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THE DEAF CAROLINIAN
PUBLISHED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, MORGANTON, N. C.
VOL. XXX. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1923. N0.24
SKETCH OF LINVILLE VALLEY, NATURE’S PARADISE
Within One Day’s Drive From the School, One May Visit This Beautiful Country and See the Great Wonders
of Nature’s Handiwork — May Be National Park
Teachers of the deaf who contemplate coming
to Morganton for the Summer School, as well as
our readers generally, will be interested in the
following description of that area <>i the Appala¬
chian Mountains partly in Burke County, known
as the Linville section, which has been so much
in the eyes of the country for several months as
the possible location for the National Park which
will be located somewhere in the south. The
story is taken from a newspaper account of a
visit by a party of prominent men last November
who were investigating with a view of making
recommendations to Congress. Any part of this
beautiful country can be reached within one day s
drive from the school. — Editor
“It is a region the beauty of which is
beyond description. For miles one tra¬
vels on the crest of the Blue Ridge with
one wheel in Burke County and one in Mc¬
Dowell ; where a dipper of water thrown
from one side of an automobile will trick¬
le along and ultimately find its way into
the Mississippi River and the Gulf, and
water thrown from the other side traveis
to the broad Atlantic. It is a region
guarded by rugged mountains and lofty
peaks from whose summit Gov. Bob Tay¬
lor of Tennessee used to tell his audiences
that he could stand and “tickle the feet of
the angles;” a region with cold crystal
streams and bold waterfalls; precipices
with a sheer drop of one thousand to two
thousand feet into the valley below; thick
undergrowth; balsam, mountain laurel,
the rhododendron and pure invigorating
air. It is nature’s paradise — the play¬
ground of the gods.
“The party left Morganton in auto¬
mobiles, going to Lenoir and thence over
the Lenoir to Blowing Rock road where
they feasted on the scenery of that mar¬
velous region. They stopped along the
way at various points of interest and had
dinner at the Watauga Inn. After dinner
they went on to the foot of Grandfather
mountain where a stop was made and
many in the party made the climb to the
summit of the famous mountain. It was
a hard climb, but the view from this spot
well repaid the mountain climbers for
their effort. Many in the party who had
traveled through the Alps, the Rockies
and other noted spots declared without
reservation that the view from Grand¬
father and Linville mountains was the
most wondrously beautiful they had ever
seen and were ready to use every effort to
have this region included in a national
park.
“The night at Linville City was a bit
cold, but at the Eseola Inn and in a home
across the golf course from the inn
plenty of blankets were provided and the
party enjoyed the crisp cold night. After
the sun dropped behind the peaks one
could almost feel it getting colder and
colder. In fact in this region it is near¬
cold in summer time. Scarcely a night,
one is told, even in July and August, but
what fires are started in the big living
rooms. It is necessary to chase away the
chill up here among the clouds — up here
where the snow birds nest.
“Down the Linville valley the next day
the caravan of automobiles wended its
way. Through the little villages — settle¬
ments they are now called — the party went
on down1 stream to a point near. Linville
falls, one of the most famous spots in this
whole section. There a stop was made
and members of the party walked to the
falls and to other points of vantage.
"From Ervin’s view one caught a glo¬
rious picture of valley, falls and moun¬
tain ranges. In places it looks as though
the waters of Linville have cut through
. olid rock to find an outlet. The stream
gushes and rushes over boulders, winds
under cliffs and then, free of its twistings
and turnings, goes dashing on down the
valley. Wiseman’s view is another de¬
lightful spot. It is about 1700 feet above
the river. Across the valley is Hawk’s
Bill, rising 2.300 feet above the bed of
the river.
“Hawk’s Bill is one of the most fascinat¬
ing peaks in the whole range of moun¬
tains. It is shaped like a hawk’s bill and
from that takes its name. But the most
interesting phase of the peak lies in the
fact that from several points along the
road the face of the peak resembles a
woman’s profile. It is said that William
C. Gregg, of the national park commission,
was the discoverer of the face in the rock.
He was making an inspection of the region
some time ago and stopped to view the
peak. The sun was shining brightly, the
clouds formed a back-ground and there
standing out in bold relief was this profile
of a woman. He called her the “Goddess
of Liberty.” Later in writing an article for
World’s Work he refers to her as the
“Maid of the Mist.” Not so long ago Mr.
Gregg made another trip into the Linville
valley section and again stopped to look at
Old Hawk’s Bill. Again the profile was
plain, even to a “curl” on the lady’s neck.
"1 have it.” he said, turning to a freind.
“She is the Goddess of Linville.”
“Another interesting peak not far from
Hawk’s Bill is Table Rock. It rises well
over 2,000 feet above the river and the top
appears as smooth as a table. At one end
of the rock as seen from across the valley
is the profile of George Washington. Near¬
by may be seen Shortoff on top of which
there is a lake or pond covering several
acres. The water is clear and cold. Also
there is a cold spring up there.
“Before reaching the Pinnacle the party
stopped at a point of vantage to view the
valley on the Linville side and the Toe
river section on the other. Across the
Linville valley and somewhere in the
fastnesses of the mountains beyond one
could hear the baying of the bear dogs.
“Are bears found in this section?” some¬
one asked. “Oh, yes,” came the reply.
“Plenty of (hem. Those dogs are chasing
one now.” Way down in the valley below
like a silver thread ran the Linville river
and across the valley came the baying of
the dogs.
“Before reaching the Pinnacle the party-
passed the Devil's Cap. It is a great
rock set on the mountain. Close inspec¬
tion reveals that little of the Cap is touch¬
ing the ground. But it has been perfectly
balanced by nature and through centuries
of storm and winds has not been moved
from its anchorage. It is said that efforts
have been made by man to dislodge the
Devil’s Cap. but in vain.”
“The party' spent sometime at the Pin¬
nacle. where an excellent view of Short-
Off mountain is had. Short-off is a freak.
It raises high into the clouds, is compara¬
tively level on top and then abruptly
stops — just as though the Maker had run
out of material with which to finish it.
The drop from the summit to the valley
beneath has never been ascertained, so
wa were told, but it must be a thousand
or more feet.”
“Crossing Linville Mountain.”
Frank W. Bicknell, who lives at the
falls, has written “Crossing Linville
Mountain.” It gives a concise word pic¬
ture of this region, and follows:
Starting from the beginning of Lin¬
ville mountain, at the intersection of the
Linville mountain road with the road
from Linville Falls postoffice to Linville
falls itself, the drive is through the heavy-
forest of oak. popular, chestnut, maple,
sourwood, black gum, etc., to
Pine Gap, .8 mile, where there is a
short trail to Linville river. On this trail
is a striking example of the volcanic up-
( Continued on Page Two)
