State

THE STATE Page Five Cut Off From the World HIGH above Chimney Hock is ;i settlement of people almost completely isolated. \o traveler ever has ventured into tlieir little kingdom. By LILA M. WEIR ONE - HALF of the world doesn't know how the other half live." Certainly thin expression proves true in the case of a little colony of mountaineers whose dwelling place and that of former generations has been on the steep slopes of Chimney Koeky mountain under the shadow of Sugar Loaf Dome, a peak rising four thousand feet above sea-level. Located within approximately twenty miles as the crow Hies, of the busy, hustling metropolis of Ashe¬ ville, and wholly within Kutherford County, this small colony of nine families of sturdy mountaineers know little of the things that are taking place outside of the t wo-mile-square area of rolling plateau which furnishes a site for their modest cabin homes. Satisfied to Stay at Home The matchless network of good roads that in comparatively recent years has brought the "Lost Provinces” of the past into intimate touch with the outside world, has left these contented, unassuming hill folk, "high ami dry." as the ancient sav¬ ing goes and it is a tedious, tire¬ some task, hardly worth the effort to these people, happy and satisfied in their primitive sti roundings, to emerge from and return to tlieir native retreat in the stillness of the dense mountain woods. Tourists spinning along the scenic Chimney Ro«-k highway and gazing upward toward the famous Hickory Nut Gap Falls could hardly conceive of such an inhabited area beyond their view on this rugged slope. To reach this isolated mountain spot and the cabin homes of its inhabitants, one must climb the 783-step stairway pinioned to the granite face of the mountain by iron books and stirrups and bordered by balustrades of locust saplings — for safety — a stairway lead¬ ing to the top of the famous monolith, a thousand feet above the highway and river, and to Exclamation Point from which is afforded a view that language can hardly clearly describe. From the top of the stairway a treacherous foot path zig zags along the mountainside, on to the top. to the dwelling place of this colony of nine families, consisting of about fifty people half of whom are children. There is one other entrance in¬ frequently traveled, starting at Kdneyville. on the Henderson County side of the bonier line, the narrow sand clay road winding around the steep, rocky lower slopes of lofty Sugar Loaf mountain and finally fad¬ ing into a mere trail as it approaches the isolated little empire. Few of these hardy, stay-at-home mountain dwellers have ever ventured from their native haunts, out into the valley. The honk of automobile horns have never disturbed the peace¬ ful slumbers of these hill folk, "bade boyont”; neither ha* a horse ever been coaxed to scale the formidable slopes leading to this practically un¬ known small province. < >ne lone ox- eart has long ago been discarded. The small clearings made by these industrious men of the hills arc culti¬ vate! with oxen— Usually referred to as cattle by the natives. Wild game which abounds in this dense, wooded vet ion, contributes materially to the family larders. These sons of the forests shoot with steady, certain aim when squirrels, rabbit, birds or other species of the wild life of the hills furnish an inviting target. When it comes to genuine sport however, there is nothing equal to a coon hunt, to these primitive people of the hills. Very Little Schooling Children of school age in this colony, healthy and eager for "school¬ ing" have been deprived of the op- port unities they richly deserve, only fifteen months of school having been taught, all told, in two decades. An "Id one-room log house formerly a dwelling, and donated wit In >ut charge, for school purposes by Dr. L. It. Morse, manager of the Chimney Коску Com¬ pany. owners of most of the land oc¬ cupied by this colony, has lieeu the only thing available mi far. The «•rude home-made vats and the low joists are not conducive to satisfactory work among the pupils. However *a brighter day is about to dawn in this misty mountain region and plans have been in the making for the construc¬ tion of a more comfortable school house during the present vacation sea¬ son. With the prospective comple¬ tion of the school house in time for the opening of the fall term, the natives are looking forward to the day when they may also organize a church and have a place for regular, religious worship — a place where they can eon- (Continued on page twenty-two)