34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



AT THREE FORKS ON LITTLE RIVER RAILROAD 



may be noted that the writer knew of a North Carolina farmer 

 ■who laboriously felled timber and split rails to fence his corn patch 

 for three successive years, and during each of the following winters, 

 rather than go a quarter of a mile to secure dry fuel, burned his 

 rails for firewood. This incident is typical of the nature and habits 

 of the Appalachian mountaineer class. 



This shiftlessness explains the wretched condition of roads in this 

 country. They are roads in name only, and were originally trails. If 

 a tree falls across one of them a new trail is made around it, rather 

 than resort to the little labor required to chop out the old one. Hence 

 distances are long in following a road or trail over the mountains. 

 The soil is well adapted to the making of good roads, and a well 

 built one lasts with very little repair for all time. Mountain roads 

 that were substantially built more than a half century ago are still 

 in a fair state of preservation, and little labor would maintain them 

 as good highways. The logging railroads built by many lumber- 

 men through this section will make the base for many equitably 

 graded, high-class turnpikes, while the lines of branch roads, log 

 slides and trail roads will make good branch roads. A few logging 

 railroads have been built in the mountains that are of such a sub- 

 stantial character and of so much necessity to the transportation 

 and development of the region, that they should be permanently main- 

 tained and electric power developed from the streams to operate them. 



Details Coxgrkss Did Not Know 

 To revert to the statement made in the initial paragraph of this 

 article in which it was suggested that Congress should not be accused 

 of knowing what it was about in enacting a law that made possible 

 the Appalachian Park: Here in this region are five million acres of 

 comparatively low priced mountain land, of which approximately 

 seventy-five per cent can still be regarded as timbered area, and 

 fifty per cent essentially virgin. To fulfil the intentions and purposes 

 of the bill it is not necessary that the government purchase the total 

 acreage. In fact provision is made in the enactment that resident 

 land owners shall not be disturbed in their possessions. Further, 

 there is no provision that the government should purchase land un- 

 suitable for park or re-forestry purposes. 



To practically control the water system of tliis region, to regulate 

 to a large extent the wasteful cutting of timber, to prevent or con- 

 trol the spread of forest fires, to make laws and enact them for the 

 restocking of the forests with game and the streams with fish, would 

 not necessarily require the government to purchase very much in 

 excess of two million acres — if the selections are made with good 

 judgment and discretion ; and amendments to the present bill followed 

 that would provide for a competent administration of the property; 

 for fire protection, game protection and against unlawful trespass. 

 Two million well selected acres covering the larger portion of the 

 higher altitudes, will include many deep coves, and streams far down 

 the mountains, and embrace many rich acres of soil adapted only for 

 timber growing purposes. These two million acres can probably be 



purchased for a sum well within the original amount named in the . 

 appropriation. How good a bargain the government can strike with 

 owners is unknown, but it is safe to say that an individual could go 

 into the market with cash and purchase two million acres of the best 

 of these lands, suitable for the purposes recognized in the bill, for ani 

 average price of five dollars per acre or a total sum of ten million 

 dollars. This price is made possible, when it is understood that the 

 government accords to vendors the privilege of removing, under 

 approved cutting regulations, the stand of saw timber now on the 

 lands that is twelve inches or more in size, according a considerable 

 time for this removal. Further it conserves to vendors the mineral 

 rights on the properties. The present salable value of a considerable 

 portion of these properties is from twenty to thirty dollars per 

 acre including the timber and minerals. 



Present Land Owners' Unenviable Situation 

 Very largely, the present owners of the usually quite large blocks 

 of land involved in this proposed park area, are in no enviable po- 

 sition. The great mass of these lands was purchased for its timber. 

 Reference has been made in this record, covering the history, character 

 and habits of the local inhabitants, almost wholly squatter title- 

 holders. They look witli no friendly eye upon the individual who 

 "makes title" to the thousand of acres surrounding their little 

 shack and patch of corn land. For a century they have been accus- 

 tomed to i-egard the entire mountain country as their own. They 

 have herded their cattle there; they liave hunted, trapped and fished 

 to their hearts' content; they have stripped the bark off a poplar 

 tree worth a hundred dollars to make a shelter for the night; they 

 have chopped a slab out of a curly ash or figured walnut for a gun 

 stock. In their minds the mountain forests were noliody's property 



QUILL ROSE, NOTED MOUNTAINEER, SWAIN COUNTY, 

 NORTH CAROLINA 



