Newspapers / Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.) / July 7, 1938, edition 1 / Page 12
Part of Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
PAGE FOUR GROWfflOF M0T0R( AS RECALLED BY d Mr. Wilcox's Career as Chief 1 Boone Began in 191S. When E Town Was Held by a Sep Seems lake a Dr When H. W. Wilcox chief trans-) porta dor functionary for Boone, ar- j rived in the town in 11*18. he recalls! that the main streets were still a traffic hazard and that it was no j unusual sight to see cows herded by bicycle cn the n-.ain streets. It was . not until 1923. as he remembers it, that some iocal men began running i sedan trips to Hickory, taking haif a day to make the run one way and charging $3.00 one way or $5.00 for i the round trip But let Mi Wilcox tell the story of j transportation as it affects Boone HLs intimate knowie^e and perspective make his observations since 1918 historically important. Mr. Wilcox savs: "I came to Boone in 1918. At that time you could hardly travel the main street. lest you get stuck in the ] mud when it was wet. I drove cows j up and down the street on a bicycle. There w._s no means of travel, j except a few private automobiles, , horseback and buggies. A few years later, about 1923, some of our local j hoys began to run a five passenger automobile occasionally between here and Lenoir and carry passengers. The fare was about $3 00 one way. Now you can make the round trip on bus for $1.20. The fare to Hickory was $5.00. now you can make the round trip for only $1.00 It then lock ( about half a day to make the trip one way: now it takes only about an hour and a half. About this time a similar service was placed in operation between; Boone and North Wiikesboro. The j Camel City Coach Company ran from > North Wilkesboibo to Winston Salem, i having- small <?trs on thi* route. Occasionally they make it through to Xorlh vVilkr^bo.o . *.r,.: . sometimes the raids were so bad I that they wcie impassable This wan our fi^st outlet to the eastern part of the state, and at that time we were very proud of it. "Iii >921? E. C. Wootlia purcha-sed the franchise from North Wilkesboro to Bristol, Tenn., anil placed small cars on this run, making connection at North Wilkosboro with the Camel City Coach Co. About 1923 a bus line, began operation across Valley Mountain, through Valle Crucis, Banner Elk, Elk Park and Johnson City, making one trip a day each way. tThe roads were very bad, and often it. was impossible to reach Johnson City in a day. Now the schedule is two hours with modern equipment. jT. is line was acquired by the E. T. and IVV. N. C. Motor Transportation Co. ih 1930, and operated the line un til June first of this year, when it I was sold to the Queer. City Coach Co., which now operates through buses from Johnson City to Charlotte three times a day. "I have seen this service grow, and as 1 look back, it seems like a dream. JVo one very far distant knew anything about this little town in these beautiful mountains. When I was asked to take over the management of the E. T. & W. N. C. and Atlantic Greyhound lines in Boone in 1933, Boone was listed only in the local tariffs issued by these two companies. NV> through rates could be worked out from Boone. We had to base our fares oil gateways, such as feristol, Winston-Salem and CharJotte, and the average number of tickets sold then was about 250 per month. Last month this station sold about 700 tickets, an average of 23 per day. ; "It is almost unbelievable to realize one can board a bus here at 7:30 a. m. and arrive in Washington, i>. C., by 10 p. m., or leave Boone for Raleigh at 7:30 a. m., arrive in pie capital city at 1:15 p. m., or leave Boone at 9:10 a. m., and make one change to Jacksonville, Fla, or 'Atlanta, Ga. Boone now is head line station on all important tariffs. Last pionth it led in honor roll on the Atlantic Greyhound Lines, by selling of its per capita quota. It lias 'fivl tVlia liAnnr rv-ill tlmnn ortrl |bas wen first prize ill various con- I tests sponsored by E. T. & W. N. C. and Atlantic Greyhound Lines. Boone won in contests competing with all stations on the two lines. "People are just beginning to realize what this bus transportation system means to the development of this section. This mode of travel is 90% safer than traveling in private automobiles, and costs only one-third as much as it does to operate an average automobile. Boone is now on a great trunk line bus system, and in the near future you will see buses traveling through here from the far -western states, making their way to \v mm service ii iGENT W. H. WILCOX _ !33 Fransportatinn Functionary at ' ach Franchise From Town to > 'h arato Concern: "Growtn earn," He Says :hv i'it ? *1' citivst east. U will be possible sometime to bcuvd a bus *" in Boone and go to New York with- aout a change. The tim* is coming when buses will provide such accommodations as ber'Jts meals and ait t\ other necessary service aboard. "Operating out of Boone are some of the finest buses built, costing ?20.000. People teii me they ride off y Beeeh Mountain, as seen from tin* so ner Elk. X. 'i*hi> is a favorite read Tn... .. u.w..it.. ..tt^w.4 t..?. .1:..:. - . & itv uiiuauiuij H'Viii rated during the summer t , u,1?: illfp? View of the Grandfather Mountain fr? automobile, parkings station construct I.. jHCv A profusion of rhododendron and mc early summer visitors to thi v <* ?. .. ,/z,jt**?t Grandfather Mountain, ait it app ATAUGA DEMOCRAT?EVEF e mountains in these 3iiper-buses -ii hardly rcR.ize they have traveled r rough to reach the foothills, the ie was so comfortable. If Boone wake un and reaIan:. what it has, id tel! tile world about it, and ar. ee to -r.ter: tourist* when tome here. " vccuhi not bo long afore these mountain? would be rcwued with tourists." Starlings nave spreais * westward . the United States until they now ^patently breed in eastern Texas. Up to the middle of the IT1.S cen: '-y coal was commonly spelled lie Ir. Europe peanuts are used ina:nfor stock feeding. cond floor of Puinaclr Inn. BanLexvous for h'kors. :im! pirnickprs. ! \X Pinnacle Inn, resort hotel, cpc>y College. om the LinviJIe side showing the ed at the end of the toll road. rnntain laurel greet the eyes of 3 Grandfather Mountain. '> V" I ,2 urs to visitors :o the famed j jY THURSDAY?BOONE, N. C. Historic Note On I ? Howard's Knob t t the Rearing itself majestically for- a ;vr height ot 1 .000 feet and lying lialf in cr, . a- half out of the city limits on the th0j north side of Boone, Howards Knob (j,e seems to be a monitor of protection cej-,< for the town it overlooks, litis n;?a mountain terminates the famed Tater riili" range, extending 3d miles ? through the western part of North Carolina and the eastern extremity of Tennessee. From the summit of Howards Knob a beautiful panorama can lie seen in all directions South the profile that gave Grandfather Mountain its name is very distinct and much further into the distance "Table Koch" Mountain and its neighbor "Hawk's Bill," can be easily seen. By motor "Table Rock'' is more than 50 miles from Boone. North of Howards Knob lie the "Snake" and "Baldy" peaks, while on the east the observer can see over the Blue Ridge and to the sky-line of the Brushj' Mountains approximately 65 miles miles away. Westerly the loftiest I peaks of western North Carolina and i eastern Tennessee constitute the vis- ! lble panorama. Rising on the north- I ern slopes of the mountain, Howards | Creek drops its way rapidly down the slopes to New River at Todd. This stream, according to local casters, is fine for brown and rainbow trout, as well as being an attraction because of the rugged, yet beautiful terrain it drains. Among the natives of this section is the belief that Benjamin Howard, who was the first boarder in the | town of Boone and a cattle raiser, j sheltered himself in a cave some- ; where on the north side of tiie knob I for a period of months after being ; hotiy pcrsued by "Whigs" during the ! American Revolution. From tlvs in- , eident the name the peak now bears was derived.--Arthur's "History of Watauga County." Frigid Finyer Reaches Low New Zealand breaks the rule that 1 glaciers usually stop near the lower i limits of perpetual snow, above the ; timber line. Some of its rivers of ' ice wind over wooded slopes to end | only arr-ong tree ferns and o;b?r 1 subtropical vegetation. Fcx glacier reaches down to 670 feet above sea level. Its surface is rough with patches of rock debris and with the sharp ridges ot great crevasses. [ Pii 1 Ban UP IN I Lees-I juity is a roguish thing For we have a measiirf, know what rust to; Equity is according to conscience of him that is charceland as that is larger or narrowso is Equity. Tis all one as if should make- the standard for measure we call a "foot'* :? chanir's foot; what an uncertain sure would this be.' One chanAN OLD CONCERN WIS AN OLDEI JOHNSON-STU (Boone's Favo: Congr THE WATAU4 On this, its Fift Gonkra To the Watauga Den provement Co. and i on your golden anriiv gratulations and may even MORE pleasant 'I CHARLO ilillllillilllllililililllllllllilliiiitiilllil >mplimen of made Ii iner Elk, N. A I THE AIR 4,000 F wned and Operated bj VIcRae Co Illlillllillillllllllllllllltllillllllllllllll _ JULY 7, 1938 celior has a long foot, another a fg short foot, a third an indifferent foot. Tis the same thing in the chance!tor's conscience John Seidell. The secretary hini feeds largely on jg reptiles. The British record office has state papers from as early as 1100. HES TO CONGRATULATE { CONCERN ART COMPANY rite Dime Store) atulates 3A DEMOCRAT ieth Anniversary. From 1 One 50 YEAR '2 OLDSTER ? to L OTHERS filiations locrat, the Linville Tmhe Blowing Rock Hotel ersarios . . . Yes, conthe nest 50 years be aiul prosperous. HE TTE NEWS lllllllllilllUlillllllHIIWIilHUIillllllll I ts 1 r I ? EET liege | IlllllllllillllllllllllllllUllllllllilllllllllllllffi
Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 7, 1938, edition 1
12
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75