,339 feet, had a minimum temperature surprisingly high as compared with other points in the South. The Savannah river, at Augusta, Ga., in the latitude of Aiken, S. C. s was frozen over, while the French Broad 15 at Asheville was not. At Greenville, S. C., 1,500 feet below and many miles south of us, the mercury fell to within two degrees of the temperature of Asheville. And it is a well-known and conceded fact that a dry atmosphere in an elevated region makes a difference in the sensations of from ten to twenty degrees, according to the elevation and dryness. This was noticeable and remarked upon by visitors here for their health. THE AIR of this region has a peculiarly bracing and invigorating quality, electrical in character ; so much so that a dis- tinguished visitor and patient remarked to the writer : "I feel as if breathing champagne." A large propor- tion of the days during the year are sunny, the average of clear days being 259, comparing well with other mountain resorts. There are many days in winter when one feels as comfortable in the sunshine as he would in June ; and in February there are days when ladies can go to the woods with their lunch baskets on picnicking excursions. DRYNESS. The rainfall is very small, being 40.2 inches, while that of Aiken is 55; Atlanta, 62.7; and Jacksonville, Fla., 65.6 inches. The configuration of the surface is such that the water runs off very rapidly, and the air does not become saturated with moisture, as it does elsewhere, being as dry soon after a shower as though it had not rained. According to the climatic maps prepared by Prof. Charles Denison, A. M., M. D., of Denver, Col., and based on data furnished by the Signal Service Bu- reau, at Washington, D. C, a small tract of country surrounding Asheville is dryer in winter than any other point east of the great plains. During the spring months the air is shown to be as dry as that of Middle Kansas; in the summer months the air of Asheville lfi corresponds in humidity to the dry region surrounding San Antonio, Texas; while the atmosphere during the autumn is as dry as that of New Braunfels, a few miles east of San Antonio. TEMPEKATT/KE. Asheville possesses a winter temperature several de- grees warmer than that of Geneva, Switzerland, and Turin, Italy, and fourteen degrees warmer than that of Davos, in the Swiss Alps, where a thousand patients are sent every winter by the specialists of Europe for the beneficial effects of its mountain air. Kegarding the spring and summer months, it is suffi- cient to state that during a period of eight years the mercury but twice rose above 88 degrees, and that the maximum temperature of St. Paul, Minn., is from 12 to 15 degrees higher than that of Asheville. I wish especially to impress upon the mind of the reader the fact that nearly all invalids going to the very high altitude of Colorado on the one hand, or to the low country in the vicinity of the Gulf or Atlantic coast on the other, must become acclimatized before real im- provement can take place ; while to any one coming to the medium altitude and relatively equable climate of Western North Carolina nothing of the kind is neces- sary. HEALTHFULNESS. Nearly all of the great authorities on climate in its relation to pulmonary diseases agree upon the impor- tance of the following conditions : 1st. Altitude. Prof. Loomis writes that his "best results, when evidences of consolidation were present, have been obtained in mountain regions 1,500 to 2,000 feet above the sea," and mentions Asheville as a place where his ' ' most decid- edly beneficial and permanent results have been ob- tained." 2d. Dryness and purity of air. The air of Asheville possesses these qualities in an eminent de- 17 gree. 3d . Coolness of air temperature and warmth of sun temperature. These also obtain at Asheville. 4th. The rarefaction and low pressure of the air. 5th. The intensity of the light. Asheville possesses the advan- tage of all the above qualities, and their effect on the visitor is to increase the appetite and strength, cause sound sleep, and aid toward nervous energy and the ac- tivity of the skin. Dr. Huntington Eichards, of New York, writing in "Wood's Keference Hand-Book of the Medical Sci- ences," states that Asheville is a "medium-altitude" resort, "and, short of the often inconveniently distant Rocky Mountain Plateau, no better elevated winter and summer resort for phthisical (consumptive) patients exists in the territory of the United States — probably none as good." And J. A. Eeagan, A. M., M. D., of Weaverville (six miles from Asheville), states that in his thirty years' practice he has not seen a case of " spo- radic" consumption. It should be remembered that the same conditions which tend to prevent and cure diseases of the lungs will have a similar effect upon such affections as mala- ria, scrofula and diseases of women and children. Re- garding malaria, its absence from this region may be easily understood when, according to Prof. Henry 0. Marcy, A. M., M. D., of Boston, Mass., who went through this entire section in the saddle and carriage, "not a lake or a swamp is to be found in the entire re- gion — a fact perhaps without parallel, for an area of equal extent, in the world." In concluding his paper on " Western North Carolina as a Health Resort," Dr. Marcy says : " The pure air, water and climate hold out a hopeful helpfulness to in- valids from every land. The wise legislator seeking far-reaching results would do well to consider the ad- visability of securing, under State control, a large res- 18 ervation of the higher ranges as a park. Its cost at present would be merely nominal. Like the peaks and glaciers of Switzerland, its indirect returns of monetary gain would be more sure than bonded interest, and its sanitary advantages would be of a value incalculable to millions yet unborn." SCENERY. " Those beautiful States of the South— those regions than which the whole earth offers nothing more fertile or more lovely. — John Bright. Who would not take a trip through the mountains of North Carolina, provided the chance was offered ? Everybody would, I dare say. A country dame, on her first visit to the sea, looking over its vastness and men- tally contrasting it with the pent-up Utica that hitherto had contracted her powers, exclaimed : "I'm glad to see something that there is enough of." No doubt one passing along the Western North Carolina Railroad might make a similar exclamation on beholding Na- ture's grand and impressive scenery which lies every- where around, and say with equal delight, *<■ Is not the scene magnificent ? Beauty nowhere owes to mountains Lovelier haunts than these." The romancer's pen and the artist's pencil have al- ready portrayed with equal beauty the scenery of West- ern North Carolina. This lovely "land of the sky " has been a theme for many years past, and so it will be for 19 many years to come. Beautiful in picturesque loveli- ness, grand and imposing in majesty, awe-inspiring in natural, rugged beauty, and simply wonderful in all its character, the western section of this State can never be fully appreciated until it is seen and traveled over. Here upon every height lies repose, and every land- scape extends a silent invitation to the sojourner to stay and enjoy its rest. Here the majestic forests seem to have " A harp for every wind, A voice for every sky." Here in the hot and sultry days of midsummer, among Nature's grand old peaks and sentinels, with their 6,000 feet of altitude, you are refreshed by " The winds stealing gently through the forests, Among the leaves that palpitate forever." Here you see fertile valleys, where cereals and fruits cheer the heart of man, while the circling mountains shut out the rest of the world from your vision. This is a country on which the red man of the forest has lavished a wealth of affection, breathed forth in the poetic names he has bestowed upon its hills and streams — names that in many cases have perished or lost their import to the white man. Here your eyes may dwell upon beds of mountain flowers and ferns of endless hue and variety, while wild roses and tendrils from hanging vines greet the vision in endless profusion, reminding you of a ver- itable Arcadia. Here are hills of majestic beauty, streams of sparkling water, gorges echoing with the roar of the torrent, cascades of tremendous force, chasms of wild, dreary fascination; in fact, this is a region of mountain grandeur that will ever and anon tempt the prophetic soul and yearning heart of man to meditate over life's fitful change, and say, in the lan- guage of the poet, " But let me often to these solitudes Retire, and in Thy presence reassure , . My feeble virtue.'' 20 AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT ASHEVILLE. Degrees. January 38.1 February 39.8 March 44.7 April 53.9 May 61.5 June 69.1 July 71.9 Feet August 70.7 September 63.8 October 52.8 November 43 9 December 37.3 HEIGHT OF MOUNTAINS IN NORTH CAROLINA, ABOVE SEA LEVEL, NEAR THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA RAILROAD. Feet. Mitchell's Peak 6,711 Balsam Cone 6,671 Hairy Bear 6,610 Cat-tail Peak 6,611 These are the highest on the Black mountain (main chain), and are in Yancey county. Roan Mountain, Mitchell county 6,306 Big Craggy 6,090 Table Rock, Burke county 3,918 Hawk's Bill, " 4,090 Amos Piatt's Balsam, Haywood county 6,278 Brother Piatt, Haywood county 6,246 Jones' Balsam, " 6,223 Rocky Face, " 6,031 Rock Stand Knob, " 6,005 Richland Balsam, ' 6,422 Chimney Peak 6,234 Great Pisgah 5,757 Cowee Ledge, Macon county 4,402 Chimney Top, " 4,563 Scaly Mountain, " 4,835 Nona Mountain, " 5,542 Wayah Peak of Nantehaleh, Macon county 5,494 Nantehaleh Gap, Macon county 4,158 21 Feet ■ Tusquittah Mountain, Cherokee county (.-..,.* 5,314 Konahetah, Cherokee county 4,493 Valley River Gap, Cherokee county , . 3,564 Red Marble Gap, " 2,686 Chunky Gal, Clay county 4 986 Cheowah Maximum, Graham county 4,996 Pinnade of Linnville , . * 2,869 HEIGHT OF PROMINENT PLACES, ABOVE SEA LEVEL. Feet. Salisbury - . 760 Statesville 940 Morganton 1,140 Marion , 1,425 Point Tunnel (first tunnel) 1,622 Swannanoa Gap 2,657 Swannanoa Tunnel 2,510 Mouth of Swannanoa 1.977 Asheville 2,250 arshall 1,684 Warm Springs 1 325 Paint Rock 1.264 Alexander's Bridge 1.796 Waynesville 2,756 Balsam Gap Railroad Pass 3,41 1 Mouth of Scott's Creek 1,977 Webster C. H., Jackson county 2,203 Franklin C. H., Macon county 2 141 Munday's Aquone on Nantehaleli . . . . 2,931 Qualla Town 1,979 Lenoir, Caldwell county 1 185 Rabun Gap 2 168 Tennessee River, near Franklin 2,020 Tennessee River, at mouth of Almka 1 596 Tennessee River, at State Line 1.114 Mouth of Valley River .*... 1.514 Valley Town, Mrs. Walker's - 1 911 Sherville, Cheowah River 2,072 The Black mountains have eighteen peaks more than 6,000 feet high; the highest, Mitchell, 6,711; Black Dome, 6,707; Mountain House (on Mt. Mitchell), 5,245. In the Swannanoa mountains, on the left going west, 22 Young's Knob is 4,387 feet; Flat Top, 4,378. The ter- minal peak of the range, Silver Cliff, six miles from Asheville, is 3,850. Pisgah, in view of Asheville to the southwest, is 5,757. Fifteen of the peaks about Waynes- ville exceed 6,000 feet, the highest, Sam's Knob, being 6,491. There are fifty-seven mountains in Western North Carolina above 6,000 feet high. Along the divid- ing line between this State and Tennessee there are some rising higher, the average of the whole chain ex- ceeding 5,000 feet. The highest peak of the Smoky mountains is 6,666 feet; the Roan, 6,306; Grandfather, 5,897 ; and Table Kock, 3,918. Boone, the most elevated village east of the Kocky Mountains, is 3,222 feet high; Bakersville, 2,550; Waynesville, 2,757; and Burnsville, 2,840. Daniel Boone, the greatest Nimrod of the Western Hemisphere, the dweller in the Blue Ridge caves and scout of the highest peaks, expired at a deer-stand, with rifle in hand, pierced through the heart by an Indian arrow, in the year 1818. Byron alluded to him in the following : " Crime came not near him; she is not the child Of Solitude. Health shrank not from him, for Her home is in the rarely trodden wild." Western North Carolina is a mountainous expanse, measuring about 100 miles in length by an average breadth of mountain plateau of thirty miles, yet in all this area there is not one lake. There are rushing streams and rapid gorges, but no deep lakes for the breeding of malaria — there is no rest for the sparkling waters, they go on forever to the deep blue sea. There is no better country in the world for the sports- man than Western North Carolina. Come and see for yourself. The Grandfather, the highest peak of the Blue Ridge, 5,897 feet, is the oldest mountain in the world. It de- 23 rives its name of Grandfather from the fact that its rocks are of the Archaean age, and the oldest outcrop- pings of the globe. Geologically speaking, the mountains of Western North Carolina are the oldest in the world. The Indian population in North Carolina in the year 1700 was about 8,000. In one of the mountains near Asheville is a seat erected by an Indian maid on, built of flat rocks, where, it is said, she was courted by one of the warriors of the Cherokee tribe. The beauty of the place is in the rever- berating sounds it gives forth — not even a whisper is a secret. Our young couples should beware of this place, as no secrets are hidden there. A FEW INDIAN NAMES AND THEIR EQUIVALENTS. Alleghany — Endless. Chickamauga — River of Death. Tahkeeoskee— Racing river. Swannanoa {Noisy river, or Ocklawaha — Slowly moving water I Nymph of beauty. Minnehaha — Smiling water. Yona — Bear. Tuckasege — Terrapin. Salucater — Corn bread. N ... (The sun between, or Tawhalageska— Power. I A maiden's bosom. Culasaga — Sugar. Potomac — Come by water. Toiusta — Coffee. Savannah — Place of beauty. Waka — Cow. Colehmayeth — Raven water. Catate — Whisky. Pocasen— The land of lead. Kentneka— Negro. Satoola— Near at hand. Unaka— White man. Rappahannock — The current Chelatuckalala — Fire wagon, or comes again. steam car. Cullasaja— Sweet water. Colaqua — Gun. Watauga— The river of islands. Wataheakahoocha— Pretty girl. Paptaps'co — Backwater. Scositayouyaw unaka — Mean Chesapeake — Superior saltish bay. white man. Ahmachumahut — Long stream. Chuna steek — Little baby. Chowan — Southern people. Occenolla — Good morning. Wackena — A creek. CochaJiaa — Where you going? Charho — Tobacco. Cochawbata — Where you been? Chuteche — A peak. Sutta — Fish. Nickreruroh — An Englishman. Yanka — Fork, pin or needle. 24 t Entequos A man. Cholaaquatoolla— I want a chew Counoowa — A woman. of tobacco. Kateocca— A wife. Igale— I reckon. Wattatloowatse— A lazy fellow. Clantnochigatta— I don't know. Oo-teighne— Let's smoke. Johnelica— All right. Oukwockaninniwock— Let's take Kawhala— Paper. a drink. Tala— Money. Connaughjost twane— All the In- Delonega— Gold money. dians are drunk. Unaka tala— Silver money. Wessa— Cat creek. Conahana— Hominy. Ketla— Dog. Kanigatah — Haven't got it. Note. — These names and their significations were obtained after many months' research in this State, as well as in Washington City. A physician of Asheville states that with more com- fortable houses, better markets and other improvements, cures of pulmonary diseases are much more common here than formerly. Asheville possesses the best all- the-year climate in the United States ; in other words, the four seasons are equally beneficial in aiding the physician to cure pulmonary, malarial and nervous dis- eases. REASONS WHY ASHEVILLE IS THE MOST DESIRABLE HEALTH RESORT IN THE UNITED STATES. Because it has a large proportion of sunny days. Because Prof. Chas. Denison's " climatic maps " show it to possess an air as dry as that of Middle Kansas, and San Antonio, Texas. Because it has an altitude of 2,339 feet above the sea. Because it is within easy reach of all the chief cities of the United States. Because it possesses the only all-the-year climate. Because it is in a region of the most beautiful scenery. Because it has a smaller rainfall than any other Southern resort. Because the summer temperature is cooler than that of St. Paul, Minn. Because the winters are sufficiently mild for most in- valids to take daily out-of-door exercise. 25 Because it is recommended by Prof. Alfred L. Loomis, M. D., Henry 0. Marcy, M. D., Charles Kearns, M. I)., G. C. E. Weber, M. D., Henry F. Biggar, M. D., and hundreds of other physicians of eminence. In Swain county, just outside Charlestown, is the site of the ancient Indian village of Younaahqua or Big Bear. Quallatown is the present Cherokee settlement. The Indians now number about 2,000. For scenery, for health, for the enjoyment of the beautiful, for a stroll among sparkling, rippling streams, or a tramp up mountains of gorgeous beauty, for pic- turesque drives around hanging cliffs, and for a day of exquisite enjoyment among Nature's sublimest handi- work, commend me to the mountains of Western North Carolina. PLACES OF INTEEEST. " happy if ye knew your happy state, Ye rangers of the fields ! where Nature's boon Cheers with her smiles, and every element Conspires to bless." I am indebted to Mr. Charles Lathrop Pack, of Cleve- land, Ohio, for the following excellent description of the many places of interest near Asheville. Mr. Pack has been an extensive traveler, not only in this country but throughout Europe, and his descriptions of the sev- eral places mentioned are exceedingly well drawn and true to nature. Mr. Pack rode or drove over the whole of the section described, specially for the purpose of insuring the strict fidelity of this account. 26 PLACES OF INTEREST IN AND AROUND ASHEVILLE — SUGGESTIONS FOR WALKS, RIDES AND DRIVES. ANY visitors to Asheville, and particularly seekers after health and lovers of Nature, find their greatest at- traction in the daily excursions which can be made into the surround in g country. The variety of agreeable walks for the pedestrian is sur- passed only by the attractiveness of the roads, paths and trails suitable for riding or driving. For a moun- tainous region, the roads about Asheville are numerous and excellent. Drives may be extended for miles up and down the banks of the French Broad or Swannanoa river, or across the country, as fancy may suggest. Battery Porter, in the central part of the town, is 27 a fine hill, commanding a beautiful view of the west- ern mountains, and is a popular morning or evening walk. A roadway from Patton avenue leads to the summit. Here the new Battery Porter Hotel is being erected. Beaucatcher is the popular name of the small mountain east of the town. Two good roads lead to the gap just at the entrance to Mr. Hazzard's private grounds on the summit. Visitors are permitted to ascend by the drive- way to the lawn surrounding the house, where the finest view of the town is obtained. The distance from the public square is about one mile, and the climb is highly commended for the view of sunrise or sunset. Town Mountain is about one mile northeast of the town. The way there is via College street, leaving the public square at the northeast corner. Passing the col- lege grounds on the left, the city reservoir is seen on the lower side of Town Mountain. The road to the summit turns sharply to the left and passes the reser- voir. Many think the finest view of the town is ob- tained from this road. A favorite drive is across the French Broad river to Kichmond Hill about three and one-half miles north- west. The road thither is the first one to the right from Hayward street after passing Battery Porter. About a mile from town the road enters the grounds of Mr. Kich- mond Pierson through the outer boundaiy gate. The French Broad river is crossed on a private bridge, after which the way passes up an easy slope to the inner gate ; thence along a shady ridge covered with forest trees, like an English park, a final climb leading to the rustic house on the summit. The charm of the view is its variety and the frequent gleamings of the river, with views of the town and mountains. Tahkeeoskee Farm, on the French Broad river, oppo- site the railway station, is some three miles from the square, via Patton avenue and the iron bridge. After 28 crossing the river, the Sulphur Springs and Waynesville road turns to the left. The entrance to the farm, at which a sign is displayed, is a short distance beyond. The public are welcome, and the driveways are inviting and afford a pleasant view of the river and its pictur- esque and shady banks. Strawberry Hill, the property of Mr. J. Adger Clark, is a mile further on, and should be visited for the view. Sulphur Springs, further on in this direction, is about five miles from town. The road thither is pleasant, but the springs themselves are unattractive. Fernihurst, the property of Mr. Connally, is two miles south of Asheville, the route leaving the main road at the second turn to the right after crossing Town Branch, at the foot of Main street hill. The mountain view is grand, with a pleasant pastoral foreground of fields, river and valley. In the immediate foreground is the junction of the Swannanoa and French Broad rivers. Gouche's Peak and Elk Mountain are between four and five miles north of the town, and are favorite points for a morning trip on horseback. The way is via the Beaver Dam road, leaving the main street a short dis- tance north of the post-office. Five miles southwest of Asheville is Antler Hall, or Tennant's, one of the best examples of an old-time plan- tation residence to be found in this region. The rich bottom lands along the French Broad river, with the mountains in the background, over which grandly tow- ers old Pisgah, nearly 6,000 feet high, combine to form a view well worth a much longer journey. The visitor should take the main Hendersonville highway south, down Main street to the biidge over the Swannanoa river (two miles) ; cross the bridge and turn immediately to the right. This road divides at the "Haunted House," a picturesque ivy-covered building near the 29 Swannanoa ford. In going to Tennant's, keep to the right hand along the river ; further on the road leaves the river, and after climbing a long hill and passing through two gates, the house and best point for a view is reached. The Swannanoa Drive is one of the best. The road leaves the Henderson ville highway just before crossing the iron bridge over the Swannanoa river, two miles south of town. The way is up the river, along its ro- mantic and picturesque banks. In the spring, when the wild rhododendrons, kalmia and azaleas are in bloom, the beauty of this excursion is greatly enhanced. In returning, take the road leading to town over the top of Beaucatcher, which is rather steep, but shorter than the way taken in setting out. The Beaucatcher road leaves the Swannanoa at Mr. Cheesborough's private wooden bridge, the first up the river after leaving the Hender- sonville highway. Arden Park Hotel is ten miles south of Asheville, a short distance to the west of the Hendersonville road. The hotel, with its cottages, attracts in summer a very congenial company, and the table is home-like and excel- lent. Visitors frequently drive or ride to Arden for din- ner, or remain to the frequent entertainments, returning to town by moonlight. The hotel is closed in winter. Alexander's was a celebrated old-time wayside house when the coach road through the French Broad pass was the only means of travel between Tennessee and the "West and the Carolinas. Its inviting homeliness and its antiquated air of comfort and good cheer attract many strangers during the warm weath er. The distance is ten miles from Asheville, following Main street north and thence taking the road down the river. The trip is more pleasant on horseback than by carriage, as the old coach road is rocky and rough in places where it en- croaches upon the river. The view of the rapids of the French Broad well repays the time spent. The dis- 30 ^ ulin lll^ A DRIVE ON THE FRENCH BROAD RIVER. tance to Alexander's by rail is the same as by the high- way. The foregoing list of places of interest and shorter ex- cursions is by no means intended to exhaust the subject, but only to serve as a nucleus around which the reader may gather such facts as suit his individual taste. Only prominent localities are here outlined, leaving a wide 31 field untouched. Few regions afford such opportunities for individual exploration and discovery as the country about Asheville ; and every lover of Nature who makes a prolonged stay is sure to find many delightful nooks and corners, byways and paths that are unknown to the average resident. MOUNTAIN EXCURSIONS. Asheville is the best starting point for a great variety of mountain trips, which are unsurpassed in beauty and grandeur of scenery by those possible in any region in the eastern portion of our country, not excepting the Adirondacks or the White Mountains. Conveyances and saddle horses and mules are to be had at several places in town. A guide, or driver who will also act as guide, is almost necessary in ascending Mount Mitchell, Craggy mountain, Mount Pisgah or Boan mountain, and the trip to Hickory Nut Gap, Buck Forest or Caesar's Head will be found much more interesting with some one to point out the way and places of interest. Mr. Howells, to be found at Mr. J. V. Sevier's livery stable, just be- low the Swannanoa Hotel, is an excellent guide and a gentleman whom all will do well to consult in making plans for mountain expeditions. Mount Mitchell, the highest of the Black mountains, with an altitude of 6,717 feet, is the highest land east of the Bocky Mountains. Three days are required for a full enjoyment of the trip, including a night spent at the shelving rocks or cave on the summit to see the sun- set and sunrise. Warm clothing and blankets also, if a night is to be passed on the top, are required even in summer, as the high peak has an atmosphere of its own. The way is up the Swannanoa, most of the way along the banks. Some eighteen miles from town is Patton's, the usual place for meals or spending a night. Here, too, guides and saddle animals can be obtained, as the real ascent must be made in the saddle, a steep climb of 32 three or four hours. The scene from the summit is grand. The writer, who has ascended other mountains in this country and in Europe, can recommend it very highly. MOUNT MITCHELL. Mount Pisgah, with an altitude of 5,757 feet, is some twenty miles southwest. A bridle path leads to the high peak, passing over the back of "The Kat." Saddle ani- mals for the ascent should be taken from town, but a good wagon road goes as far as the quaint and popular 33 mountain farm-house known as "the Widow Davis's," at the foot of the mountain. Here good meals and lodging can be obtained. Everything is home-made, even to the hand-woven blankets and sheets. Visitors go to this farm-house the first day, remain over night, make the ascent and return to the house the next day, and on the third return to Asheville. This makes an easy and delightful three days' excursion. Koan Mountain, via Bakersville, is about seventy miles nearly northeast from Asheville. The Cloudland Hotel suggests an airy perch, as it is, being 6,250 feet above the sea. The High Knob is 6,306 feet above the sea. Travelers going north can go to the Roan by car- riage, and thence to Johnson City, and north via the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad. The rhododendrons on the Eoan are a rare sight, with their blaze of color, when in bloom. Caesar's Head, a splendid eminence at the southern extremity of Transylvania, stretching across the South Carolina line, affords a sweeping and almost unlimited outlook over the lowlands. The distance is forty-five miles south from Asheville. A delightful trip can be made via Brevard, twenty-eight miles. The tourist can remain here over night, and drive to Caesar's Head (six- teen miles) the next day, via Buck Forest, famous for its fish and game. The hotel at Caesar's Head is well patronized during the summer. Hickory Nut Gap claims manifold attractions, and the trip is readily accomplished on horseback, or by buggy or carriage. Crossing the Swannanoa, the road leads south- east after passing the railway. High Falls is twenty-two miles distant. The scenery is peculiarly beautiful. Chim- ney Bock and the Pools should not be out of the trip. By spending the night at Mrs. Sherrill's, near the top of the Gap, the beauties of the region can all be seen in two days. 34 CESAR'S HEAD. The following is a list of places of interest in and around Asheville, with distance in miles : Name. Miles. Tower of Swannanoa Hotel in town. Battery Porter " Beaumont (altitude nearly 2,800 feet).. " Top Town Mountain 1 Fernihurst (Connally 's View) 2 Tahkeeoskee Farm 3 Richmond Hill (Pearson's View) 4 Gouche's Peak (Duffield's View) 5 Elk Mountain 5 Tennant's View 5 Strawberry Hill (Clark's Farm) 4 French Broad River, nearest point, 1 mile ; drives of 1 to 50 Swannanoa River, nearest point, 2 miles ; drives of 1 to 10 Lee's Chalybeate Springs (Iron) 2 Sulphur Springs (Yellow) 5 Blackwell's Sulphur Springs (White) 12 Arden Park i 10 Reams Creek Falls 10 Alexander's Falls 10 Warm Springs, on French Broad River 37 Waynesville White Sulphur Springs 31 Hickory Nut Falls 22 Bald Mountain (of volcanic notoriety) 25 Cave of the Winds, Pools, Chimney Rocks, etc 25 Pisgah Mountain (altitude, 5,757 feet) 20 Swannanoa Gap 18 Craggy Mountain, to foot, 14 miles ; to top (altitude 6,090 ft.) 18 Mt. Mitchell, to foot, 18 miles ; to top (altitude, 6,717 ft.). . . 28 Caesar's Head 45 Roan Mountain (altitude, 6,306 feet) 72 Hendersonville 21 Buck Forest 35 36 POPULARITY AS A HEALTH RESORT, BEAT crowds in both summer and winter attest Ashe- ville's growth and popularity as a health resort, as well as a winter san- itarium. Says Dr. Henry O. Marcy, of Boston, a distin- guished physician: "Within the last two or three years I have sent a considerable number of invalids to Asheville, with excellent results." From all parts of the country flock people to this mountain city of peculiar beauty and interest. There were re- gistered last year in the city over 30,000 visitors, and in contemplation of a large increase of invalids, tourists and pleasure seekers, there is a magnificent hotel under construction on Battery Porter, one of the most commanding sites in the city. The increased 37 building of summer houses by people from afar attests the popularity of this place as a resort of great attractiveness. The proprietors of the ever-popular Swannanoa, well and favorably known as the tourists' hotel, are making arrangements to meet the increased travel this spring and summer. This hotel is home-like, comfortable and convenient, and the proprietors, Messrs. Rawls Bros., are gentlemen of exceptional address, courtesy and affability of manner. Besides being hosts in the hotel keeping sense, they are hosts in themselves in the way of making guests feel comfortable under the hospitable roof of the "Old Swannanoa." This hotel, recently enlarged and improved both for winter and summer travel, is ever keeping pace with the times in the pro- vision of all the modern appointments and comforts. Situated in a valley 3,000 feet high, with mountains around as high again, with invigorating breezes full of pure oxygenated air, with a climate mild, pleasant and invigorating ; having the advantages of altitude of country, freedom of its air from dust, excellent drain- age, clear skies, spring water and invigorating breezes, it is no wonder that Asheville recommends itself to the invalid, the tourist and the pleasure-seeker. BATTERY POUTER HOTEL. This new house, built by gentlemen interested in the Western North Carolina Kailway, will be opened for the summer season of 1886. It is expected that the house will at once take a leading position. The situa- tion is remarkably good, just aside from the business of the town, yet near enough to be convenient. The view from the hotel porches is unsurpassed. The struct- ure is of wood after designs by Philadelphia architects, and there are modern conveniences, including a passen- ger elevator. LIST OF HOTELS AND OTHER BOARDING PLACES. Swannanoa Hotel, South Miin street; Battery Porter 39 SUNSET HOUSE, KESIDENCE OF L. M. PEASE. Hotel, on Battery Porter; Eagle Hotel, South Main street; Carolina House, North Main street; Pease's, South Main street, one mile from town ; Mountain Cot- tage, Main street; Arden Park Hotel and Cottages, ten miles south of town; Antler Hall or Tennant's, 'five miles from town; Mrs. Cape's, College street; 40 Chunn's, Patton avenue; McDowell's, South Main street. Beside these a large number of private houses are open for boarders during the summer season. WARM SPRINGS. Some forty miles from Asheville, down the valley of the French Broad are the "Warm Springs, which have had a considerable reputation for many years on ac- countof the valuable medicinal qualities of their waters. Before the war, as since, the large hotel at the Springs, which was burned in 1885, was a popular rendezvous for the people of the lower Atlantic and Gulf States. Since the burning of the hotel and buildings, the only accom- modations have been those obtainable at a few private houses. Recently (in 1886) a company composed of Northern and Southern gentlemen has purchased the Springs property, and is erecting a large, first-class hotel which will have accommodation for several hundred guests. The grounds are being improved, and the baths thoroughly rebuilt in a luxurious manner. The Warm Springs are literally warm pools, rising to the surface near the river. The temperature is from 102 degrees to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The water is efficacious in cases of rheumatism, paralysis, and similar muscular or nervous ailments. Nine hundred feet lower than Asheville, the place has an altitude of about thirteen hundred feet, and is very healthful. Passengers via the Western North Carolina Railway from the West, enter the picturesque portion of the French Broad river country after leaving the Warm Springs. WAYNESVILLE, HAYWOOD WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. Thirty- eight miles south of the Warm Springs, and thirty-two west of Asheville, being a day's ride from either place by carriage, are the White Sulphur Springs. From Asheville the trip can be made by railroad in a few hours. Here are situated the celebrated sulphur springs which have gained so much notoriety for the 41 SoUTffTuy.GrH-'X^ A DBIVE ON THE SWANNANOA RIVEE. cure of rheumatism, gout, lassitude, and all of the cutaneous diseases. The new hotel is one of the most modern erections in this section of the country, and con- tains the latest improvements. It will be open by the 1st of June. 42 ASHEVILIiE'S STEADY AND UNIFORM GROWTH. In 1860 Asheville had a population of 1,400 ; to-day the population is put down at 5,000. The assessed val- uation of property in 1860 was $300,000 ; in 1885 it was $1,095,292. I am indebted to the kindness and courtesy of Mr. T. W. Patton for the following official statistics regard- ing Asheville's progress from 1880 to 1885. Here are the figures as taken from the official record : ASSESSED VALUATION OF PROPERTY IN 1880. Number of acres of land in the county 333,633 Valuation $1,322,294= Number of town lots 436 Valuation of town lots $517,281 Aggregate value of real and personal property $2,748,867 ASSESSED VALUATION OF PROPERTY IN 1885. Number of acres of land in the county 333,633 Valuation $1,651,443 Number of town lots 829 Valuation of town lots $1,095,292 Aggregate value of real and personal property $4,473,217 These figures speak volumes for Asheville's growth, and point clearly to the fact that within a few more years the figures reached will double those which illus- trate the present. This assertion is strengthened by the fact that within the past month several large sales have been made to Northern capitalists, who propose to erect manufacturing establishments within the city limits. In every avenue of business there is an activity which argues well for the continued prosperity and growth of this charming mountain town. "Onward ! " seems to be the watchword of the people, and to the dis- play of this progressive spirit are due the prosperity and promise evidenced everywhere around. COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES. The Western North Carolina Railroad, a part of the Richmond and Danville System, affords the readiest and 43 most interesting access to a country which has been well described by Mr. King in his articles on " The Great South " in Scribner's Monthly, and over which the pen of the gifted Miss Fisher, of Salisbury, N. C, has thrown the glamour of romance. It is a region which is to-day largely frequented both by tourists and invalids. Few regions present greater attractions of wild natural scenery, and none in the whole range of the Alleghanies holds greater promise of relief to invalids in its fine climate, its mineral waters, and pleasant summer re- treats. From almost any point of this railroad, after it enters the mountains, as also from its terminus, deli- cious cool resorts may be reached, where living is cheap, the climate and water delightful, and the scenery enchanting. This road passes through the heart of the State in a direction almost due west, traversing the counties of Eowan, Iredell, Catawba, Burke and McDowell, to the top of Swannanoa Pass of the Blue Bidge, a distance of more than 150 miles. It is projected and constructed to Warm Springs, in Madison county, near the western boundary of the State, where it connects with the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Kailroad, and in an- other direction toward Waynesville and Webster, in the southwestern part of the State, thus forming a grand connection not only with the entire western part of North Carolina, opening up one of the finest regions of the State, but giving also another line of trans- port to the productions of the great West to the sea- board. Since the completion of the Spartanburg and Asheville Kailroad, the connections with Charleston, Augusta, Savannah, Atlanta and all points south and southwest afford expeditious travel from those sections. Said Mr. Edward King in his description of " The Great South," in Scribner's Monthly, in 1874: " Western North Carolina is not only exceedingly fer- u tile, but abounds in the richer minerals, and needs but the magic wand of the capitalist waved over it to be- come one of the richest sections of this Union. Occu- pying one-third of the entire area of the State, and pos- sessing more than a quarter of a million of inhabitants, its present prospects are by no means disagreeable ; but its prominent citizens, of all walks of life, are anxious for immigration and development of the rich stores of gold, iron, copper, mica, and other minerals now buried in the hills. Let no one fancy that this mountain re- gion is undesirable as an agricultural country; there are few richer and better adapted to European emigra- tion. The staple productions are tobacco, corn, wheat, rye, oats and hay ; all vegetables grow abundantly, and the whole country is admirably fitted for grazing. The level bottom lands are under fine cultivation ; the up- lands and slopes produce rich wheat ; the ash, the sugar maple, the hickory and the oak are abundant ; and white pine is rafted down the Pigeon river in large quantities yearly. But the exceptional fertility of most of the ranges throughout all the counties is the great pride of the section. The sides and tops of the mountains are, in many cases covered with a thick vegetable mold, in which grow flourishing trees and rank grasses. Five thousand feet above the sea level one finds grasses and weeds that remind him of the lower swamp regions. Cattle are kept in excellent condition all winter on the "evergreen" growing along the sides of the higher chains. Winter and summer, before the ravages of the war thinned out their stocks, the farmers kept hundreds of cattle on the mountains, feeding entirely on grasses. RESOURCES. The valleys of the French Broad and Swannanoa offei for all kinds of husbandry an inviting field, while the climatic conditions are more than favorable. Agricul- 45 ture is one of the great interests of the section tributary to Asheville, while the forest growth is a subject now attracting the attention of capitalists. In the country contiguous to the place there are to be found the yellow pine, oak of almost every variety, black walnut, chest- nut, locust, poplar, black birch, cherry, maple, syca- more, mulberry, sassafras, dogwood, and other well- known varieties of native woods. Nearly 160 minerals, simple and compound, are found in Western North Carolina, many of them being ex- tremely rare and of great value. In the French Broad valley gold exists in many localities, while future ex- ploration will no doubt lead to other discoveries. This county possesses literally mountains of wealth in mica, this section supplying nearly one-half the demand throughout the world. The water power is almost incomparable. The French Broad at Asheville is estimated at 125 horse power, and at Warm Springs, 170 horse power, which gives for the part of the river from Asheville to the state line 100,000 horse power. At Brevard, in Transylvania, the horse power is placed at 45, which adds 10,000 ; and the tribu- taries, like the Swannanoa, Ivy, Laurel, etc., represent 5,000 each, so that the French Broad may be set down at 175,000 horse power. As a fruit-growing section Asheville enjoys peculiar advantages. Apples, peaches, pears and apricots thrive well, and find a congenial home among these Southern mountains. As for apples, there is probably no section of country where they flourish so well as Western North Carolina. The Centennial medal at Philadelphia awarded for fine apples was taken by a gentleman liv- ing not far from this place, and in the following year, at the American Pomological Society's meeting, in the city of Baltimore, the same individual was awarded the Wilder medal for 100 varieties of the finest apples. 46 KALLKOAD FACILITIES. The great Piedmont Air Line, embracing the Rich- mond and Danville Bailroad, the Piedmont Railroad, and the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line, and connecting Richmond, Va., with Atlanta, Ga., presents not only one of the shortest lines of travel between the North and hj4& INTERIOR OF ASHEVILLE CLUB. South, but offers excellent accommodations to the trav- eling public. The new management, ably assisted by Col. A. B. Andrews, one of the most progressive railroad men in the South, have determined to make this moun- tain road the route par excellence in every particular, equally as regards importance of country traversed, excellence of service, and comfort and luxury of travel. This railroad passes through four great states, and along a line nearly parallel with the mountains through al- most the finest portions of these states. The whole region traversed is emphatically a piedmont region — a fine undulating country, a country of " hills and run- 47 ning streams,'" watered by noble rivers, bordered by the Blue mountains, and at one time, before the destruction of values by the war, the most productive and prosper- ous in the South ; and one which is destined, in the not distant future, to form the very body and substance of the several states in which it is comprised. Beside the attractions which the main line presents, its connections at different points with lines of railroad leading west- ward, especially in its connections in North and South Carolina with roads leading into the mountains of North ESMERALDA'S CABIN, BALD MOUNTAIN. Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, have laid open to tourists and seekers after health and pleas- ure a region of romantic beauty hitherto almost unvis- ited by reason of inaccessibility. The mountain region of North Carolina — appropriately called "The Land of the Sky "—into the heart of which one is now comforta- 48 bly, carried in the most luxurious of coaches, must necessarily soon become a country of great resort, as well for pleasure as for health. No part of the Appa- lachian range presents more attractive scenery, and none such excellence of climate. The Western North Carolina Railroad, the great mountain artery of the Richmond and Danville System, has been the life-giving principle to this region. It is by far the most complete and thoroughly equipped mountain railroad in this country, and the most pic- turesque and pleasant to travel over. This road was first projected over thirty years ago. A charter was granted in 1854, the first ground being broken the same year At the beginning of the late war, Icard station had been reached. After many halts by the way, Mor- ganton was reached in 1866, Old Fort in 1871, Henry's in 1876, and Asheville in September, 1880. Now connec- tions are made at Paint Rock, the boundary line of Ten- nessee and North Carolina, with the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia system of railroads, and, by the completion of the Knoxville and Ohio Railroad, Ashe- ville is only twenty-four hours from Louisville. Col. A. B. Andrews, the President of this road, has devoted time and energy, as well as labor, to its work- ing system, and his far-seeing ability and foresight as a railroad man have insured great good, not only to this mountain country, which for years was undeveloped, but to the State at large. In his work he has been ably assisted by Mr. V. E. McBee, the Superintendent, who is ever studying the interest of the great traveling public. THE PEOPLE. The people in the mountains of Western North Caro- lina are kind, hospitable and generous to a fault. In the most humble cabin, away from the sounds of trade and traffic, in their little mountain homes 4,000 or 49 5,000 feet above the ocean's roar, one can see the sim- plicity of rural life exhibited as nowhere else to be seen on this vast continent. Here these good people toil and labor, live and die amid Nature's great handiwork, ob- livious to the great throbs and pulsations of a cosmo- politan life. It may well be said they symbolize the myriads of earth's toiling masses, and as we listen to their passing footfalls, we seem to hear " The still, sad music of humanity." SWANNANOA. BY JACQUES, OF CHABLESTON, S. C. Swannanoa, nymph of beauty, I would woo thee in my rhyme ; Wildest, brightest, loveliest river, Of our sunny Southern clime ! Swannanoa, well they named thee, In the mellow Indian tongue; Beautiful thou art, most truly, And right worthy to be sung. I have stood by many a river Known to story and to song — Ashley, Hudson, Susquehanna, Fame to whichjmay well belong ; I have camped by the Ohio, Trod Scioto's fertile banks, Followed far the Juniata, In the wildest of her pranks— But thou reignest queen forever, Child of Appalachian hills, Winning tribute as thou flowest, From a thousand mountain rills. Thine is beauty, strength-begotten, Mid the cloud-begirded peaks, Where the patriarch of the mountains, Heavenward far thy waters seeks, 51 Through the laurels and the beeches Bright thy silvery current shines, Sleeping now in granite basins, Overhung by trailing vines, And anon careering onward, In the maddest frolic mood, Waking, with its sea-like voices, Fairy echoes in the wood. Peaceful sleep thy narrow valleys In the shadow of the hills ; I And thy flower-enameled border All the air with fragrance fills ; Wild luxuriance, generous tillage, Here alternate meet the view ; Every turn, through all thy windings, Still revealing something new. Where, O graceful Swannanoa, Are the warriors who of old Sought thee at thy mountain sources, Where thy springs are icy cold, — Where the dark-browed Indian maidens, Who their limbs were wont to lave (Worthy bath for fairer beauty), In thy cool and limpid wave? Gone forever from thy borders, But immortal in thy name Are the red men of the forest ! Be thou keeper of their fame ! Paler races dwell beside thee ; Celt and Saxon till thy lands, Wedding use unto thy beauty, — Linking over thee their hands. RACING WATER." BY MABY BAYABD CLABKE. " Bacing water" who can paint thee ! With thy scenery wild and grand, It would take a magic pencil Guided by a master hand. 52 Here are towering, rugged mountains, Granite rocks all scarred and gray, Nature's altars whence her incense Floats in wreaths of mist away. At their feet thy murmuring waters Now are singing songs of praise, Or in sonorous notes triumphant A majestic paean raise. Down the canon's rocky gorges Now they wildly, madly sweep, Or with laughing shout exultant O'er the rocky barriers leap. Then in calm and limpid beauty Still and deep they silent flow, With the verdant bank o'erhanging Pictured in the depths below. Tah-kee-os-kee, "racing water," Was thy sonorous Indian name, But as " French Broad " thou art written On the white man's roll of fame. Perish that, and live the other, For on every dancing wave Evermore is shown the beauty Of the name the red man gave. MOUNTAIN BREEZES. Nowhere in the State will the tourist and the invalid, as well as the pleasure seeker, find such excellent hotel accommodations as are to be found among the moun- tains of Western North Carolina. A word to those suffering with rheumatism, gout or any of the cutaneous diseases : Come to the celebrated Warm Springs in Western North Carolina, where you will find the " Fountain of Youth," and hot baths unsur- passed on this continent. Beside these advantages, a magnificent new hotel, with all the modern improve- ments, is one of the special^attractions of this widely- famed resort. 53 Col. E. B. Thomas, General Manager of the Richmond and Danville Eailroad System, and Col. A. B. Andrews, President of the Western North Carolina Railroad, are representative, wide-awake railroad men. They are doing all they can to develop this section of the State, by giving our people the very best possible railway ac- commodations. The steel rail over mountains and through gorges in this section has been truly a God- send to our people, and it is keenly appreciated by them. Don't forget to call on Mrs. Stockton if you go to Waynesville. Her table will gratify the most fastidious, and she is indeed one of the few women in the land who know just exactly how to please. The mountainous region of North Carolina embraces an area of 5,400 square miles, of an average elevation of 2,600 feet. The new Waynesville Hotel will be a popular place of resort this summer, under the capable management of host Timberlake. The hotel grounds are tempting Arcadian nooks of repose. The Indians, while roaming the forest of North Caro- lina, used to keep the remains of their ancestors, es- pecially their chiefs, in a hut called a " Quiogozog." Don't forget to have "Snowball," "Shakiefoot" and " Bones" dance for you before you leave Asheville. E&tabrook's, on Main street, Asheville, deserves to be called the tourist's headquarters, since while it is one of the pleasantest of places to visit, it supplies in great variety the articles which persons are the most likely to feel the need of when on an outing. Here will be found artists' materials, books, fine stationery, sum - mer reading, fancy goods, Florida and Western North Carolina novelties. Helper's Illustrated Guide Book, the best thing out, always on hand. Lessons given in drawing, and oil and water color painting, at studio over store. 54 It has been generally remarked by the traveling pub- lic that the conductors on the Western North Carolina Railroad cannot be surpassed for politeness, affabil ty of manner or regard for the comfort of their passengers. Capt. Thomas Murphy and Capt. P. A. Newland are noted for their caution, care, and indefatigable activity. They are both deservedly popular. Excursion parties, picnic crowds and flower rumina- tors are all the rage during the summer. One day last year while a couple were out gathering the beautiful rhododendrons at a picnic, a certain gentleman from South Carolina found a gold vein ; afterward he secured a gold mine. The proper caper you know is this, provided you are thirsty: " Oukwockaninniwock" — "let's take a drink" for it's " quite Indian you know, quite Indian you know." It's an ill omen to present your best girl with a bunch of rhododendrons before breakfast. Ask Charley Kawls of the " Swannanoa," the why and wherefore. Eomantic star-gazing couples should not fail to visit the old Indian seat near the city, referred to in the Pamphlet. They will do well to remember, however, should they go there, that : "Les murailles ont des oreilles." Families and invalids desiring a pleasant home-like place, will do well to bear in mind the delightful home of Mountain Cottage, Mr. H. C. Hunt, proprietor. Visitors fond of the aesthetic should not fail to take a peep into the Mikado room, over Lyon's drug store. Mr. Roger Davis, the artist, has on exhibition some very fine and effective sketches of inviting nooks among the mountains of Western North Carolina. Battery Porter, as during the war, still holds its rep- utation as a stronghold not easily captured. Many a gallant " colonel" in private life meets his fate from fair hands on the scenes of former struggles. 55 AN ASHEVILEE INTERIOR. •fjBattery Porter Hotels ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. Situate I on an eminence 2,389 feet above Sea Level. Commanding the finest view of mountain scenery around the metropolis of the sky. A new and modern Hotel/with all the modern im- provements. Just completed at a cost of $80,000. New appointments throughout — elevators, modern bathrooms, hot and cold water. Table par excellence in every particular. Pure air, pure water, and soothing rest. . Magnificent grounds, fine drives and picturesque nooks of observation. ^®" For further particulars, address : BATTERY PORTER HOTEL, ASHEVILLE, N. C. 57 WARM SPRINGS HOTEL, MADISON COUNTY, N. C. A new Hotel, built with especial advantages for the Tourist, Invalid and Pleasure-seeker, in the very heart of the mountains of North Carolina, affording a magni- ficent opportunity to enjoy and study the scenery of the Sky-Land. Here are situated the wonderful and remedial Hot Springs, which have a national reputation for their cura- tive powers. Temperature, 104°. Rheumatism, Gout, Malaria, Cutaneous Diseases and Lassitude removed, from the use of this remarkable Avater. Charming drives, excellent fishing, lovely scenery. Eepose and quiet along the rippling mountain streams of Western North Carolina. 7^- For full particulars, address : WARM SPRINGS HOTEL, MADISON COUNTY, N. C. 58 ASHEVILLE WAREHOUSE, SEAS0 3l^i 8 i 5 - 6 - FOR THE SALE OF LEAF TOBACCO, CHAMBEKS, WEST & CO., Peopbtetoes, SUCCESSORS TO RHEA, CHAMBERS 8c CO., ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. Good accommodations for Farmers and their Stock, and high est Market Prices obtained at this House. Salesroom, and its lights, the best in the place. J. HENRY CARTES., Auctioneer, THOS. BROWN, ) Floor W. W. WEST, Book Keeper. J. A. FANNING, ) Managers. j. v. sevier's Fine * Li very & Stable. Headquarters for the Tourist and Invalid who desires good Livery. HANDSOME BUGGIES, ELEGANT BAROUCHES AND GENTLE HACKS. NEXT DOOR TO SWANNANOA HOTEL. THE BANK OF ASHEVILLE, * 1 *• * ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. J. P. SAWYER, President. D. C. WADDELL, Cashier. J. C. RANKIN, Vice-President. LAWRENCE PULLIAN, Asst. Cashier. THE OLDEST AND MOST RELIABLE BANK IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. SURPLUS, -/-- $10,000. TOUEISTS and Invalids will find this Bank a pleasant place to transact their business. The officers are courteous, kind and obliging. Convenient to all Hotels. MAIN ST., ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. 59 A SOUTHERN SUMMER RETREAT OF PECULIAR BEAUTY IN THE HEART OF THE ALLEGHANIES. Haywood White Sulphur Springs, WAYNESVILLE, N. C, The most beautiful place east of the Kocky Moun- tains. 600 feet higher than Asheville, 1,400 feet higher than Warm Springs, 2,900 feet higher than Sea Level. Hotel accommodations unsurpassed. Excellent water. Magnificent scenery. Delightful lanes. Charm- ing drives. No malaria here. Pure oxyegnated air. No dust. No heat. No flies. Arcadian repose and quiet meditation among rolling brooks and primaeval forests. 70S** Send for descriptive circular : HAYWOOD WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WAYNES VILE, N. C. 60 THE POPULAR BOOK STORE. % J, ft; MORGAN & CO., BOOKSELLERS, STATIONERS AND NEWSDEALERS, ASHEVILLE, N. C. Carry a full line of all kinds of Books. New Publications continually in stock. All the Cheap Libraries on our Counters. DAILY PAPERS, MAGAZINES, FANCY GOODS, TOYS, ETC., ETC. Tourists' headquarters. Orders by mail solicited and prompt- ly filled. J. N. MORGAN & CO., NORTH COURT SQUARE, - - ASHEVILLE, N. C. Greeley said, "Go West!" Whittier says, "Come South, and see 85,000 acres largest tem- perance colony in the world!" No farm or lot sold except for actual settlement. Graded roads making, good soil, producing everything. BEST TOBACCO, FRUIT, GRAIN, LUMBER, MINERALS. Country homes by simply paying interest five years, then principal in five years more, in town lots and farms. $50,000 worth sold in five months. Equable climate, no malaria. Land cheap, from 30 to 200 acres. Address, with stamp : C. WHITTIER, Whittier, Swain County, North Carolina. 61 £* 1865. S^-—^—————^ 1886. *£ E. J. ASTON & SON, Fire, Life and Accident 4|"l"N3URANCE,|f ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, J9S" REPRESENT A LARGER INSURANCE CAPITAL THAN ANY OTHER AGENCY IN THE STATE. The Western North Carolina Railroad. A MOUNTAIN RAILROAD OF PICTURESQUE BEAUTY. A rare railway ride over mountains, affording the most charming scenery in the world, and through gorges presenting nature in her wild and fantastic forms. Through valleys and meadows of pastoral loveliness, and by streams of pure sparkling mountain water from mountains 6,000 feet high. Magnificent service, steel rails, comfortable and well- ventilated sleepers. Observation Parlor Cars. Polite attention. Parties contemplating a trip to the " Land of the Sky " should address : Capt. W. A. TURK, ASSISTANT-GENERAL PASSENGER AGENT, SALISBURY, N. C. 62 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS