314 THE CAROLINA MOUNTAINS 
shaving shingles by hand, those broad, strong shin- 
gles that add so much to the picturesqueness of a 
log house, and that last forever. 
As you drive on down Cane River, now along the 
bank, now crossing a wide ford, you see a village 
ahead of you very beautifully placed in an opening 
between surrounding mountains. This is Burnsville, 
one of the most important and interesting mountain 
villages north of Asheville. Here are schools as well 
as hotels, and from points in and near the village are 
superb views of the high mountains. Within a short 
time Burnsville has come into easy communication 
with the outer world by way of the railroad that 
crosses the mountains a few miles to the north of 
here, and it is safe to predict that this gem of the 
mountains will not be overlooked by those who are 
on the way with money and love and knowledge to 
help transform the wilderness for the few into an 
earthly paradise for the many. 
