52 RESOURCES OF TENNESSEE. 



wise separated sections, and was largely instrumental in the development 

 of the city of Chattanooga at the eastern terminus of this crossing. Ef- 

 forts were made for years to establish railway communication across the 

 plateau proper, but these were successful only in very recent years, when 

 the Tennessee Central was finally completed across the middle section of 

 the plateau through Monterey, Crossville and Crab Orchard to Rockwood, 

 following closely the route of the better of the two roads of pioneer days, 

 and utilizing almost the only practicable route for a trans-plateau railway. 

 Notwithstanding this, it is greatly handicapped by heavy grades en the 

 east and west margins of the plateau. 



Resources. The soils of the plateau are as a rule thin and sandy, and 

 yield, under the ordinary careless methods of cultivation, only scanty 

 crops. They are. however, under skillful management, capable of much 

 improvement. Grazing and fruit growing are among the most promising 

 agricultural pursuits, but the region can not attain its best development 

 until radical improvements are made in the methods of agriculture usually 

 practiced, and these improvements are matters of slow introduction. Over 

 most if not quite all of the plateau slavery was unknown, and the inhabi- 

 tants cared nothing for it and -had little or no interest in the problems that 

 grew out of it. During the Civil War, they either remained at home, or, 

 if they entered the contest, they divided along lines of cleavage made 

 possible by the existence of old family or neighborhood grudges and 

 feuds, and a good part of the fighting was 'of a local or guerrilla character 

 between bands of so-called home guards. The passions thus engendered 

 lingered for a time but have since died away, and the feud, as an institu- 

 tion, can hardly be said to exist in the Cumberlands today. Moonshining 

 is prevalent in certain communities, but is by no means universal, and the 

 moonshiner is not usually the desperado that the reporter and novelist 

 usually picture him to be. 



Social conditions. The population in some of the plateau counties is 

 practically at a standstill. Houses are often so widely scattered that the 

 inhabitants are greatly isolated, and suffer from the many effects of such 

 isolation. Such conditions make for monotony in life and prevent devel- 

 opment along many lines that are possible only in a more thickly inhabited 

 country. Schools, churches, roads, villages and other features of com- 

 munity life are but poorly developed. Living conditions in many cases 

 are correspondingly primitive. 



Present conditions are complicated in part of the region by the fact 

 that much of the land within the past few decades has passed into the 



