Appalachian Summit
36. A Tourists Guide
In 1859, Henry E. Colton published what is arguably the first tourist guidebook to western North Carolina, Mountain Scenery. That book was followed the next year with the more pointedly titled pamphlet, Guidebook to the Scenery of Western North Carolina. Colton, born in Fayetteville, was editor of the Asheville Spectator and later Tennessee State Geologist.
The naturalist S. B. Buckley, friend and sometime traveling companion of Arnold Guyot, published a paper in 1859 in which he paid homage to both Goyot and Elisha Mitchell along with interesting contributions of his own.
MOUNTAIN SCENERY.
The Scenery Of The Mountains Of Western North Carolina and Northwestern South
Carolina.
By
HENRY E. COLTON.
In the few pages which have here been collected together, it is not the Author's intention to attempt anything of a high literary cast, or to go into details as to the region of which he treats; but simply to place before the world some facts in relation to it, that persons unacquainted with its beauties may be induced to go to the mountains of Western North Carolina, and to furnish for visitors such items of information as may enable them the more to enjoy a trip there. Much matter here contained has been heretofore published in some one of the newspapers of the day, and hence portions of it may not be new to some readers; yet it is hoped that the little volume may meet with favor from all. . . .
ASHEVILLE.
The town of Asheville is adorned with many beautiful private residences, the result of cultivated taste among its inhabitants, or the summer residences of citizens of South Carolina. While the broad yards of these make large the limits of the town, they yet are an attraction not to be dispensed with. Some one has said, that more praise is due to him who makes two blades of grass grow where one only did, than to him who grow conquers kingdoms; equal praise is due to those who, in a spirit of improvement, a love for the beautiful, and a taste for the refined, make gardens of waste places, and turn the barren hillside into blooming undulations. Such credit is due to some of the citizens of Asheville. One of the most luxuriantly adorned residences meets the traveller's eye just as he leaves the Swannanoa River, to go into Asheville. It is the late residence of Dr. J. F. E. Hardy.
The people of Asheville are everywhere noted for their hospitality. We have heard many remark that in no town did they receive that attention from its inhabitants in Asheville. A stranger, who is at all disposed to be social, can add much to his enjoyment, while sojourning there, by a free intercourse with the citizens. A residence of months among them enables us to say that there are few towns which contain a more generous-hearted hospitable, and moral set of inhabitants; and our opinion is that expressed by almost every traveller.
There are few public buildings of interest in the town. The courthouse, a fine building, is situated on what might, with propriety, be called the culminating point of the town, as the hill there reaches its greatest height, and the town slopes gradually on every side. From the cupola of this building,--ninety-six feet from the base,--a fine view of the town and immediate vicinity is to be had. It is a pleasant place to sit, of an evening, to witness the sunset, and enjoy the cool breeze. The Female College is a building of some size, and the institution is in a flourishing state. It numbered during the past year, about 240 pupils. There are three churches,--Methodist Presbyterian, and Episcopalian,--in all of which there is regular preaching.
There is but little of an historical nature about Asheville which is of interest. The place was originally called Morristown. It is, in comparison with some other towns of our State, of a modern date. The first court for the newly created county of Buncombe,--then embracing all west of the Blue Ridge, and sometimes called the Great State of Buncombe,--was held in an old barn, about three miles southeast of Asheville. It is not now standing. Robert Vance was the first clerk of the court, and the record now exists in which his beautiful, round, plain hand is displayed.
The hotel accommodations of Asheville are excellent. They are three in number: the Eagle Hotel, the Buck Hotel, and the Buncombe House. The latter is not at present open, but will probably be so during the summer. The first is the stopping-place of the stage from and to Salisbury via Morganton and Swannanoa Gap. The second, of the Stage from and to Charlotte via Rutherfordton and the Hickory-Nut Gap; also, of the stage from Greenville, S. C., via Saluda Gap, Flat Rock and Hendersonville. The stage from Greenville, Tenn., via Warm Springs, and up the French Broad River, stops at--Hotel. All are good hotels, and the traveller will, at any of them, receive kind attention and good fare. The Eagle, however, is the chief, and is, perhaps, more frequented than any other. It is now kept by Messrs. Patton & Blair, formerly by Dr. J. D. Boyd. It has lost none of its excellence by the change. Travellers will find Mr. Blair an accommodating gentleman. The Buck Hotel is kept by J. H. Gudger, who has been its proprietor for many years. It is a long-established house, located in the centre of the town, and has many customers. Travellers will be well provided for by Mr. Gudger and his able assistants. The Buncombe House is situated in a rather retired portion of the town, sufficiently near for all purposes, yet away from its dust and bustle. It is, perhaps, for this reason a better place for those to stay who desire to spend some time in Asheville. But how, or by whom it will be kept, we cannot tell. Heretofore it has been well attended to.
There is, in connection with the Eagle Hotel, an excellent livery stable, kept by Messrs. Sullivan & Patton, at which travellers, who wish other than the usual public conveyance, can be accommodated. Their horses are better than the average quality of such stock, and the prices about such as are general in towns. There has heretofore been one or two other like establishments in town.
THE VICINITY OF ASHEVILLE.
We have heretofore spoken of Asheville, and the beauties of its immediate surroundings; but, as it is the point which commands more of the attention of the Western tourist than perhaps any other, it may not be amiss to notice its vicinity more fully. Besides, too, there are in its vicinage points which are of great attraction and value to the West.
Five miles west of Asheville are to be found the Deaver White Sulphur Springs. Buildings, amply sufficient to accommodate a large number of persons, are here; and the author has assurances that, during the next summer, the establishment will be kept in a style which a place of its value deserves. The waters of these Springs are of a valuable medicinal nature. There are two springs,--one, said to be blue sulphur, is not used; the other, white sulphur, has a high reputation. It is said to be equally efficacious with any of the Virginia Springs. We have at hand no correct analysis of the water. It partakes, however, in chief of sulphur, and a slight particle of iron, and, perhaps, a little magnesia. It is very cold and pleasant to the taste. It is said to have no superior in cases of dyspepsia, and it certainly gives one a most excellent appetite. The water is in such quantity that it can be carried to the house for bathing when desired. There is, not far off, a chalybeate spring. . . .
About twenty miles from Asheville, fifteen from the Sulphur Springs, is Mount Pisgah, a mountain of considerable height, but has not yet been much visited. The summit of this mountain is differently constructed from any surrounding it. Beyond it is a large valley, perfectly locked in by high mountains, except where a small stream finds its way out. This valley is a famous range for stock, and is called the Pink Beds. Besides its peculiar construction--somewhat resembling an oblong tray, which alone should make it a place of interest--has an attraction still more inviting to some in the quantity of game found in its limits. Parties often leave Asheville and the Springs to spend a few days at this place. The little stream which flows through it, is said to be one of the best for mountain trout anywhere to be found. It is common for parties to catch five or six hundred. A pleasant and interesting trip for the tourist, sojourning at the Sulphur Springs, would be to this mountain and valley. . . .
THE BLACK MOUNTAINS.
Now we shall speak of what may be called the greatest curiosity of the West,--the range called the Black Mountains. This range is peculiarly so called because of the dense growth of the balsam tree, with which it is covered, which gives it, when viewed in the distance, a black appearance. The fact, that these mountains have long been thought to be the highest land east of the Rocky Mountains, the beautiful views to be obtained from them, the singularity of the growth, and other causes, have made them an object of much interest. There is now a very good horse-road to the top, and ladies and gentlemen can with ease ascend the peak. Mr. Jesse Stepp's at the foot of the mountains, is the point at which all travellers stop before beginning the ascent. Four miles up the mountain, just in the edge of the balsam growth, is the Mountain House. This house was built by a wealthy gentleman of Charleston, William Patton, Esq., as much for his own accommodation, and with a view to attract attention to the mountain, as any other cause. And, in fact, to his efforts, much of the attention of late drawn to the mountain scenery of Western North Carolina is due. This house is now kept as a public resort by Col. T. T. Patton, of Asheville, and will afford to the traveller as pleasant a stopping-place as he can find anywhere in the West. It is well in visiting the mountain, to spend at least one night there. Should the traveller choose, however, to stop at Mr. Stepp's, he will find that gentleman accommodating, and will do all in his power to make his visitors comfortable. All things connected with the mountain will, however, be much better arranged, and more for the comfort of visitors, during the next summer, than ever before. We would advise large parties going up to take saddles with them for use at the foot of the mountain. A few can be procured at Mr. Stepp's.
To visit the mountains from Asheville, a party should leave early, and go to the Mountain House that night, and the next day ascend to the High Peak, and return to Mr. Stepp's, or the Mountain House. Or, if they wish to spend a night on the High Peak, there is a comfortable cabin there for the accommodation of such tourists as wish to view the sunset and sunrise. The following are some extracts from the journal of a party who visited the mountain in this way:-- . . .
The place where the Rev. Dr. Mitchell lost his life is almost inaccessible, and but few persons have ever been there. It is distant from the summit about three miles, in a westerly direction. Of the route to it, a writer who has been there, says: "It required no little nerve to undertake the descent to such a place, along such a wilderness way, especially at that time of day, and when we knew that a dreadful storm had passed over that side of the mountain only an hour or two before, and, even then, there appeared to be one between us and the Falls. Before we commenced descending, we were told that it is the worst wilderness,--there is no road or foot-path there, and in some places not even so much as a bear-trail,--over which man ever trod; but we could have formed no conception of the wildness, terribleness, and exceeding great hardships of the descent beforehand, no, not the faintest. No tongue, no language, nothing, except bitter experience, can give the reader anything like the remotest idea of what we saw and suffered, on that never-to-be-forgotten evening."
We would advise all readers to let the experience of others satisfy them, and not to attempt it.
THE FRENCH BROAD RIVER AND THE WARM SPRINGS.
The French Broad River will command very urgently the attention of the tourist who visits Asheville. The scenery upon this river is widely known, and is ever admired by those who have seen it. This river was called, in the Indian, Tockeste, or Racer. It derived its present name thus: In the early settlement of the country, a party of hunters left what was then Mecklenburg for the mountains. They named the first river they came to First Broad, the next Second Broad, and the third Main Broad. Arriving at the foot of the mountains, a portion of the party stopped; the other part crossed the Gap, and, going down a creek, in what is now Buncombe and Henderson, called it Cane Creek, on account of the quantity of cane at its mouth. The stream into which it empties they called French's Broad, after the captain of their party.
The Henderson portion of this river is not much known to the tourist, as, except near its source, where it is in almost a wild state, there is nothing very striking about it. The fine farms upon its banks, however, make it an object of interest to the agriculturist. There have been of late many beautiful private residences placed upon the upper waters, and it is gradually becoming known to the world. That portion below Asheville is what we shall principally treat of; . . .
Upon this river is situated that famous and marvellous work of nature,--the Warm Springs. They are very valuable as to medicinal properties, both as a bath and for drinking. . . .
The editor of the Asheville Spectator visited these springs in 1858, and said of them and the French Broad,--
"Every person who has ever visited our mountains, and also those of Virginia, has yielded the palm of beauty, if not, too, of sublimity, to our scenery. And it will ever remain an undisputed fact that our own mineral waters are as beneficial to the diseased system as waters of like kind in Virginia. None deny the infallible efficacy of our Warm Springs in cases of rheumatism and like diseases. It is universally acknowledged that, except in the Hot Springs of Arkansas, they have no rival. To this lovely spot we have lately paid a visit, and can add our testimony to that of hundreds of others as to the healing qualities its tepid waters.
"For nearly thirty miles the high frowning mountains press themselves into the waters of the French Broad River, leaving on one side a track hardly wide enough for a carriage-way. Suddenly the southwest bank recedes, and a level plain, of considerable extent, meets the traveller's eye. Near the middle of this plain is a lovely grove, in which is seen the hotel. A few yards in front roll on, in unceasing turbulence, the long pent-up waters of the French Broad. The wild grandeur of the scenery, which constantly demands the traveller's eye along the river, is famous, wherever the beautiful in nature is admired.
"The Warm Springs Hotel is now owned by Dr. J. A. McDowell. As it was our first visit to the Springs, we know not how it has heretofore been; but, if the present is a type of the future, the traveller for health, or for pleasure, will ever find them an antidote for sickness, and a most pleasant retreat from the cares and toils of business. It has been our good fortune to have been at many watering-places, but never at one where the comfort of the visitor was more looked to by the proprietor; and where, all things taken into consideration, the inner and outer man fared better. Every accommodation for bathing is rendered which is possible. There is, beside the warm spring-bath, a fine shower and plunge-bath, supplied with water from one of our pure cold mountain streams. So, therefore, the invalid may find near to him that which he needs; and the man of health, by a short walk, can still further invigorate his system.
"The Warm Springs present more attractions, leaving out of view the invalid, to the seeker of pleasure, than probably any watering-place in the South--certainly in this section. In front and around the hotel runs the French Broad, where he may fish; while, if he would grace his book with that daintiest of the finny tribe--if our readers will pardon us, the Venus de Medici of fishes--the speckled trout of the mountains, he has them in a ride over the mountains of four or five miles. And, should he be a good marksman, and luck favor him, he can, with a little trouble, carry home the antlers of a Carolina buck. With these and many other attractions, we defy any one to stay there without enjoying himself. We need not speak of the beautiful and grand mountain scenery,--it must be visited to be appreciated; its beauties cannot be described, nor can the awe which inspires one in beholding its solemn grandeur be conceived.
"Through the politeness of Dr. McDowell, we visited the Boiling, or Limestone Spring,--quite a curiosity in its way. This Spring is perceptibly impregnated with lime, but not so much so as to be unpleasant to the taste. Quite a large stream is formed from its boils. It is one mile and a half from the Warm Spring." . . .
The Warm Springs are reached, by stage from Asheville, in thirty-five miles,--one of the best lines in the country. It leaves Asheville early in the morning, and reaches the Springs to dinner. By the same means they can be visited from Greenville, Tennessee, in twenty-five miles; at that point the stage connects with the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad. Fare from Asheville, $3 50. A pleasant trip, for the tourist, would be from the Warm Springs to the valley of East Tennessee, and up to the Holston Spring, on the borders of Virginia; thence back through North Carolina, or returning through Virginia, by the cities of Lynchburg and Richmond. The whole route, from Asheville to Greenville, Tennessee is travelled in daylight. The coaches are large and comfortable, the drivers careful and accommodating, and the road good.
PLEASANT COUNTRY STOPPING-PLACES.
Upon the French Broad, there are at least two houses at which the traveller will find himself most agreeably entertained,--Mr. A. E. Baird's at Marshall, in Madison County, and Mr. A. Alexander's, twelve miles from Asheville. The first has been before mentioned, and it cannot be commended too highly. Situated within a few feet of the French Broad, one can sit upon the piazza and look on the unceasing flow of its waters, and, on retiring to rest, be lulled to sleep by their soft musical murmur. It is situated twenty miles from Asheville, and fifteen from the Warm Springs. A good place to dine, even if one does not care to stop longer. There is an excellent chalybeate spring, a short walk from the house, the water of which is superior to any we ever tasted. Mr. Alexander's is similarly situated on the banks of the river. It is the breakfast and supper house for the stage, and the fame of the table is extensive and invariably favorable. There is a chalybeate spring two miles and a half from the house. Mr. Alexander is an attentive landlord.
THE WESTERN COUNTIES.
When the tourist arrives at Asheville, he often hears that portion of the table land west of Asheville, spoken of under the name of Western Counties. In this term are included the counties of Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Cherokee; and although the tourist may not feel inclined to go into this, to many natives of our State, unknown region, we cannot close without devoting to them a brief chapter, as their merits, viewed as to agricultural and mineral wealth, and as to beauty of scenery, demand it. These four counties cover an extent of country at least one hundred and sixty miles long, and averaging about sixty in width. Within this extent are some of the grandest mountains and loveliest rivers that the eye ever rested on.
The traveller leaves Asheville and travels up the valley of Hommony Creek, to the sources of that stream; there it crosses the mountain; and so much higher is the general face of the country in Haywood than in Buncombe, that it is with only a slight descent he finds himself upon the banks of Pigeon River, with the broad, fertile fields of its valley stretched out for miles before his eye. Crossing the river, in two miles, he reaches Mr. Patton's, a stopping-place, where the traveller will find himself well accommodated, and well fed. Ten miles further, and thirty miles from Asheville, is the town of Waynesville. There are several hotels here; the only one with which we are acquainted is Mr. Moody's, where the traveller will find himself well cared for. In a short walk from this place is an excellent white sulphur spring; and should that section of country be ever opened, to railroad communication, the beautiful situation of the town and its many attractive surroundings, will make it a place of much resort. The Balsam Mountain is plainly seen from this place. It is the only peak, besides the Roan and the Black, which has the balsam growth upon it.. A pleasant trip, for one who has the time, is up Pigeon River, there to spend a few days or weeks in fishing for trout and hunting deer, and viewing the fine scenery around the head of that stream. It is worth a trip up there to see the crops growing in the valley; and its inhabitants are as hospitable and intelligent as any portion of that section.
Leaving Waynesville, the tourist, if alone, can linger leisurely along the road; but, if he has company, an early start and no lagging, will, in a drive of forty miles, allow him to reach Franklin, the county-seat of Macon. All along the road the watchful eye will detect many fine views. In this day's travel, he passes entirely through the county of Jackson, a long, narrow county, rich in minerals and fertile soil, but, as yet, almost entirely unnoticed. In the northern end of the county, a large number of the Cherokee Indians still reside; and the tourist who chooses to visit them, can do so by taking, at Webster, the road to Quallah Town. There he will meet with the former Indian Agent, W. H. Thomas, Esq., who will take pleasure in showing the visitor not only the Indians, but anything else of interest in his county.
At Franklin, the traveller can pause awhile, as there he will find a pleasant place and intelligent people. It has two churches, Methodist and Presbyterian; and two hotels,--one in the centre of the town is immediately on the street, and is kept by W. N. Allman; the other, in a retired, quiet spot, at the western end of the town, is situated in a beautiful grove of trees, kept by Mr. Jesse Tiler. From Franklin the tourist can visit the Falls of the Chulsagee, or Sugar Fork of Tennessee River, and the Whiteside Mountain, which we have heretofore mentioned. These Falls are said to be a very sublime and beautiful work of nature. The Falls of the Tuckasegee River, in Jackson County, are thought, by many, to surpass in beauty anything of the kind they have ever seen. These last though are difficult to get to.
Leaving Franklin, the tourist who wishes to go farther, will cross the Nantahala Mountains, and, in twenty miles, reach Mr. Munday's, on the banks of a stream of the same name. It is our opinion that no prettier stream exists on earth than this. Had the poet, who sung of Swannanoa, as"the loveliest river of our sunny southern clime," seen it, he would have placed Nantahala in the highest position. It is very famous for the immense number of speckled trout caught in its waters, and Mr. Munday's is the place to get them served up nicely. Leaving Mr. Munday's, unless the traveller chooses to pause there a day or two, a ride of ten miles, across the Valley Town Mountain, brings him to Mr. Walker's, on the headwaters of Valley River. And we know of no more pleasant place to spend any length of time than there. Without disparagement to any other, we know of no place where one is better cared for, either in point of appetite or rest. A ride of eighteen miles, immediately on the banks of the Valley River, will land us at Murphy, the county-town of Cherokee. And here he must pause, for a few more miles will take him to Tennessee or Georgia. Returning, the traveller may, at Mr. Walker's, take the Tuckasegee turnpike, and pass over a country entirely new and very interesting, leaving Franklin to the right. By this route, he passes immediately by the Marble Mountain, Blowing Cave and Quallah Town. . . .
The cost of a trip throughout this section will not exceed $20 or $25. It depends entirely upon how long the trip is, and how long one stays in the towns. There is a hack-line going through the whole extent of these counties, but I would advise all who wish to view the scenery, and enjoy themselves, to go in their own conveyances. Such is, in fact, the most pleasant way to travel over the whole West, and is not so costly, unless the tourist stops long in the towns. For the seeker of health I would advise taking the trip on horseback.
PRODUCTIONS OF THE WEST.
It may not be amiss, in bringing this little book to a close, to say something of the productions of the soil in the West, and the wild animals native there. The general soil of the West is good, and even upon the mountains it is equal to the best lands in the low country. In the valleys, the inhabitants, with their imperfect system of cultivation, find but little difficulty, in a good season, in raising from forty to sixty bushels of corn to the acre; while, upon some of the bottoms, where more care is taken, they raise one hundred bushels to the acre, and sometimes over. The whole country is peculiarly adapted to grazing, and all kinds of grass grow with luxuriance. The mountain sides being almost entirely free from undergrowth, naturally spring up in grass, which makes the range of a most excellent quality. While, too, there is an almost unfailing mast of oak, chestnut, beech, sugar maple, and linn. The products of the soil by culture are very extensive. Corn, wheat, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat, tobacco, Chinese sugarcane; and, in fact, everything which can be raised anywhere else in the State, except rice and cotton. The country affords every variety of climate and soil. Agriculture is as yet, however, in but a poorly advanced stage, unless in the immediate neighborhood of Asheville. Hon. T. L. Clingman, in his address before the State Agricultural Society, says of this mountain region:--
"At its extreme borders, there rises up a mountainous region, with bolder scenery, and a more bracing climate. Few of our own citizens realize the extent of this district, or are aware of the fact, that it is three hundred miles in length, and has probably more than forty peaks, that surpass in altitude Mount Washington, long regarded as the most elevated point in the Atlantic States. Though this region does not present the glacier fields and eternal snows of the Alps, yet their want is amply atoned for by a vegetation rich as the tropics themselves can boast of. Rocky masses, of immense height and magnitude, and long ridges and frightful precipices are to be found; but the prevailing character of this section is one of such fertility, that the forest trees attain their most magnificent proportions on the sides, and even about the tops of the highest mountains. There, too, are to be seen, those strange treeless tracts, which the aboriginal inhabitants supposed to be the foot-prints of the 'Evil One,' as he stepped from mountain to mountain. Their smooth, undulating surfaces, covered with waving grasses, suggest far different associations to the present beholders.
"The landscape is variegated, too, by tracts of thirty, and even forty miles in extent, covered with dense forests of the balsam fir trees, appearing, in the distance, dark as 'the plumage of the raven's wing,' and green carpets of elastic moss, and countless vernal flowers, among which the numerous species of the azalea, the kalmia, and the rhododendron, especially contend in the variety, delicacy, and brilliancy of their hues. From the sides of the mountains flow cold and limpid streams along broad and beautiful valleys. Though such a region as this can never weary the eye, its chief merit is, that almost every part of it is fitted to be occupied by, and to minister to the wants of man."
A writer, in the N. C. Presbyterian, speaking of Yancey, says:--
"I was surprised at the variety and beauty of the wild flowers, which peeped their heads, of varied hue, above the ground on every side. In fact, it seems that everything which does grow in the mountains is produced in greater luxuriance than in the lowlands. I noticed several colors of the lobelia, all very pretty; and I was much struck with a flower called, by the inhabitants, snake's head. But the object of most attraction, in the botanical line, was the immense number and varied forms of the mosses and ferns. There is a plant, which I found among the mountains, which, though little known in the East, has been, for years, an article of great commercial value to the mountain region. I allude to ginseng. One of my guides pointed it out to me, and said that the day had been when anybody could gather six or eight pounds (worth about $1 25), but now it took a right smart hand to get that much. It is sent to New York, and thence shipped to China. The trade is not as largely carried on now as formerly.
"The tree-growth of the mountains has, too, much of interest in it. The ordinary trees are chestnut and oak, white pine, spruce, and hemlock. The balsam is a growth peculiar to the Black Mountains, the Roan, and several other high mountains. The color of its leaf is of a dark green, shaped like the pine, but shorter, and they cluster around the bough upon all sides. At a distance, it has a black appearance, which gives the name to the mountains. There are two varieties, which might be classed as male and female. One is not of so intense a deep green, and produces no gum; the other is much the prettiest tree, and has the blisters, containing balsam, scattered over its trunk. A balsam blister is somewhat like a boil. The inhabitants gather the balsam, by pricking the blister with an instrument similar to the charger for a gun. The blister is a little sac, inserted between the outer and inner bark, and, by careful work, can be taken whole from its resting-place, and, on being held to light, is of a yellowish, transparent color. The gum is good for sores, cuts, & c., and resembles virgin turpentine. The bark peels easily from the green tree, but, when dry, crisps, and holds tightly to the trunk. I have been told of instances of hunters sleeping in the bark as stripped from a tree.
"Another growth, of some peculiarity, is the linn tree, from which the river Linville takes its name. It has a large, beautiful leaf, and would make a fine tree for ornament. It is chiefly valued for the use of cattle, as it is the first to put out its leaves in spring, and the last to fade in autumn. We see, too, the cucumber tree, which, though a curious affair, is, I believe, of no great use, except such as all trees. The wahoo, or Indian bitter, resembles both the cucumber and the linn. It bears a fruit similar to the wild cucumber,--a red substance, more like a balsam of Gilead apple than anything else I can liken it to. The bark, steeped in liquor, is said to have miraculous effect in curing the chills and fevers; but, as they do not have that disease in the region where it grows, or very slight cases, I cannot say a great deal as to its truth. The sugar maple has been often heard of by most of your readers. It, too, is a product of the mountains, and, from its sap, much sugar and syrup are made. It resembles much our common maple, but the leaf has not so many scollops.
"The chief cultivated productions of the section through which I passed are wheat, corn, rye, oats, and buckwheat. I regretted to see that the crops generally were rather poor. I noticed, in the forest, an unusual quantity of mast of all kinds, which looks like fat and cheap bacon. I was somewhat surprised to see, throughout the county of Yancey, tobacco growing very luxuriantly. Every house had a patch close by. The leaves are dried by hanging up, and then it is used for smoking. The Chinese sugar-cane has a place on nearly every farm. . . .
"There is one feature of the mountains, however, which I have omitted,--the wild animals. First of these, and being the most numerous, stands the black bear. He grows somewhat larger than in the swamps of the East, and has a more glossy and fur-like coat of hair. I have heard of one of his habits, which I have never seen mentioned in any natural history. In the spring, when the he-bear begins to travel, as he starts upon a path, he will rear upon his hind legs, and, with one of his fore-paws, reach as high as possible, and make a scratch in the bark of the tree. Another bear starts upon the same path, and, seeing the marked tree, he rears up, and, if he overreaches the other, travels forward with boldness and rapidity; but, if be cannot reach it, turns off in another direction. The mark shows the size and strength of the bear. I have seen balsams perfectly torn to pieces,--marks extending up to six feet. Col. Crocket calls it making 'his mark.' The bear is not a dangerous animal, unless attacked; but a wounded bear is certain to be a troublesome customer. They are considerably hunted, and are, perhaps, more plenty than the deer. Every one knows what the common red deer is, therefore I shall say nothing of him. Elk once existed in the mountains, but they are all gone. The wolves and wild-cats are nearly extinct, though their noise may sometimes yet be heard in the wild spots. The gray squirrel of the lowlands exists there, too; but little, however, is seen of the large fox squirrel. There is upon all the mountains, a little squirrel, in size between the gray and the ground squirrel, called, by the inhabitants, 'mountain boomer.' If one will slip quietly into some retired vale, on the borders of the Black, of a summer evening he may see the woods perfectly alive with them, and hear a chattering more confused than Bedlam itself. They are a pretty animal, of a light red color, the under portion of the body very white. Then there is the ground-hog. As his name indicates, he burrows in the ground, and like the prairie dog, builds a perfect city. He is about as large as a medium-sized opossum, and has similar hair. His color is a sort of dark gray. I believe all these animals are eaten by the people of that section. I cannot pass from wild things without mentioning the pheasant, a bird about the size of a pullet which runs, rather than flies; and, when taken, and well served up, is most delicious eating. They abound all over the West.
"And now, from that delight of epicures, I will pass to a subject, which, to some of your readers, may be disagreeable, the snakes. The commonly received opinion is, that the mountains are filled with rattlesnakes, and, at every step, one is seen. But such is far from fact. In all my rambles, not a few, I have yet to see a rattlesnake, or any other considered poisonous. The rattlesnake has great injustice done him. He is ever more ready to get out of the way than to fight, and never attacks unless he thinks he has been assailed. He is more irascible at some seasons than others; but, so far as I could judge, the mountaineers generally do not mind them. I know of particular rocks where they can be seen and killed at any time, but it is only there; and, by avoiding those places, the traveller may go all over the mountains and not meet with one. The hog is a deadly enemy of the rattlesnake. I once asked a mountaineer why it was the snake could not hurt a hog? He replied, that he didn't know, unless it was that the first time the devil was heard of, after he left the serpent, he went into the swine. The other poisonous snakes of the mountains are rare, the adders and copper-snake. The moccasin of the mountains is not considered poisonous; and a gentleman told me be had seen the Indians let them bite their feet, and no bad result ensued. These half-brutes, however, will, I am credibly informed, keep rattlesnakes in their houses as we do tame cats. A gentleman told me he once entered an Indian hut, and saw the Indian crouched up on one side of the fire-place, and, on the other, lay a large rattlesnake in his coil. Supposing the Indian did not see it, he was about to strike it with his cane, when the Indian prevented him, saying, 'He good snake.' As may be imagined, he did not stay there long. I am told that sometimes they act as watch-dogs, and will make a horrible din with their rattles on the approach of a stranger. A person who once hears that noise, never forgets it. It seems shriller, more piercing among the crags and mountains, than in the swamps of the East. A singular fact it is, that where the balsam growth begins, on the Black, and other mountains, there the existence of poisonous snakes ends."
These remarks will apply to the whole West, as the animals and plants are nearly the same throughout. However, many think that Yancey has the best soil, and is naturally the richest county in the West. The writer omitted to mention the mountain trout. This beautiful fish is found in most mountain streams, but exists in greater abundance in those which are comparatively wild, and whose banks are uncultivated. North and South Toe Rivers abound with them. The Upper Swannanoa has considerable. They are found in Buck Creek, near Carson's; and in Pigeon and Nantihala Rivers, and many other streams, they are found in abundance. The Nantihala (spelled by the Indians Nantihaitla, and meaning maiden's bosom), is especially famous for its trout. The fish itself is one of the loveliest creatures the eye ever beheld. It has no scales, and is covered with a thin, clear skin, of a brownish black on top, with yellow underneath, interspersed with spots of blue, purple, and crimson. It will keep, without the least taint, for several days. Fishing for them is fine sport, as one does not have to wait forever for a bite; but, if there is a fish in the waters, it bites as soon as the hook is thrown in.
And now, closing our last chapter with that purest of living creatures, which derives its more than earthly beauty from near the skies, we trust that many of our readers may visit the Mountains, and, in the fresh air and pleasant rambles, find much pleasure, or renewed health.
EAGLE HOTEL.
ASHEVILLE, BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N. C.
THE undersigned begs leave to call the attention of the travelling public to the fact that he has recently taken charge of this celebrated Hotel; that he will have it thoroughly repaired and in perfect order by the 1st of June, 1859; and that he is determined to spare neither pains nor money in order to make his guests perfectly comfortable and at home while they sojourn at the EAGLE HOTEL. Especially would the subscriber call his Hotel to the attention of Eastern North Carolinians, who may, for health or pleasure, visit this beautiful and romantic mountain country; than which, no other section of the Union can furnish a purer or more invigorating atmosphere, cooler or more refreshing fountains of water, or more sublime and picturesque scenery. The undersigned will give a cordial greeting and hospitable cheer to all who will honor him with their patronage.
J. M. BLAIR,
Proprietor.
February 1859.
BUCK HOTEL.
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.
THIS hotel is favorably located in the centre of the town of Asheville. From it many fine views of the surrounding country are to be had.
The table will always be supplied with the very best the market affords, and attentive servants will always be at hand to attend to the wants of guests. The Proprietor will use all means in his power to please his visitors and make them comfortable.
The office of the Southern, Gaston, and Murphy stages, is at this house.
JAS. H. GUDGER,
Proprietor.
LIVERY AND SALE STABLES.
ASHEVILLLE, N. C.
OFFICE AT GUDGER'S (BUCK) HOTEL.
THE undersigned respectfully calls the attention of travellers, traders, and others, to the fact that they keep constantly on hand a large and excellent assortment of
CARRIAGES HACKS, BUGGIES, AND SADDLE-HORSES,
and will convey persons to any point with despatch, comfort, and safety. They have in their employ none but sober, experienced, and careful drivers; such as will take pleasure in promoting the comfort of all committed to their charge. Special accommodations to those visiting the Black Mountains.
Horses boarded by the day, week, or month, on reasonable terms, and placed in the hands of experienced hostlers.
Good pastures can be furnished to any who may wish their horses pastured during the summer.
SULLIVAN & PATTON.
THE BLACK MOUNTAINS.
THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE,
Upon one of the peaks of this great natural curiosity, will be open for the reception of visitors early in July. It will be kept in the best style, and visitors may always expect a hearty welcome and excellent fare. Terms of board moderate.
A new turnpike road has been lately constructed from Judge Bailey's residence on the Swannanoa, via this House, to the highest peak. It will afford facilities heretofore unknown to the traveller.
Any one desiring a comfortable night's rest in the highest house in the Southern States, perhaps in the United States, should not fail to stop over night and enjoy a sight of the lovely sunrise.
T. T. PATTON.
FRENCH BROAD LINE
OR
FOUR HORSE STAGES,
From Asheville, N. C., to Greenville, Tenn., running down the French Broad River through the grandest scenery of the world, crossing the Mountains in full view of the Painted Rocks.
This line of stages, said by all who travel upon it to be one of the best in the Union, leaves Asheville daily, Sundays excepted, at 5 1/2 o'clock, and connects with the train upon the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad, at Greenville, at 71/2 o'clock. Passengers can breakfast at M. A. Alexander's, and dine at the Warm Springs,--both eating-houses unsurpassed in this country. Fare from Asheville to Springs, $3; to Greenville, $6.
W. P. BLAIR,
Proprietor.
WARM SPRINGS.
THIS delightful watering-place, situated in Madison County, North Carolina, will be opened for the reception of guests, under the charge of its old proprietors, McDowell & Patton, about the 1st of July.
The location is all that the seekers for health and pleasure can desire. Situated immediately on the French Broad River, and surrounded by extensive mountain ranges, it affords a climate and scenery unsurpassed in any country.
The temperature of the water ranges from 96°; to 100° Fahrenheit, and the use of the waters has proved invaluable in cases of
RHEUMATISM, DROPSY, PARALYSIS, CUTANEOUS AFFECTIONS,
and various other diseases.
Rare opportunities are afforded for hunting, fishing, driving and mountain excursions.
A daily line of four-horse mail coaches runs between Greenville Tenn., and Greenville, S. C., passing through Hendersonville and Asheville, and immediately by these Springs, and accommodation conveyances are always in readiness to carry passengers to and from either place, and all the intermediate points.
Distance from Greenville, Tenn., 25 miles; and from Asheville, 37. The roads are good, and the scenery along the French Broad, between Asheville and the Springs, beautiful and picturesque. The buildings are large, handsome, and commodious; the servants experienced and well-trained; the table will always be supplied with the best the country affords, and the charges as moderate as those of any similar establishment--$1 50 per day, $8 per week, $30 per month.
An experienced physician is resident at the Springs.
A splendid band of music is engaged for the season. [1]
MOUNTAINS OF NORTH
CAROLINA AND TENNESSEE
By S.B. BUCKLEY
Fortunately the months of September and October were uncommonly dry, which enabled us to continue exploring nearly the entire time. The toil was great, and the difficulties to be encountered can only be imagined by those who have ascended the steeps of the unfrequented Southern Alleghanies, through laurel thickets and multitudes of the prickly locust, which has a penchant for scratching the face and hands, tearing the clothes, and occasionally the skin beneath. We found the Viburnum lantanoides or hobble-bush with its straggling braches, very troublesome on the Smoky Mountains. Notwithstanding all this we have the mountains and their glorious scenery. We encamped eleven nights on their tops; and saw that the stars were brighter, and the planets apparently larger than when seen from the valleys below. Then also the wonderful comet (Donati’s) made the southwest luminous with its bright head and mysterious tail, soon after the setting sun.
The scenery of these mountains, especially those in the Smoky Range, abounds in precipices and deep chasms, surpassing any thing we remember to have seen among the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The spectator on the highest Smoky Peaks can enjoy a more varied view than from any other points in the Southern Alleghanies. East Tennessee with its towns, rivers, and the Cumberland mountains in the distance, is spread beneath at the west, On the north can be seen the Clinch mountains extending into Kentucky. At the northeast, east, and southeast, in full view are all the higher mountains of North Carolina, and at the south the smaller ones of Northern Georgia. Such prospects pay the explorer for his toil; their remembrance is always sweet. The country on the Tennessee side is much lower than in South Carolina, and the descent of the Smoky mountains is generally more abrupt and precipitous into the former State, than into the latter.
The highest Smoky mountains are near the head waters of the Ocona-luftu and Little Pigeon rivers, being accessible from Tennessee via Sevierville, and up the Little Pigeon to a Mr. Hawkins, who lives eight miles from the top of the a road which is near the alum cave; and from North Carolina by the road up the Ocona-luftu to Mr. Collins’s house, seven miles from the top of the afore-named gap-road. . . .
The banks of streams and coves of these mountains have some of the largest trees in the United States east of Mississippi river. There is a Tulip tree or Poplar near the Pigeon river in Haywood Co., N.C., about eight miles from the Tennessee line, thirty three feet in circumference at three feet from the ground, or eleven feet in diameter, and upwards of one hundred feet high. Another on the western slope of the Smoky mountains in Tennessee, on the Little Pigeon river, is twenty-nine feet in circumference at three feet from the ground. Near this locality we also measured a chestnut thirty-three feet in circumference at four feet from the ground. It is a noble living specimen, apparently sound, and of nearly of a uniform diameter upwards, for forty or fifty feet. About two miles further up the same stream there is a hemlock, or spruce pine, nineteen feet and two inches in circumference at four feet from its base. Here also the Halesia tetraptera attains an uncommon size, being from two to three feet in diameter, and about sixty feet high. On Jonathan’s Creek there is a white oak nineteen feet in circumference at three feet from the ground. This list of large trees could greatly be extended, but enough have already been cited to show the richness of those coves and valleys. . . .
The Carolina mountains have a great variety of huckleberries ripening in succession from July to September. When we first met with acres of those bushes, in September, covered with large delicious fruit, the temptation was so great that we partook rather freely, expecting to pay the penalty of over indulgence, but were happily disappointed. Judging from the experience of others and our own on many occasions, those berries are remarkably healthy. Most of them were larger than any we ever saw at the south. The Vaccinium Constablei of Gray, which sometimes grows ten or fifteen feet high (on Shining Rock), was covered with ripe fruit as late as the middle of October. There are several species of the huckleberry which are worthy of cultivation. The common high blackberry (Rubus villosus) is often found in dense patches on and near the mountain tops, with its stems smooth, and destitute of prickles. This rule is constant. We do not remember to have met with an exception. The same species growing in the valleys has its stems armed with prickles.
In the month of September many of the women and children dig “sang” in the valleys and on the mountain sides. The dry roots of the ginseng or “sang”, as it is always called, are worth at home twenty-five cents per pound. We met with one man who had bought 30,000 pounds, and we remember being with one family whose children sold seventy pounds of dried sang. These roots are dug with a long narrow hoe called the “sang hoe.”
Snow birds we saw on the Black mountain, and also on many of the other Balsam mountains south and west of Asheville. They were solitary or in pairs, showing evidently that they breed in those places. Another species of bird, whose summer habitat is generally supposed to be confined to the north also breeds and summers in those Balsam mountains. It is the Crossbill whose curious bill is well adapted to extract seeds from the cones of the black spruce and balsam trees. In the mountain valleys we frequently met with many northern birds, among which was that sweet songster, the rose- breasted Grosbeak.
The tedium of the night, when encamping on the mountains, is almost always ended by the stories of the guides and their adventures in hunting. They all positively assert that the bears in early spring, when first emerging from their winter quarters, are as fat as when they first retire for the winter. During the winter they shed the soles of their feet, which renders their walking difficult in the first of spring, when their food consists of the young plants, on which diet they soon become lean, and remain so until the ripening of berries in August and September. They are very fond of hogs and pigs, pork and honey being their favorite diet. Why they bite and scratch the bark and limbs of the balsam and black spruce we cannot tell. It cannot be for food, because they do not generally leave the marks of their teeth on a tree, except in one or two places. Sometime they rise on their hind legs and make long deep scratches in the bark with their fore paws. It may be done for sport, or to let their companions know their whereabouts. We have seen those fresh bites and scratches on different trees at all seasons of the year The bears show great sagacity in feeding at the leeward of the paths on the mountain ridges, along which the hunter is almost obliged to travel, hence if the wind blows it is almost impossible to get a shot at them, their keen scent discovering the hunter long before he gets within shooting distance. They are stupid and unwary about traps, entering without fear the log pens; these are shallow with a depth of not more than two feet over which is raised a very heavy top, which falls and crushes the bear when he disturbs the bait. Hundreds are caught in this manner every year. In the unfrequented parts of the mountains the large steel trap is concealed in the bear trail; but this is dangerous, and liable to catch dogs, of which we saw two caught in one morning to our great sorrow. The piteous yells of those unfortunate dogs rang in our ears long afterwards. The bears rarely disturb calves or young cattle, but in one locality of the Smoky mountains we were told that they did much damage in killing young cattle, and that there could be no mistake about it, because a large bear had been caught in the act of killing a young steer. The panther, wild cat, and wolf are all troublesome to the mountain farmer of those regions. The panther destroys sheep and hogs; the wild cat, lambs and pigs. Both are cowardly and thievish, being rarely seen.
The Red squirrel called Mountain Buman in North Carolina, is common on all the higher mountains. They rarely descend into the valleys They are fond of the seeds of the balsam and black spruce and as they are rarely molested by the hunters, they are very noisy, active, and more fearless of man than their brothers at the north. The Ground squirrels are also very abundant, often destroying a good deal of corn, but as corn is plenty, and larger game common, the ground squirrel is rarely killed. We were told by a travelling fur merchant, whom we there met, that the skins which he bought among the mountains, equal in fineness and goodness those of the north, and that northern merchants could not tell the difference; still in order to get the highest price he was obliged to send his skins to New York, through Ohio and via the Erie Railroad as if they had come from the northwest. The principal furs obtained in the southern Alleghanies are the skins of the otter, mink, black fox, red fox, raccoon, and muskrat.
From the great height of the southern Alleghanies, there being twenty- four peaks higher than Mount Washington, it will be readily inferred that they have a northern climate. A year ago, our guide to the top of Roane told us that he had been on its summit when it was covered with snow on the 17th of June. There is a table land extending from near the Roane to near the head of Turkey Cove and Linville Falls, a distance of twenty or thirty-five miles, on which the inhabitants succeed with difficulty in raising Indian corn sufficient for their own consumption. Occasionally they have frost during every month in the year, and then they resort on horseback or on foot to the valleys for corn. About the first of last May we saw the mountains in Haywood covered with snow about six inches deep. The wheat harvest at the Forks of Pigeon begins about the first week in July; and we know of no better criterion for isothermal lines than the time of ripening wheat. We kept a record of it in western New York, and in ten years the annual time of beginning the wheat harvest did not vary three days from the 16th of July.
The valleys in the Carolina Mountains vary in elevation from two thousand to upwards of three thousand feet, hence a few miles travel will often take one to a much warmer or colder climate. This we experienced very sensibly in going from the valley of Jonathan’s Creek to that of the Soco River. The former has a mean elevation of three thousand feet and the latter near two thousand. The Chinese sugar-cane (Sorghum) is extensively grown, and may be regarded as a decided success. There are few portions of the Union where such a production is more needed. The absence of railroads and the cost of transportation render sugar and molasses dear; hence the introduction of the Chinese sugar-cane in that section is a great blessing, and will enable many a poor family to have sweet coffee.
In no section of the United States have we seen finer apples, and they are mostly from seedlings originally planted by the Indians. Silas McDowell of Franklin, in Macon Co., has devoted more than twenty years to the selection and grafting of those best native apples, and he now has an orchard of more than 600 apple trees, which bear fruit equal if not superior to the best northern kinds. There is said to be a line or belt on the mountain sides about three hundred feet above the adjoining plain or valley, and extending upwards several hundred feet, where the fruit trees always bear, because the belt is free from frost. If this be true, -and we love its truth has been pretty well tested by experiment,-the mountains of North Carolina might supply the South with an abundance of the choicest fruit, if the means of transportation were good. By the cultivation of more grass, and the introduction of the improved breeds of cattle into those mountain valleys, butter and cheese might also be made for the southern market. One great drawback to the raising of sheep is that they are destroyed by wild animals, and also killed by the dogs. Still we think it would pay well to keep sheep, herd them by day, and thus revive old Arcadian times among those delightful mountains. [2]