COPYRl'.irr DFPOSIT ! i PLACES OF INTEREST In and around' Asheville and their distance. NAME OF PLACE. MILES, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Shelf Battery Park in the City The Lindsey & Brown Scenic Studio, " " Beaumont, (altitude nearly 2,800 ft.)... *' Top of Town Mountain, Fernihurst, (Connally's View) , Hazzard Heights, , Eiverside Park Tahkeeostee Farm Eichraond Hill, (Pearson's View)^^....^. Goi Elk Ten Sur Str, Fre Sw Lee Asl Blr Arc Ree '^le ... Cra'jgy Motm'tain, to foot to top, [altitude 6,000 ft.]. Mount Mitchell, to foot " " to top, [altitude 6,717 ft.] Hot Springs Haywood White Sulphur Springs Hickory Nut Falls Bald Mountain, of volcanic notoriety , Cave of the Winds, Pools, Chimney Rock, etc... Mount Pisgah, [altitude 5,757] Caesar's Head, Skyland Springs Oakland Institute Vanderbilt Park. Smith's Mountain UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 5 1 4 1 50 2 12 2 5 12 10 10 10 14 18 18 28 37 31 22 25 25 20 45 8 1% 4 2 At. 2. 500. mni,88.M. .2.150. MMt.Pisgah.20M. JurnpikeJS.M. FiwiklinJlM. AI.2J41 Dii'5 bo!- ^^!. A/.2.80a y ^ Waynes V 30 M. A!. 2/5} R ^ Ye'lou'<^ Hill Qtiu/laiOai:,50.M. Ai2 979. ThelndianM Cherokee Mation. •v1AP OF THE RESORTS OF WESTERN NORTH CAR- OLINA, THEIR ALTITUDE AND DIS- TANCE FROM ASHEVILLE. Bend.l5M. IKAVKP KSr>HClALl,V !M > K lindseVs Gwide book X. L'..-~I'lcasc ousfivi .( )( »KlXtV S( n-Tii 1 ■- ( I r; I w o l^Hof Spiings,38 M. Ail 396. SARS HEAD. MigManjs 80 M ' )MA!3 225 AI3750 ^reimdeRM. Al 2.150. MMl.Pisgali.20M. ■ ^Al.5.757. Sylvii.BOM Al. 2.800 .' 4 Wayik'sV^OM. A! 2 751 FrniikiiiulU Ai.2141 lelkm'^ Hill Quullaioun.50 M AI2979. TiwindMnor Chiioktr Nation. i Mf IHt Kbt>OKTS OH WESTEHN NUin H CAH- OLINA, THEIR ALTITUDE AND DIS- TANCE FROM ASHEVILLE i.\i;ka\ii> i>ri;i.iAi.i.v iim JNDSEYS GLMDE BCX)K. N. |{. — riiasc ulistrvi- lh;il litis iniip i< "Ir.'iNvii I.I KiKIXi-. -■ -'■•''" ,Hol Sprmgs.38 M. AllSOd. ,^ LINDSEY'S GUIDE BOOK -TO- WESTERN NORTH CfiROLINS ILLUSTRATED. r. ley. T. H. LINDSEY, Author and Publisher, ASHEVILLE, N. C. En':c!\: J According' to A'ct of Congress, in the Year 1890, by T. H. Lindsey, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washingtoi 'RIGHT P ASHEVILLE: The Raxdolph-Kerr PRINTI^G Co. 1890. IrptFOGlcaGtiGrp. In the publication of this book itjhas been the Author'? aim to combine every item of information that would be of interest to the Tourist and Health-seeker, or visitor, to this beautiful "Land of the Sky." Our information has been gathered largely through personal experience and observation. Having traveled over almost the entire section described in the following pages, we have been enabled to gather reliable information concerning the different points of interest, otherwise unobtainable, while to some extent, we have been compelled to draw from other sources for the information necessar}' for a book of this kind, believing that the information herein contained is the most complete and reliable of any previously pub- lished. The maps and engravings in this book were made es- pecially for this purpose. The photographs from which the engravings were made, were taken by the author in his rambles through mountains and valleys in search of the information for this work. Hoping that my efforts in penning the following pages may be instrumental in bringing scores of suffering hu- manity to this land of health and happiness, where the balmy atmosphere of these cloud-begirdled peaks may bring back to their faded cheeks the bloom of health. Respectfully, T. H. LINDSEY. ■^ ©oBte^ti), ^- .^neville vlexander's • •• Arden Park Altitudes ••••• Beaucatchet- Mountain PAGE. 13 48 54 70 2S 44 J Chimney Rock • ^ Cherokee Indians • • ^ Comparative Mortality Among Consumptives 7jy ,^ , , 56 •' Ceesar s tieaa.... • • ^^ Distances and Railroad Fare • '" Elk Mountain ' ^^ Fruit Grovv'ing "_^ "Fernihurst"— Connally's .••■•• • •■• ^^ 3^ ^ i V C 1 • • ■ ■ Gouche's Peak -, Franklin - ' , 61 Gombroon Hot Springs • • • Hickory Nut Gap...... • • ^^ Highlands •••• ''- / • 55 Henderson villc • Mount Mitchell • ^^ Mount Pisgah • ^'^ 41 Pamt Rock - ■••••• *^ Places of interest first inside cover Richmond Hill • ^^ Racing Waters— Poem ^' Round Knob "^^ 4S Re an Mountain •• CONTENTvS— Continued. Rainfall .: 74 Swannaiioa Drive 32 Svvannanoa River — Poem , 33 Sulphur Springs 35 Skyland Springs 58 Sunset Drive 29 Smith's Mountain 29 The "Land of the Sky" 3 Town Mountain 29 Tahkeeostee 32 Temperature 74 Waynesville 51 Weaverville.. 36 •4 Ill^stFatiorpi). > BETWEEN. Battery Park Hotel 28—29 French Broad Vallej-... 4 — 5 French Broad from Richmond Hill 30—31 Gombroon 60-61 Grand Central Hotel 16—17 Hickory Nut Gap... 42—43 Mount Mitchell 58—59 Mountain Park Hotel..., 40—41 Oakland Institute 48—49 Post Office and Custom House 24—25 South Main Street 12—13 Scene on the Swannanoa... 34—35 Swannanoa Hotel 22 — 23 View on Court Square 8-r9 Winyah House 10— (l / SI?e ©ar^d of tfee (§kg, That must be a favored region which, alone of all the beautiful domains on the earth that lie spread under the broad canopy of the heavens, has been distinguished by so significant a title as that of "Land of the Sky." It must have been marked by some wonderful atmospheric peculiarities which authorized kinship with the cerulean curtain above; it must have had charms of climate which breathed out the unsullied purity of the realms that lay encurtained in the skies; and it must have included scenery so sublime and so beautiful as would be appro- priate to name in connection with the skies; for, to the skies, are uplifted all the sentiments of love and adora- tion and venoration ; and to the skies cannot ascend meaner or more ignoble emotions. To us, the "Land of the Sky" is a limited and well- defined expression. The fervor of enthusiasm in the worship of nature has given to it substantial and well recognized metes and bounds; and poetry, not perhaps in verse, but in language with all the elements and in- spiration of poetry, has given it "a local habitation and a name;" a name as fixed and characteristic as that of fabled El Dorado ; but unlike that name that danced like baleful ignus fatuus before the heated imagination filled with the story of gold and boundless treasure, leading to disappointment and to death, this name is irradiated with truthful glow, lighting the path to health and peaceful competence, the reward, not of avarice, but of honest labor or judicious enterprise. Is the Land of the Skj^ mis-uamed? And are the sug- gestions of the name misleading and deceptive? Let us see what is the "Land of the Sky." Along the northern boundary of North Carolina, and, as that boundary touches the western extreme of Virginia, two mountain chains present themselves with purpose to cross into our territory. One of them, the eastern, has begun its jour- ney in far away Labrador; and, skirting along the East- ern United States, by various names known in Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania, takes in Virginia th*i name it holds until it goes out into Georgia — the familiar T^lne Ridge. The other beginning in New York State, rises in Yv'est- ern Virginia into dignity and grandeur, and comes to our borders under the name of Alleghany or Appalachian ; and looking over into our territory, makes no further in- w^ard progress, but sweeps along the margin, a wall be- tween us and Tennessee, until, in the sox-jth western cor- ner of the State, it joins and blends with the Blue Ridge, the two ranges in their divided courses having encircled a high plateaii, the true mountain region of Western North Carolina, known as the "Land of the Sk^'." Crossed and interlaced by numerous cross chains ofequal altitude, this broken elevated plateau is indented with innumerable streams, sparkling rivulets, dashing in foaming cascades or tumbling over opposing cliffs in noisy cataracts. Over all this mountain and sylvan scene there is spread the bluest and most transparent of skies, the fountain of the purest and most exhilarating of atmospheres, a de- light to inhale, a ver3^ luxur\- to breathe. Here are no sultry nights, for when the sun lays down his scepter, then comes with the shades of evening down from the mountain top or out from the deep recesses of its rocky gorges the most healthful and delicious of atmospheres. Between these mountains and each mountain spur are vallej'S as beautiful as ever charmed the e^^e, and over all sweeps the delighted vision, and treasures up the im- pressions made by mountain and valley; by the dark timbers of the primeval forest ; by the sunlight as it glo- riously lights up the whole; by the shadow of the cloud as it flits by hill and vale; by dark and threatening clouds enveloping all in gloom ; bj^ gentle mists that shroud in veil; b3' the deep rich green that robes th< nearer view ; b_v the soft azure that melts awaj- in dis tance. And that delighted e3^e pays willing tribute to the scene, because it trul}^ dwells upon "The Land of the Sky." 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. Here "Nature has known no change, felt no decay, P'or untold ages in this ancient land; Her dark woods wave, her rivers hold their Vv-ay. Majestic as Avhen first from nature's hand ; Down the dread depths, as in the dawn of time, The raging cataracts their waters 'arge." The whole of this s\'Stemof mountain and valle^^ ; more largely of the mountain, for in the great tumultiious up- heaval the mountains seemed to crt>v^d upon each other in emulous rage, and leave but little suggestion of peace and order. But time, which tempers all things, not only smoothed their rugged brows and clothed the rocks with massive verdure, but spread out the valleys as pretty peace offerings to angered nature. Among these manj' mountain chains arise the highest peaks along the Atlantic slope. The Black Mountain range is a distinct and independent chain, and is the old- est land upon the American continent according to geo- logical dictum, in a distance of thirty miles containing nineteen peaks passing the elevation of 6,000 feet, the highest, Mt. Mitchell, being 6,717 teet. In the balsam range there are fifteen peaks exceeding 6,000 feet, the highest being Richland Balsam, 6,425 feet high. In the Smoky Mountains along the Tennessee borders there are twent}^ peaks over 6,000 feet high, the tallest of which is Clingman's Dome, 6,666 feet high. The Cowee range has a mean elevation of about 4,300 feet, the highest, Yellow Mountains, being 5,133 feet high. The Nantahala range has a mean elevation of about 5,000 feet, with peaks, the Standing Indian and Wayah Bald among them, rising to the height of near 5,500. The Valley River Mountains have a mean height of 4,000 feet, with peaks, the Tusquittee among them, 5,314 feet high. The Blue Ridge has a mean elevation of about 4,000 feet, the Grandfather rising to a height of 5,897 feet, and the Pinnacle to about the same. There are fifty-seven mountains in North Carolina above 6,000 feet high. Man^'- rising much higher, the average of the whole chain exceeding 5,000 feet. This is only a general and partial view of heights and elevations which are common to all Western North Car- olina. Many more illustrations, if needed, might be given. Now we speak of characteristics. As a general feature, all these mountains have gently rounded summits, and in perspective view present a graceful, undulating out- line. Rarely are these summits crowned with naked rock; and precipice and yawning chasm present themselves only where the Blue Ridge line looks down into South Carolina, where they seem to recoil back from their Southern trend, and lift their haughty and majestic front in stateh' crag or beetling precipice. All else is clothed in herbage. Some heights are prairie summits, thick set with turf. Most all are covered with majestic trees, and the highest of them are all crowned with the Cana- da balsam. -^ The sides of the mountains are hid beneaththick vest- ure of foliage; and thej are seamed with many a rift and gorge, the secret birthplace and nursery of the glittering stream that in che shade of laurel and ivy comes spark- ling into life and goes dancing down the mountain side to join the manA'- kindred rivulets that combine to send their tribute to the Gulf and Ocean. But ej^e alone must not appeal for pleasure; that by itself could not confirm the blessed title. There must be something in the air we breathe, some life-giving princi- ple more powerful than external charm. And this is had in climate. Here n this Land of the Sky, is the happj'- juste melieu between the colds of northern regions, and the enervations of the lower latitude. The colds of winter come sometimes upon this region as sharp, when measured b\^ the readings of the mercury, as farther North, yet so tempered by the dryness of the air as to be borne without suffering; and the heat of a summer sun beats down as fiercely as at a lower level, yet does not heat the air to sultriness, and the evening shades bring back coolness, and the night breathes invigoration, and the morning air is like an mhalation from paradise. The winters bring no loads of snowj enough to give en- chanting wonders to a mountain landscape; not enough to be the burden and the bane of winter. And the sum- mer heat brings with it no tornado or cj'clone, no all- destroying tempest, no parching droughts and few des- tructive rains. We have now showm how well in scenery, in tree and in flower, and in the charms of climate this land is entitl- ed to its happy cognomen, "The Land of the Sky," we shall now turn our attention in a more scientific direc- tion. How much might science find to attract and re- pay it here? What secrets of past ages might not be 8 revealed to the geologist by'these great mountains, the oldest in the world, which stood firm during the period of the upheavals and subsidences of the crust of the earth? Where rocks of the Archean or earliest age lie exposed, and where the history of the physical world can be traced in its successive formations. What fascina- tions might not the true lover of nature find in unveil- ing the mysteries hidden in the depths of these track- less forests, whose regions of vast extent are tnown only to the hunter and the game he seeks? How few of the hundreds of mountains that cover the country with infinitely varied beauty have ever been ascended, examined or scientifically measured? And to the miner- alogist this land should prove a very garden of Aladdin. From the beautiful flesh and rose colored marbles of the Nantahala, to the great iron deposits of Cranberrj', what fields for mineral exploration exist to tempt sci- entist and capitalist? About 160 varieties of minerals are found here, many of them very rare, and some not discovered hitherto or elsewhere in America, i^arge deposits of gold, silver, iron, copper, zinc, mica and cor- undum abound. In Clay county is found the greatest mass of chrysolite rock in the United States, the area covered being 1,400 acres. Corundum has been found here in masses weighing as much as 600 pounds. The Cranberry iron mine, in Mitchell county, is one of the most remarkable iron deposits in America, and equal to the best Swede. The ore is a pure massive granular magnetite. The steep slope of the m.ountain and ridges which the bed occupies are covered with blocks of ore. Some weighing hundreds of pounds, and at places, bare vertical walls of massive ore 10 to 15 feet thick are exposed and, over several acres, the solid ore is found everywhere near the surface. The length of the out-crop is 1,500 feet, and the width 200 to 800 feet." (State Geological Report.) At Ore Knob, the deposit of ore in quantity and quality, is said to rival that of Lake Su- perior. The mica mines of this reg^ion are very valuable, and it is a curious fact that those which are most profitable at the present time bear evidence of having been worked at some former remote period — probably by the pre-his- toric race of mound builders. The mica mining has brought to light a great many new mineral species. Sa3'S Professor Kerr: "The mica nnnes carry a larger number of rare and complex combi- nations than those of any other description. The corun- dum mines in the chrN'Solite ledges have also added to the catalogue a number of rare minerals, and some new to science." ^Concerning diamonds, we are told that "this rare gem has been repeatedl}^ found in North Carolina," although no attempt has ever been made to prosecute a search for it. Various diamonds are described, some perfect crys- tals of the first water, and an instance is recorded of a beautiful black diamond found by some persons while washing for gold. .Many other gems have been discov- ered — those of the first order sparingly, but the inferior stones, in large quantities. Emeralds, rubies, sapphires and amethysts have been found in various places: but ber3d, garnet, tourmaline, chalcedony and chrysolite are widely distributed, and the first two are described as existing in beautiful crj^stals, some of which weigh as much as ten pounds. In one of the counties east of the Blue Ridge the first regular mining for gems ever undertaken was almost immediately rewarded by the finding of the new and beautiful stone "hiddenite" or^lithia-emerald. Of this stone Mr. G. F. Kunz, in a paper read before the New York Academy of Science, says: "Lithia-emerald or hidde- nite is to the species spaldumene precisely what emerald is to the species beryl. It is to-day not only the most lO beautiful of Attierican gems, but like the emerald, has taken its place araono- the gems of the highest rank and value. As regards value, it has been sold for the price of diamonds of equal size. This is the £rst purely Ameri- can g-em, and its remarkahlc beautj^ merits the highest praise." When one considers that, looking back through ages to the dimness of historic twilight, v^^e find the great gems of the first order as we know them now% the most enthusiastic mineralogist could scarcely have hoped that the old earth would, at this period of her existance, jdeld out of her bosom a new sister for these royal stones. But since this has come to pass, what other marvels may not be hidden in these mild and beautiful fastnesses, where nature herself seems to meet us face to face and welcome us to a land where she has lavished everything that is her's to give? For no treasure, were it of "gold and a multitude of jewels," could surpass that which the country already possesses in its incomparable natural beauty. But let the lover of nature and science go forth into the wilds which surround him and invite him with such irresistable fascination, and if he be a true lover, he will find nothing to deter, but much to interest at every step. He will soon perceive that the vast chains of the Blue Ridge and the great Smokj-, which encircle this "Land of the Sky"— the Blue Ridge bending like a bow, the Smoky forming the string to the bow, are but its out- ward ramparts. Between them lies an elevated region 250 miles in length, with an average width of 50 miles, across which runs several great chains of heights. From the latter, spurs lead off in all directions, while between them are valleys of exquisite beauty and rare fertility through each valley sweeps a noble river, fed by a hun- dred minor tributaries, on its way to the great Smoky. For the Blue Ridge, despite its lesser elevation, is the watershed of the region, and is not severed by a single stream, while the more massive barrier of the western chain is torn asunder by the great rivers that cut their way through it in gorges of wild sublimity. The two great encircling ranges, after embracing this region in a w^ide sweep, draw near to each other in the northeastern extremity of Mitchell county, where, with- in a short distance, stand two famous heights, which Professor Guyot has called "the two great pillars on both sides of the North Gate to the high mountain re- gion of North Carolina" — the Grandfather, the highest peak of the Blue Ridge, and the majestic Roan of the Smoky — while between them stands the transverse up- heaval known as Yellow mountain. In the beautiful val- leys that lie between this height and the massive chain of the Black mountains flow those crystal streams which are the head-waters of the Nolechucky. Beyond the Black, comes the widest and longest of mountain valle3'^s, that of the beautiful and famous French Broad, which after uniting its three forks in the upper end of Transylvania county, flows through an arcadian valley, abounding in fertile loveliness and fram- ed by azure heights, until at Asheville it enters among the hills, through which it cuts its way in a constantly deepening gorge for thirty-eight miles, meriting well its Cherokee name, Tahkeeostee, "Racing River." Going westward from Asheville, and crossing the New- found mountains, the traveler is in the high valley of Haywood county, through which winds the lovely Fig- ean river. The country is of a fertility equal to its beau- ty. It IS impossible to imagine anything miore charming — blending of pastoral gentleness with the boldest and grandest features of mountain scenery — for here rises, near at hand, the great chain of the Balsam. Following the beautiful valley of the Pigeon and its 13 tributaries into the noble heights where they rise, one is surrounded bj^ immense forest-clad mountnins, of which the peaks lift their heads more than 6,000 feet in upper air, when mighty escarpments of rock contrast with in- finitely rich and varied verdure of the virgin wilderness, and wheie, in trackless gorges and deep chasms, the roar of unseen cataracts alone breaks the silence of soli- tude. Beyond this massive range, whi.;h for forty-five miles presents a barrier that no waters pierce, is another infi- nitelv diversified mountain and valley and stream. This is the valley of the Tennessee and its great tributaries, the Tuckaseege, the Nantihala and the f^cona Lufta. The last named, one of the loveliest of mountain rivers, flows through the rich land of the Indian reservation — for here 50,000 acres of the finest lands in Western Carolina, are secured by the State to the Eastern band of Cherokees— and empties into the Tuckaseege just before the latter river joins the Tennesssee, Among these heights the cr\^stal river, swift as an ar- row for the most part, has many vicissitudes and wears many different aspects; now leaping down a wild gorge in stupendous falls, and again flowing through a beau- tiful and romantic vallej^ overlooked by wooded hills. But in theNantahalaistobefoundtheraost picturesque river of all this region, Its name signifies, in the Chero- kee tongue, "Noonday sun," from the fact that the moun- tains stand so closelv about it that the sunlight only strikes it during the middle of the day. This river is in Macon county, and during most of its course it flows at the feet of precipitous crags, through vast forests and down inaccessible slopes. A traveler thus describes a view of its valley after cross- ing Red Marble Gap: "The first view of it will cause you to rise in your stirrups. It is a narrow valley with one farm house lying in the foreground. Around it rises massive mountain walls perfectly perpendicular, veiled in v(^oods and in height fully 2,000 feet. Directly before you is a parting of the tremendous ranges, and through this steep-sided gap, purple lines of mountains rising one behind the other, bar the vision. The picture of these far away ranges in the subdued coloring of distance, is of inspiring grandeur. The river is unseen at this point, but if the Checwah mountain road is ascended, its white line of waters will be visible as it issues from the wild gorge at the head of the valley, and bickering along between wood-fringed banks, at length disappears in the wilderness leading toward the great ga;j." But it would extend the present article far beyond the limit possible to allow in this little book, to describe in detail the varied, picturesque scenes which this beautiful and as yet only partially explored country contains. A volume would be required to do them justice" We shall now devote our space to a description of the different places of interest— to the tourist and the health seeker — their attractions and how to reach them,&c., &c. ASHEYILLE. The history of this beautiful little mountain cit^s dates back to about the year 1812, when it was known only as a trading post, where the red men and the palefaces would assemble to trade and barter and drink whiskey, and otherwise amuse themselves. About the year 1833 the town was incorporated under the name of Morristown. This name was afterwards dropped and the name of Asheville given to the place in honor of Samuel Ashe, of New Hanover. For more than a quarter of a century, Asheville was nothing more than a sleepy little mountain village with but few attractions, and known as a summer resort only to a few wealthy Southerners, who made their waj^ each year across the mountains in their private conve3\Hnces H or in the old mountain sta^e coaches, to spend the sum- mer at some of the fine watering places in the neighbor- hood. It was not until about 1882 when the first railroad was completed to the town, that Asheville began to be known to any very great extent ; numbering at that time onh^ about 2,500 souls. About this time a new era dawned, and new life and energy was enthused into the sleepy old town. Capitalists and health seekers began pouring in and have continued to come, until millions of capital have been invested, and thousands of health seekers have flocked here from all parts of the country and have invested and located permanentl3^ The location of Asheville seems to have been designed b\^ nature for man's happiness; when weary and tired, the man of business may rest and recuperate his worn out energies in order to prepare for the duties of life de- volving upon him. Situated at an elevation of 2,250 feet above tide-water, with the beautiful Swannanoa and French Broad rivers flowing at its feet, while on every hand towering mountains pierce the clouds, and genial, soft, yet bracing 'atmosphere, in the midst of enchanting scenerj^ This fair "'Land of the Sky," has been theinspi- ration of the romancer's pen and the artist's pencil. No other spot combines so fine a climate, an air so pure and invigorating, and scenery so charming and pictur- esqe. Rev. Dr. T. Dewitt Talmage, who recently spent several months here, in conversation with a reporter, gave ex- pression to the following about Asheville: "The pen of a Longfellow or the brush of a Messonier, cannot do it justice. Here I sit and watch nature in all her grand formations. Wonderfnlly grand and majestic, these silent sentinels of God's own handiwork; beautiful and charming, these fertile valleys, ripe with the golden grain of harvest-time, refreshing and soothing these mountain 15 streams of fine crystaline water, wending their way to the ports of commerce, navigation anrl trade; restfuland passive, this skyland, with panoramas of floating beauty in ever changing clouds; recuperative and health-restor- ing, this oxj'genated and balsamic air fresh and uncon- taminated, giving new zest to life and buildmg np worn out tissues of the human frame. "It is indeed a garden of recuperation. All the condi- tions seem favorable. If there is anyone who is so con- stituted that enjoyment can be had in life and can't find it here, rest assured that such a person will not be able to find enjoyment in heaven when he gets there. What more can one ask for than healthful climate, pure air, good water, unsurpassed scenery and congenial people ? Western North Carolina to-day ofiers more solid comfort, hope and happiness to the invalid and health-seeker, than the whole Materia Medica from the time of Escalapins down to the present time.*' To sum up the whole matter in a nut shell, here 'is a section, grand, healthy and mountainous, that must of necessity command alarge influx of emigration; a section in which nature has done everj^tbing and offers every essential to human happiness. The woods, the vales, the running streams, stand in their primitive and lovely, but rough grandeur In these secluded vales, beneath the highest mountains in the United States east of the Rockies, are homes ready for the hardy emigrant who desires to find a spot similar to the haunts of his infancv, where he may fruitfully ex- pend the labor of his manhood and pass his after years in peace and prosperit3^ Asheville has now a joopulation of over 10,000, and with her present railroad facilities — there being four lines leading into the city — the trip to Asheville can be made in Pullman Palace Cars with as much ease and comfort as in any part of the country, it being only seventeen hours ride from Washington or Cincinnati. The approach from either direction is through some of the most magnificent scenery on the continent. From the East the route presents a series ol pictures full of the wildest grandeur. At Morganton the panorama begins. Two giant rocks, either one four thousand feet in height, stand like mighty sentinels on each side of the Linville river, which here escapes from between their granite walls. Passing on through the valley of the Catawba, the native habitat of the grape of that name, the scenery becomes even more wild and broken. But nearer the summit of the Blue Ridge there bursts upon the view a scene which for picturesqueness and grandeur is not surpassed in America. We see a pile of lofty mountains whose sides are clothed from base to dome in evergreen pines and balsams. Down the moun- tain-sides leap streams of clearest water, forming a suc- cession of beautiful cascades and quiet pools. Here the railro>ad climbs by a tortuous path, winding over trestles, through tunnels and along shelving rocks, in its panting journey to the summit, where the waters part which flow to the Atlantic shore and to the Gulf. At this point the train passes through a tunnel 1,800 feet long, from which it emerges to make the descent of the western slope. Now it rapidly glides down the valley crossing and recrossing at intervals the romantic Swanna- noa. It sweeps round the curve formed by the meeting of the waters of the French Broad with those of the former stream, and soon draws up at the depot, where numerous busses and carriages and electric railway cars, are in waiting to bear the expectant traveler to his mountain home. Or, if we approach Asheville from the West, having come from Cincinnati or Louisville, the trip is no less charming. Forty miles away the train enters the grand 17 canon of the Frencb Broad, so narrow in places that the jealous river will scarcely permit the passage of the iron track. Hemmed in by wall and water the traSn sweeps by palisades, painted rocks, river islands, and the famous Warm Springs, where water warm enough for a baby's bath boils out of the bubbling sands forming inviting pools. In the ride up the valley of the French Broad, the rapid river, famed for its romantic scenery, is seldom lost to sight, but presents ever-changing viem-s of most enchant- ing beauty. THE CLIMATE. It is its pleasant and salubrious climate, together with magnificent and attractive mountain scenery, which makes Asheville such a popular resort for invalids and tourists. It is far enough South to insure a mild winter, while its altitude is so great as to create a cool summer. Thus this favored spot is the only one in this country which invites both the summer and winter visitor, and offers a pleasant residence throughout the entire year. The mountain region of Western North Carolina, has long been favoroably known for its healthful climate, especially for its beneficial effects, in pulmonar3" affections, and there are many people now living here who cameten, twenty, and some even a greater number of years ago, in various stages of pulmonary disease, and after recov- ering cho.se it as their permanent home. It is, however, only within the last few years that its fame has become very widespread, but so rapidly has it gro\"n in popular favor that its position as a resort is already well established, and hundreds of invalids and tourists in both summer and winter now visit Asheviile in search of health and pleasure. The mountain air is pure and bracing, there is a large proportion of sun-shiny days when out-door exercise — so important to those who suffer from lung disease— can be indulged in. i8 It is a rare exception to find those who come here in search of health, fail of prompt and decided benefit. And those cases especially which come in the earlier stages can be assured of complete and permanent recovery. RAINFALL. This region has no rainy season; that is to say, the precipitation of moisture is quite equally distributed throughout the year, being excessive at no time. If any- thing, more rain falls in the summer months, when it is most welcome and causes no inconvenience; whereas the w^inters are comparativeh" dry, thus permitting the enjoy- ment of out-door life. What little snowfall there may be never remains long even on the highest mountains, and its stay in the vallcA^scan generally be measured by hours. The average rainfall in in-hes of the different seasons, for a period of eleven years, is shown as follows: Spring 10.1 in. Summer 13.5 " Autumn 7.1 " Winter 9 5 " Total 40.2 in. TEMPERATURE. In a series of nine 3'ears the mercury did not rise above 90° F. any day in summer. The nights are always cool, permitting refreshing sleep. In winter it is very seldom that a zero temperature is reached, while the air is com- fortable, dry, clear, and mvigorating. The record at Asheville shows the following tempera- ture for the seasons : Spring 54.3° F. Summer 71.3° Autumn 55.3° ** Winter 37.2° " Year 55.3° F. SALUBRITY. This feature i*^ characteristic of the country adjacent to the Blue Ridge. No other range of long settled counties can show so small a ratio of mortality as those that lie at the western base of the Blue Ridge. The following table gives the ratio of consumption in several sections of the country. The figures indicate the number of deaths from this disease in every one thousand deaths: Northern New England (nearly) 250 Minnesota and California 150 Kentucky and Tennessee 109 Western North Carolina 30 But the ratio of consumption generated in a country is not a test of its relative capacity for promoting recovery when the disease is established. The lowlands of the South generate a much less ratio than the colder regions of the North, and yet, as the statistics of mortality in the army clearly show, they tend quite as much, if not more, to promote its progress when existing. The hot, moist Southern atmosphere by inducing debility and fever hastens the progress of the disease. On the r>f^^Ler hand, the extreme cold of higher Northern latitudes proves atal by exhausting the small heat-pro- ducing capacity of the consumptive. A moderately cool and highly invigorating atmosphere has been found to be by far the most favorable. Altitude has come to be recognized as indispensable to any considerable propor- tion of recoveries. It is, in fact, one of the most impor- tant conditions. The beneficial effects in almost all cases are felt soon after reaching the bracing air of this mountain region. Very soon after arrival the appetite improves, the cough is moderated, night-sweats cease, and the patient enjoys more refreshing sleep. And accompanyinglthis^iraprove- 20 ment there is a feeling of increased strength and vigor. This region possesses a greater number of conditions fa- vorable to recovery from lung diseases than any other part of the United States. Prof. Dickson, of Jefferson Medical College, Philadel- phia, states that the health of himself and family has nowhere improved so much as in Asheville. He is "not aware of any other spot in Europe or America so full of all that is desirable" as the country of Asheville. Asheville, for many years, was known as a Summer resort only, but since the erection of several large all-the- 3^ear round hotels, its fame has gone forth throughout the ixorthern States, and to-day Asheville is a greater Winter resort for the Northern people than it ever was a Summer resort fur the Southerner. Now the advantage of the climate, both in Summer and Winter, is so well known that the town is full of visitors the year round, and the crowds are growing larger all the time. The wealthiest men in the world have turned their attention to Asheville, and are buying property here. Baring Brothers, the great London bankers, have recently made a long visit here. Also Mr. George Vanderbilt has pur- chased some eigbt thousand acres of land within one mile of the corporate limits, and is now preparing to improve the grounds and build a magnificent residence. Ex-President Cleveland and his excellent lady paid a visit to this place recently, and they expressed themselves de- lighted with our little city and its surroundings. Dr. T. DeWitt Talraage said when he was here, that "a man who could not be happy in Asheville would not enjoy Heaven." CHURCHES. Asheville has sixteen churches, representing almost as many different denominations, and there are but few places where there is as good attendance at church as in Asheville, — in fact, every one attends church. Business ill ;i,^v 21 is entirel,v suspended on the Sabbath, and but few of the liverymen will hire a horse on Sunday. Business houses are closed; and, in fact, the morals of the place are unex- celled anywhere, SCHOOLS. The educational facilities of Asheville, already surpass- ing those of most cities of its size, are rapidly becoming equal to what can be found in any city of the country. The public schools of the city, supported by local taxa- tion and the city's part of the State fund, are open to all children between the ages of six and twenty-one years, and afford ample opportunity for every child to receive such an education as will fit it for successful manhood or womanhood. The course of instruction and training in these schools extends through ten years of ten months each; and the methods of teaching and discipline are based on the most improved principles of modern peda- gogery. Much of the success of the school is due to the fact that they have been, from their first organization, under the supervision of a Board of Trustees composed of liberal .ainded gentlemen, who spared have no reason- able pains or expense to put them in the first rank for effi- ciencj^ and thoroughness. The Asheville Female College, President S. N. Barker, is located in handsome buildings situated in most beau- tiful grounds, and is widely known as one of the best in- stitutions for the higher education of girls. It has annu- ally a large and increasing attendance of pupils from almost ever^^ State in the Union. The Home Industrial School and the Oakland Inn In- dustrial School do a much needed work, done by no other schools in the State. The Ravenscroft School, under the management of the Episcopal Church, and the Asheville Military Academy provide for the higher education of the boys. These schools, together with a number of excellent 22 private schools, make Asheville one of the best educa- tional centers in the South, and insure to the immigrant every advantage in this respect to be found anywhere. Asheville has four banks, three club rooms, a good pub- lic library, a Y. M. C. A., and as kind, and hospitable people as can be found on the globe. Asheville can boast of more and better hotels than any other city of its size in the United States, there being not less than a dozen regular hotels, all of which furnish first class accommodations, and at very reasonable rates. Some of these hotels cost as much as $200,000, and are kept open the entire 3^ear, in fact there has not been a time since the opening of the hotels when they could have closed for a single da}^ while most of the time they have been unable to accommodate near all who have applied for rooms. In the matter of boarding houses,'AsheviIle will lead both as to number and quality of the boarding houses, there being at least one hundred first-class boarding houses in the city and immediate vicinity where board can be had at from $20 per month to prices ranging as as high some of the hotels, according to the accommoda- tions desired. INDUSTRIAL. Ashevillle has an ice factory, one door, sash and blind factory, one cigar factory, three large planing mills, two Siloe factories, a carriage and wagon factory, a machine shop and foundry, a first-class flouring mill, one of the largest furniture factories in the South, and a large cot- ton factory working more than four hundred hands. Asheville has the best system of water works to be found anywhere. The water is brought in pipes over the top of "Beaumont" to the city from near the head waters of the Swannaiaoa, and then filtered before it enters the 23 city, consequently it is absolutely pure. This supply is inexhaustible, and is furnished exceedingly cheap to the consumer. Asheville has her streets lighted with electric light towers, one hundred and twenty-five feet hi^h, placed at proper intervals over the city, with arc and drop lights, and night is almost tumed into day. Asheville has a street railway operate by electricity; and the tourist or visitor is met at the depot by the street ears an conveyed to any part of the city for fiye cents. The citj-- is also supplied with gas of the best quality at a very cheap rate. A splendid system of sewerage has just been completed, and almost every house can now be accommodated with electricitv, water, gas, the telephone, and sewerage. The free delivery of the mail is being established, as Ashe- ville is entitled to the same. What more advantages can be had anywhere? Asheville has a fire company and a splendid hook and ladder company. • There are now four railroads running into the city, and there is good prospect of three others. Asheville has some of the finest residences to be found anyMihere, and she numbers among her population several million- aires. The livery stables are numerous, and some of the finest horses both for riding and driving are to be found here, and that is a very fashionable amusement both for residents and visitors. Those coming for health or jjlea- sure would do well to bring riding habits with them. The drives are beautiful and the roads are good. One hundred thousand dollars has been appropriated by the General Government to build a Government Court- house and Post-office at this place, which is now under course of construction. The streets are macadamized and the sidewalks are nicely paved, and during the day the streets are crowded 24 with private vehicles or parf ies on horse-back going to resorts in the vicinity or on excursions to the mountains or the beautiful val!e5^s in the surrounding countr^^ The hotels are gay at night, and music and dancing is "the order of the da^^" for all who enjoy it. There are in all twelve hotels in Asheville, good and desir- able places, but we have not space to separately mention them. There are also many boarding houses — about one hundred, in fact, nearly everybodj' keeps boarders. There are many good houses in the city for rent, and more be- ing bttilt. Furnished rooms can be rented for lighthouse- keeping for $5 to $S per month. Unfurnished houses of eight to twelve rooms can be rented for $25 to $35 per month. Small cottages rent for $6 to $10. Good board can be obtained in any part of the city, ranging in price from $20 to $50 per month. The market is well supplied with everything that can be had anywhere; vegetables always fresh and nice, and ver}-- cheap; fruit in abundance; the test of milk and but ter; no better beef can be found anywhere, at 10 to 12^ cents per pound; groceries and dry goods as cheap as can be purchased in any Northern city by retail. It wnll be seen that the cost of living here is no more than any- where else and much cheaper than in most places. BUSINESS AND IMPROVEMENTS. As a business place Asheville is not surpassed by an3^ Southern eity. The energy and push with which busi- ness is conducted here is equaled onij^ in the West. That the reader may have some idea of the amount of business and the rapid growth and enterprisejofthe city, we briefly enumerate the following : The city's trade last year amounted to $6,750,000, in round numbers, and more than half a million dollars were invested in new business and dwelling houses. There are now under contract and being constructed about fiftv new buildings, including a Government Court- 25 house and Post-office to cost $100,000; a new opera house, $50,000; and five l^rs^e three-story brick business houses, not less than $10,000 each. The improvements mentioned are all on Patton Avenue, and within the space of one square. The sound of the hammer and the hum of machinery is heard from morning until night. NEWSPAPERS. There are two daily papers, the "Citizen" and the "Evening [ournal," both good papers. There aro several weekly papers. The ''Baptist" and the '"Methodist," both weekly, are two good denominational papers; the "Tobacco Journal." weekly, and the "Country Homes," monthly, and several other papers and periodicals are published in Asheville. DESCRIPTIVE. Thousands of people resort to this place yearly, seek- ing health and pleasure and rest; costly equipages go rattling over the streets; splendid horses go prancino- along the avenues, bearing beauty and chivalry, wealth and joy, poetry and song, to the numerous romantic re- treats, beautiful mountain views and gushing springs which abound in this lovely region. Ever\'body is gay in this joyous season, and Nature rejoicesnvith her ad- mirers. Nothing can excel the brilliant^ flowers of the mountains. First, the graceful azaleas, bending under their load of red and yellow lily-like blossoms; 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 bril- 36 liant display. No other 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. He can take pleasant walks or rides and drives in every direction to points of special interest, as follows: Batterj^ Park, Beanmont, Fernihurst, Tahkeeostee Farm, Richmond Hill, Elk Mountain, Tennent's View, French Broad River, Strawberrj- Hill, Swannanoa River, Yellow Sulphur Springs, Chalybeate Springs, Arden Park, White Sulphur Springs, Hickory Nut Falls, Bald Mountain (of volcanic notoriety). Cave of the Winds, Pools, Chimney Rock, Pisgah Mountain (altitude 5,757 feet). Mount Mitchell (altitude 6,717 feet), Oakland Inn, Riverside Park, Gouche's Peak, SuUvSet Drive, Reeras' Creek Falls, Craggy Mountain, Hot Springs, Skyland Springs, Ceesar's Head, etc., etc. He will luxuriate in a climate which for pleasantness cannot be excelled any- where on the face of thef globe, if equalled. RESOURCES. Western North Carolina is not onlj- exceedingly fertile, but abounds in the richer minerals, and needs but the magic wand of the capitalist waved over it to become one of the richest sections of this Union. Occupying one- third of the entire area of the State, and possessing more than a quarter of a million of inhabitants, its present prospects ore b^^ no means disagreeable; but its promi- nent citizens, of all walks of life, are anxious for immi- gration and development of the rich stores of gold, iron, copper, mica, etc., now buried in the hills. Let no one fancy that this mountain region is undesirable as an agri- cultural country; there are few richer and better adapt- ed to European emigration. The staple productions are tobacco, corn, wheat, rve, oats and hav; all vegetables grow abundantly, and the whole country is admirably fitted for grazing. The level bottom lands are under fine cultivation; the uplands and slopes produce rich wheat? the ash, the sugar maple, the hickory and the oak are abundant; the white pine is rafted down the Pigeon Riv- er in large quantities yearly. But the exceptional fertili- ty 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 vege- table mold, in which grow flourishing trees £nd rank grasses. Five thousand feet above the sea level one finds grasses and weeds that remind him of the lower swamp region. 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 war thinned out their stock, the farmers kept hundreds of cattle on the mountains, feeding entirely on grass. The valleys of the French Broad and Swannanoa offer for all kinds of husbandry an inviting field, while the cli- matic conditions are more than favorable. Agriculture is one of the interests 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 ev- ery variety, black walnut, chestnut, locust, poplar, black birch, cherry, maple, sycamore, mulberry, sassafras, dog- wood, and other well-known varieties of native woods. Nearly 160 minerals, simple andcompound, are found in Western North Carolina, many of them being extremely rare and of great value. In the French Broad valley gold exists in many localities, while future explorations will no doubt lead to other discoveries. This country pos- sesses literalh' mountains of wealth in mica, this section supplying nearly one-half the demand throughout the w^orld. 28 FRUIT GROWING, As a fruit-growing section Western North Carolina en- joys peculiar advantages. Apples, peaches, pears and apricots thrive well, and find a congenial home among these mountains. As for apples, there is probably no ^art of the country where they flourish so well as in this section. The Centennial m.edal at Philadelphia awarded for fine apples was taken by Capt. Natt Atkinson, of this place, who was engaged in fruit growing at that time near Asheville; and in the following year, at the Ameri- can Poniological Society's meeting, in the city of Balti- more, the same gentleman was awarded the Wilder med- al for one hundred varieties of the finest apples. Following will be found a brief description of each place of interest about Asheville, and throughout Western North Carolina, their distance from Asheville and the best and safest way to reach them, &c., &c. It might be well to state here that parties making ex- cursions to any of these places should not be in too great haste, as without plenty of time, in most cases, the trip will be fatiguing and unpleasant. "beaucatcher." 1v,-., This is the local name of the elevated grounds just east of the city, and to the right of the gap in the ridge near the city Resovoir or Standpipe, and about one-half mile distant from the Public Square. There is no point about the city that better repays the rambler than a climb to this beautiful height to see the sunrise or sunset. To reach this point, enter College street at the north- east corner of Court Square, and drive out past the Female College to the east end of College street, where you turn to the right into the drive leading up the moun- tain, past the Standpipe, to the gap. Here you enter the grounds of Mr. Haz'/ard. to the n's^ht, but take the left- hand drive which leads up the eiist side of the ridge to 29 the right of the Gap, follow the drive to near Mr. Haz zard's house on the summit, where 3'ou get a very fine view of the city and the monntains to the west. Now turning to the left, follow the ridge drive which leads along the ridge southward for more than a mile, winding around the end of the ridge and returning by the same route to near the residence . you turn down the drive to the left at this point, which bnngs you back to the Gap. From this point, if you wish to visit TOWN MOUNTAIN, Take the drive leading up the ridge to the left of the Gap, which winds around the beautiful residence and grounds of Mr. J. E Brown, and on to the top of the mountain about one-half mile from the Gap. Here you get another fine view of the city, and being several feet higher than "Beaucatcher," you get a more extended view of the mountains in all directions. You can return by the same route taken in ascending. "sunset DRIVK." This beautiful and popular drive leads along the side of Smith's Mountain for a distance of three miles, afford- ing exquisite views of the city and mountains at almost every turn. Take College street, north of the Public Square, and turn into Oak street to your left at the College, follow Oak to Woodfin, turn to your right and follow Woodfin to Pine street, turning to your left follow Pine to the Winyah House, turn to the right into Broad street which will lead you to Sunset Drive; follow the drive to where it descends to the Beaver Dam road, bv which route you may return to the city. smith's mountain Is the high point just northeast of the city, and is a most delightful point for a morning trip on horseback. While 30 not so eas}'^ of access, the view from this height is superior to that from Beaucatcher or Town Mountain. Ride out College street to the mountain, turn to the left into Mountain Drive near the Old Reservoir, now keep the right-hand drive to the Gap on top of the mountain, turn to the left up the ridge which will lead you along- the top of the mountain, from w^hich point the view is almost unlimited. Return by the same route. "fernihurst."— connally's Is one of the most popular drives about the city. No visitor ever comes to Asheville without taking in this point. The road is always good and the drive the most pleasant, while the view is unexcelled. To the west may beseenMountPisgah, the Cold Moun- tains and some of the highest peaks of the Balsams; to the east is Crag-gy, with its numerous spurs, crowned with its pyramidal black dome, with the Black Moun- tains in the distance. The beautiful French Broad, wind- ing its way through the valley, seems to come afar from the base of Pisgah, with the Swannanoa flowing at your feet and uniting its waters with those of the former, while just beyond, encircled by the rivers, is the Vander- bilt Park stretching for miles away, making a scene of rare beauty. RICHMOND HILL. This pleasant drive is equaled onh'- by the Swannanoa drive. Its location is about four miles northwest of the citJ^ on an eminence overlooking the French Broad river, which may be seen like a great serpent winding through the beautiful valley for miles. Leaving Public Square, drive out Patton avenue to the first street on the right — Haywood — turn into chis street and drive around Battery Park to the electric light tower, corner of Haywood and Academy streets, turn into Academ3' street, which leads into the main drive, and down a pleasant slope to the French Broad. Here you cross the river on a magnificent bridge, the private property of Mr. Richmond Pearson, whose beautiful res- idence is near the summit of the drive. After crossing the river, the ^d leads up a wooded hill, winding back and forth by c^.. easy grade for about half a mile, then through an open field, where you get a very fine view of the river for two or three miles. The road from this point leads through another grove of stately oaks, then circles several times around the hill and up to the sum- mer house on top. Here you may feast your ej^es on landscapes stretching for miles away in every direction, affording many glimpses of the river, sparkling like silver through the trees. The return trip is over the same route. gouche's peak. While there may be other drives about the city more charming, and perhaps possessed of more beautiful bits of scenery, in our humble opinion there are none that will be more enjoyed by the true lover of all that is grand in nature, than a drive to Gouche's Peak. Here on this beautiful dome, nature unfolds her panor- ama without an end. On eYerj hand the view is unlim- ited. Mountains rise upon mountains until their lofty peaks seem to kiss the blue skj^, while at numerous places the waters of the French Broad glisten in the mellow light like a silver sheen. The ride or drive to this point may be a little arduous, but the laborer is well repaid for his toil. Leave Public Square by way of North Main street to Merrimon avenue, which takes 3^ou out the Beaver Dani road a mile from the city, to where the road forks, near a creek ; here turn to the left and proceed down the creek past an old mill, and about one-fourth of a mile beyond take the right hand road, which will lead you to the top of the peak. Returning, when you have reached the 3^ point where you left the creek, iristead of turning up the creek, cross the stream into a road leading- up the hill, and return to the city by this route. ELK MOUNTAIN Is five miles north of the city, and is quite a favorite ride or drive for many. The view from this high point is very fine, Follow the route described in the trip to Gouche'sPeak to where the road f'-'rks near the creek ; instead of turn- ing to the left, keep to the right past a little church on the right of the road, and proceed on the main road for about one half mile; here you pass a white church on 3^our right. When you have gone a few hundred yards beyond the church, turn to the left; follow this road to the top of the mountain, turning to the right; drive along the top of the mountain for about one and a half miles, to a point known as Buzzard Rock. From here you get a fine view and may slake your thirst at an ice- cold spring near by and rest before returning to the city. TAHKEEOSTEE. Tahkeeostee Farm extends along the west side of the French Broad River, opposite the passenger depot. This drive is a most delightful one, and affords many beauti- tiful views of mountain and river, as v/ell as a very fine view of the city. There are two routes to this point, one via Patton Avenue and across the . River on Smith's bridge. The other via South Main street, the passenger depot and the iron bridge near the mouth of the Swannanoa River. SWANNANOA. Swannanoa Drive is reached via South Main street to t'le iion bridge at Best; instead of crossing the bridge, turn to the left, drive up the river to the Water-works; returning, leave the river at Mr. Cheesborough's bridge 33 — the white bridije — turniii;^ U) the rij^ht and drive across neaucatohcr Mountaiti to the eitv. !«WANNANOA. »Y JACOl'KS, OP CHARUBRTON. S. C. [This bvautiful strcain rises in the Black Mountains and After a rollickin;^ rapid. lau^ihinK course of about 20 miles, buries its bvautiuil form in the French Mroad, two miles south of Asheville] Swannaiioa, nymph of beauty, I would woo thee in my rhyme; Wildest, bri.u^htest. loveliest river, or our sunny Southern clime! Swannanoa. well they named thee, In the mellow Indian toni^ue, Beautiful thou art, most truly, And lijLjht w(»rtliv to he suti.!^. I have stood by many a river Known to story and to sonj^— Ashley, Hudson, Suscjuehanna, Fame to which may well belout;; I liave camped by the Ohio, Tiod Scioto's fertile banks, I-'oliowed far the Juniata, In the wildest of her pranks- Hut thou reij^nest (pieen forever, Child of Appalachian hills, Winniui^ tribute as thou flowcst. From a thousand mountain rills. Thine is beauty, stren;^lh-l)e^otten. Mid tlic cloud-bei^irdled jjcaks. Where the patriarch of the mountain. Heavenward for thy waters seek. 34 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 voice, Fairy echoes in the wood. Peaceful sleep thy narrow^ valleys In the shadow of the hills. And thy flower enameled border All the air with fragrance tills ; Wild luxuriance, generous tillage. Here alternate meet the view ; Every turn, through all thy winding, Still revealing something new. Where 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 maiden. Who her limbs were wont to lave (Worthy bath for fairer beauty), In thy cool and limpid wave? Gone forever from, thy borders. But immortal is 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 th}^ beauty, — Linking over thee their hands. What more can be said of this, the loveliest of all rivers than is expressed in the above beautiful poem. Calm, 35 deep atiQ ^- flows onward beneath the cool shade of snarly trees .ch lorm perfect arches above, festooned by climbin,^ vines which dip their tendrils in its cooling waters. Wild ferns and flowers of every hue hang from rocks on either side, and bright-winged birds sing from a thousand boughs overhead, while shimmering sunbeams dance upon the sparkling waves below. I have stood upon its banks and looked down through its glassy waters and have seen a heaven below, and then looked up and beheld a heaven above, reflecting like two mirrors, each in the other, its moon/md planets and trembling stars. I have rambled up and down its pebble strewn banks Where the silence is broken only by the musical voice of "he murmuring waters, and where the darkness isbright- ned by the gleam of the sunlight flashed back through he tangled foliage, or the stray sunbeams that court alliance with the dancing water nymphs moving down- ward in their sportive life to calmer scenes below. Nowhere is there to be found a lovelier, more romantic ttle river, and one whose entire course abounds in such »rofusion and variety of its scenery, at every turn the ^e is greeted with a- new scene so enchanting as tocause \e beholder to believe himself walking in fairy land, here rivers of crystal purity sparkle in the sunshine, nd where flowers bloom in perennial beauty. Artist and Poet alike, have expended their talent in portraying the beauties of this the loveliest of rivers. The drive from Asheville is delightful and no visitor should fail to enjoy a trip up the Swannanoa. SULPHUR SPRINGS. This famous health resort is situated about four and a lalf miles south-west of the city. It was a ver3' popular jsummer resort for wealthy Southerners before the war, land up to the time the old hotel was burned. 36 This fine property is owned by Mr. E. G. Carrier, who has recently completed an excellent brick hotel and other- wise improved the grounds. The hotel and grounds have recently been leased for a term of years by Dr. von Ruck, of Ohio, to be fitted up and converted into a first-class sanitarium. An electric street railwaj^ is being built from the city to this place, which will, doubtless, make it at once the most popular resort in this entire section. The present route is down Patton Avenue from Court Square, across the river at Smith's Iron bridge and out the main road, which is one of the most pleasant drives about the city, WEAYER\^LLE. The carriage road to this beautiful country village is via the drive to Gouche's Peak, except that where you leave the creek to ascend the peak you should keep the main road for about three miles to Weaverville, but if you are horseback the route described in the trip to Elk Mountain ma^^ be taken as far as the top of the moun- tain, but instead of turning to the right, pass over the ridge and down the other side to the village. From near the top of the ridge you may see the town and get a splendid view of the valley as well. Weaverville has a pretty location, surrounded by lofty mountains and is becoming quite a resort for visitors and soon expects to have connection with Asheville bj an electric railway. The town has many handsome re- sidences, a first-class male college, a woolen factory, good hotels and stores, and a hospitable people. There are also valuable mineral springs said to possess won- derful medical properties. 37 BEAUTIES OF THE FRENCH BRO;\^D RIVER. TAHKEEOSTEE— RACI.'