John Strother’s Survey Diary
In 1799. part of l he boundary between
Nirth Carolina and Tennessee was cMab-
lished b> a survey from Pond Mountain on
the Virginia line to the Painted Rock, on the
French Hroad River. I he surveyor. John
Strother, kept a field book and diary of this
w.lderness trip.
They originally were filed in the suit of
l' try in to. Ten " cure & Carolina Steel anti
I
пт
Company n Ncwnion. in the U. S.
court at Asheville. I ater the document found
its way to the Archives
Л
History Depart¬
ment in Raleigh as part of the Brown Collec¬
tion. However, before it was deposited.
V. Jordan Brown of Asheville had obtained
a transcript of the papers, and he kindly
furnished us with fotostatic copies.
So far as Till Sun knows the Strother
diary has never before been published in its
entirety. It is presented now. not only for
the benefit of history students, but also be¬
cause the diary will be of much interest to
those who know the country Strother's party
surveyed.
We have, in most cases, retained the
original spelling, punctuation and abbrevia¬
tions. They arc by no means uniform. Many
of the landmarks mentioned will be familiar;
a few arc now known under other names.
But Strother's brief comments suggest the
hardships of that journey. Anyone who has
traveled along the Stone. Iron. Unaka
("Unaker" to Strother) mountains can fully
appreciate what these men were up against.
His encounter with a huge "rattle-bug” which
escaped because it was "too souple in the
heels" may awake some unpleasant memo¬
ries. too, among woodsmen who have run
across big rattlesnakes.
We were especially interested in his notes
on the Roan. One of his descriptions says
it is devoid of "shrubhage” and this must
have been the Grassy Ridge section of the
mountain. He later describes the "fir oil of
the balsams" indicating that he was talking
about Roan High Knob. On these mountains
he encountered fierce winds, many, many
gnats (it was the no-sec-um season of May),
and a scarcity of water — all conditions a
modern tourist might encounter.
Several times the chain bearers had to
hack their way through "laurel thickets."
Nowadays they arc called "rhododendron
hells" or “laurel slicks.” but by whatever
name, they arc still formidable and danger¬
ous to tendcrfcct.
The diary will be presented in two sec¬
tions. the second to follow in our next edi¬
tion.
May 12th. 1799 — Set out from
Asheville. Buncombe C ounty, in order
to meet ye commissioners appointed by
the State of North Carolina to run
the line between that state & ye state
of Tennessee. At Capt. Robt. Nalls
on New River where I arrived the
17th instant, met with Major Mus-
sendine Matthews, one of the Com¬
missioners, his son A: Mr. Robt. Logan,
chain bearers & markers waiting the
arrival of Gcnl. Joseph McDowell &
Col. David Vance, the other two com¬
missioners & the rest of the company.
Ye 1 8th. — No news of McDowell
6 Vance. Went to Mr. Elsburg's to
wait their arrival.
1 9th — Still at Elsburgs in a state
of suspense.
20th. — Col. Vance and Major B.
Collins arrived last night. We left F.ls-
burg's A: went to Capl. Isaac Weaver's
where the company all met. composed
of the following gentlemen (to wit)
Genl. Jos. McDowell, Col. D. Vance,
Major Mussendine Matthews, commis¬
sioners. Myself A: Mr. Robt Henry,
surveyors; Messrs B. Collins, James
Hawkins, George Penland. Robt Lo¬
gan. Geo. Davidson A Josiah Mat¬
thews, chain bearers and markers;
Major James Neely, commisary; two
pack horse men & a pilot. Set out from
Weavers, went half a mile and camped
on Stag Creek.
21st. — Set out at 8 o.c., went up
Stag Creek 3 miles then ascended the
ridge dividing ye water of Laurel
Creek. Continued on said ridge about
7 miles to a place call the lower Rye
Patch were we refreshed ourselves till
3 o.c. p.m.. then continued our route 4
miles to camp at the fool of ye Stone
Mn and spent ye evening
22nd. — After taking a hearty
breakfast we set out A: ascended the
Stone Mountain to ye top; found it very
steep A: the name very applicable. Con¬
tinued on the mountain V* mile to a
place called the Upper Rye Patch
where we encamped and Major Mat¬
thews, myself, the pilot & two chain
bearers set out in order to find the
rained most powerfully which obliged
us to take up camp at the most con¬
venient place or rather the first place
that offered as it is but at certain
places where water can be had in a
place where the Virginia Line crossed
the extreme height of the Stone Moun¬
tain. After some hours search we
found it in a low Gap between the
head of Horscpen Creek of New River
A: a branch of Laurcll of Holston
River, 2 or 3 miles SW from the White-
top Mountain. We run the line be¬
tween the State of N.
С.
A: T. on the
extreme height of the Stone Mn to our
camp at the upper Rye Patch, where
we feasted sumptuously on stewed
venison A : bacon while the rest of the
empany went back to sec the place
where we set out with the line from
ye Virginia.
23rd. — After a pleasant night rest
A : a hearty breakfast we set out &
continued the line on the extreme
height of the Iron or Stone Mn through
extreme rough ground and some bad
Laurel Thickets to a low gap at the
head of the Laurel fork of Holston A:
the head of a branch of the Laurel
fork of New River, where we camped
at a very bad place for that purpose.
24th — We had but an indifferent
night’s rest, the wind blew extremely
hard, the horses were much scattered
this morning & were troublesome to
find. However they were at length col¬
lected. We eat breakfast, packed up
and continued the line some miles to
the head of a rich hollow where we
found good water. Refreshed ourselves
an hour, then set out & continued the
line about Vi mile when it set in and
io
THE STATE. MAY 1. 1966
