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Appalachian National Park Association Newspaper Clippings, 1899-1902

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  • I THE ASHEVILLE GAZ [NEW YORK HERALD'S ARTICLE. A Page Devoted to Southern National Park Movement. In last Sunday's New York Herald one page was devoted to the Southern national park. There are the following photographs by Lindsey reproduced: "Vanderbilt's Palaes the finest country seat in America/' and Red! Mkrble gap, Murphy branc'h Southern railway," and by Ray "Falls of the Whitewater, Sapphire," Mount Mitchell, highest mountain east of the Rockies," one scene of the French Broad and two of the Swanianoa. iWith the pictures is an article on the different national parks of the United States and the desirability of establishing a nation'al park here. The concluding paragraph, speaking of the relative merits of the Yellowstone national park and one In. the Blue Ridge says: . "Now compare 'the proposed park with [ that already established! in the Yellowstone. The latter has mo resources save tourist and government money. Its timber is worthless, its water power too far from trade centres to be utilized for mercantile purposes. T's climate is undoubtedly excellent during three months of the year, but so rigorous during the other nine that the park h'as 'then to be el'osed against visitors. Even during these three months its extreme western position (seventy- two hours rj'dle from Chicago) and its distance from any markets makes it financially inaccessible to people of moderate means living east of the Mlsslsippl. "The Blue Ridge on the contrary has that is delightful at any sea- if the year and as It Is onlv twenty-four hours travel from Ohicagfo, New York or New Orleans, the mass of the population! of the east, even those nf moderate circumstances., cou'd readily avail 'themselves of the advantages it offers as a' he'alt'h and pleasure resort." Other extracts from the Herald's a-- tirlr are as follows: Tlnclo Sam Was a national park. lied, in the Yellowstone region of Wyoming. Sb much for the far west. tie has another nark, net officially oiitvbod national but which none the less is his, and not state property, on (Mackinac island. Mich. In addition, durincr the present session of congress he will Tae petitioned! to establish a. national park and reservation, consisting of 700.000 acrw of pine land, in Minnesota. So much for the north and middle west. , What of'the east? What of the south? ! Tt is possible, of course, that Uncle Sam may some day appropriate to nail uses the magnificent Ne^- York f5¥ate park at Niagara bulls, If the state wdll let go of it. That wiould be eastern enough to suit all of the in- hiatbitants of the North Atlantic states, and, Incidentally, those of the im- a\ou mnos am ma -isoav ayBtpsui comes forward with a scheme for a pterk whose location will be as specifically attractive to the former and may commend Itself generally to the nation. "This prelect is to establish a grand national park and rrhmo preserve in the mountain region of Western North Carolina. The exiet sp'-vt 'to foe selected for the purpose in these vast stretches of virgin forest Is not vet teceiioioeil, nuL Uie nauon coulel ha.i«is fo wrong In any part of the territory. The late Prof. Gray, of Harvard college, pre-eminent among American botanists, has said of a thirty-mile stage trip which he took through the high plateau surrounding HlghT-mds, N. C, that he enountered a greater variety of species of in-diigenOus trees than coaild be observed on a European trip from Turkey to England, or an American trip from the Atlantic coast Ito the Rocfey mountain piteau. Th> 'unrivaled climatic advantages of these mountain stretches have 'been theoretically demonstrated by phy=icians ail Over the country, and practically exploited, not only by native citizens of the state, but "by the Vanderbilts, the Roeblings and others wtho have built palatial residences in the neighborhood of Asheville, N. C Their natural 'beauties have been extolled! by travelers and sightseers. "These mountain heights, Ave and six thousand feet albOve sea level, are intersected by picturesque streams and waterfalls, by gorges, chasms and canyons, covered with primeval forests of enormous hemlocks oaks, pines avd chestnuts, and with matchless masses of rhodendron and calmia. enriched with mineral wealth and are stocked! I with a superabundance of game and | fish. . j "There is one difficulty atviut the 1 proposed site. The land belorngs <>n- ! tirely to individuals. The state c'ould Wave no voice in their disposal. The cost to the government is roughly estimated at from $2 to $3 per acre, exclusive of the 23,000 acres 'belonging to the Toxa,way company, which has already spent some $100,000 in improvements. The promoters of the scheme believe, however, that, at an outlay of a. million dollars, or even more, the government could not make a better Investment, owing to the lnereasin. value of timber land. Indeed, were the park placed, as Is proposed, irt the hands of a practical forester, it could supply enough timber annually to pay t'he Interest on the capital. Cut the trees at maturity andl let others grow up to fill their places. Do more than this—utilize the never-failing streams as water power, and they will eventually furnish the electricity to turn the hulk of the cotton spindles of the country." ODD MOUNTAIN RACE. THEY ARE COPPER, COLORED. To Establish a Natfon-I Park. Asheville, N. C, Special.—A call rns been sent out by the parks ana forestry committee of the Asheville b~a d of trade to all persons interested :'n forest preservation and in the establishment of a national Southern pa k in the Alleghany Mountains for an inter-State convention, to be held heio November 22. The purpose of the co.i- venbxm is to form a permanent association to induce Congress to establ'sb a national Southern park and to influ- t»w ^srislatlotn in favor of scientific Iorc:try. SPARE THOSE TREES The Seriate Favors the Preservation nl California (Hunts. Washington, March 5.—At the opening of the senate's session to-day Mr. Hansbrough (N. D.I reported a house joint resolution directing the secretary of the interior to place under bond the "Mammoth Tree Grove" and the "South Park Grove" of big trees, in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties, California, the idea being that the government acquire the groves. The resolution was adopted. Mr. Simon (Oregon) calling up the resolution on the seating of former Senator Quay, answered the speech of Mr. Carter of yesterday. He adverted to the reasons which Induced him to vote against Mr. Corbett, who was an appointee of the governor of Oregon. He said Mr. Carter had made the distinct charge that Mr. Corbett had corrupted the legislature and defeated the desire of the people of Oregon. He could not, he said, permit this "unjust and untrue" irge to go unchallenged. Temessee People Who Claim to Be Eescended from Portuguese Colony Had Trouble in Proving They Were Not African*. Speclu to The Chicago Record. Naihvllle, Tenn., July 4.—The most peculiar people among the mountaineers of Tennessee are the Malungeons. They are copp«r-colored, with high cheskbones, straight noses, black hair, rather coarse, black eyes, and have more intelligence than the ordinary mountaineers. Their color and their customs have caused them a great deal of trouble. The Malungeons number between 400 and 500. They live on Black Water creek, in Hancock county, and they have been in that section more than 100 years. The records of Hancock county show that their ancestors came to Powell's valley as early as 1789, when they took up lands on Black Water. Tradition says tint they held aloof from the white settlers and spoke a strange language, which lone of the pioneers understood. Some of them could speak broken English, and by this means communicated with the white merchants to the extent of buying arms aid ammunition and other supplies which they could not procure in the valleys of their mountain homes. Right t« Vote Challenged. Before the war the Malungeons had a I hard time in obtaining the right to vote ' and to send their children to the public I schools. The wiite citizens declared that they were negroes, and the matter was finally carried in.o the courts. It developed that the ancestors of these people emigrated to America about 160 years ago from the interior of Portugal, and had spent some time in South Caiolina before going to Tennessee. They declared on the witness stand, that there was not a drop of negro blood in their veins, and after long and tedious litigation they were allowed to vote and to send their children to school. When the war broke out in 1861 the Malungeons espoused the cause of the union. They fought In the usual mountain fashion —bushwhacking—and many a confederate soldier was killed by the unerring bullets of their riflemen. Whenever the confederates captured one of them he was shot I on the spot. After the war closed and the Malungeons returned to their old pursuits ! they found that the government was in- | terferlng with one of their chief industries —making whisky. They had been distillers back in South Carolina, and some of the earliest stills in Tennessee were brought by their ancestors over the mountains from their original settlement. They killed revenue officers, just as the other mountaineers did, for disturbing their stills. Of late years, however, the revenue men have been so persistent in the work of destroying the illicit traffic that the Malungeons have sold but little whisky openly. They still make moonshine whisky, but they have adopted the artful, dodging tactics of the other moonshiners of the Tennessee and Kentucky mountains, and it is rare that one of the race is caught. So far as known not one of the Malungeons has ever rode on a. traim. A Religious People. Their deep, religious nature is the most striking of all their characteristics. During their meetings they will sing and shout until almost beside themselves with religious fervor. One of the patriarchs of the Malungeons was Uncle Vard Collins. Many years ago a noted church bishop was traveling through the Black Water district. He accidentally came to Uncle Vard's house and asked to stay over night with him, a privilege readily granted. When he told the old man he was a preacher the patriarch said he would like to hear him preach. The bishop inquired where the congregation would come from. For answer his host took a long dinner horn from Its rack, and going outdoors blew several shrill blasts. Within an -hour 100 people had assembled, and showed great interest in the sermon. The Malungeons were whigs before the war, and since then have voted the republican ticket. Their customs have not changed in 200 years. They still live In one-roomed log cabins and use the old- fashioned, long-barreled rifle, which hangs over every door. They are warm-hearted and hospitable, and it Is claimed make the purest mountain brandy to be found. The family names are Gibson, Mulllns, Collins Wllkins and a few others. ^^^^^^™ SMALL PARKS NEEDED SHOlil.lJ BE LOCATED DIIW.V TOWN Minneapolis In Behind Many Cities of Km Si*.- in This He- speet. A Minneapolis citizen who is well posted upon the park system of this aud also many other American cities, is of the opinion that for B metropolitan city, Minneapolis is woefully deficient in the matter of small parks and squares through the business section. Enlarging upon the statement he said: We have undoubtedly a splendid , of parks. Minnehaha, with its large shaded area, is a beautiful resort, attractive because of the charming falls which is its chief feature. Lake Harriet and the park area in Its vicinity constitute a magnificent park. Glenwood park, Lake of the Isles and Columbia park are desirable acquisitions. But. after nil, none of these can be reached by our citizens except by carriage, wheel or car. So, also, residence sections are well supplied with small parks, as Fai-vlew. in the north end; Riverside, in the south; Loriug, in the western section, and Logan and Elwell, in the extreme northern and southern parts of the East .Side. But parks in our busl- siness section are an unknown quantity. Elliott park, which Is the nearest to the center of the city, is still over a mile from the city hall. No matter how much we feel our system is better than that of St. Paul, we must admit that that city has an ad- , vantage over us iu the matter of small- centrally located parks. In that city then five small parks withiu a radius of one- •fialf mile from the business center, affording breathing places In close proximity to the hotels, factories, business-houses and tenements, and attractive spots to catch the ( eye of visitors to ilie city. casual visitor to Detroit, although it may be impossible to sec the famous BeUe isle park, cannot fail to lie Impressed by '■any small, beautiful spaces iu its wholesale and retail districts. So if every city; what would we think of New york if it had no other parks than Central and the other large parks still further out? Simply that she showed no thought for the thousands of citizens who can spare neither aor money to make flic journey to these resorts. But New York has the necessary traits in Battery park; Union aud on squares, and many others. Nothing which this city could do would add i) its attractiveness than to tear down d city hall when the now one is Completed and make a park again of the triangle on which it stands. So, also, should the five acres where the EJxposIl secured, for, allowing remain standing, the; -mid, which will supply the central part of East Minis with the small pail; which in time be found essential to U of its nts. it would si hould not be al- nl that the members of the 'lini on that siih- i. the purcbl
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