Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / July 20, 1939, edition 1 / Page 18
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THURSDAY, JULY 20, 1939 PAGE TWO THE FRANKLIN PRE89 AND THE HIGHLANDS MACONIAN De Soto In Macon County Tradition Now Proven to be Fact By Mr. J. W. C. Jtohnon ' The tradition that, Hernando De Soto passed through Macon county on his fateful journey to the Mississippi has now been established as a , fact by recent studies of the Bureau of Ethnology of the Smithsonian Jnstiution in Washington. The source of this particular information is the orig inal diary of De Soto's secretary, Kodrigo Kanjel, which sheds new light on this romantic chapter of American history. Dr. John K. Swanton, ethnolo gist on the staff of the Institu tion who has directed the .research, informed the writer last April that proofs of the full report were in hand and would soon be print ed in a volume as part of the Congressional Record. In the summer of 1934 Dr. Swanton spent several weeks in Franklin exploring the route de scribed in Kanjel's narrative un der the guidance of the late W. B. McGuire, veteran .surveyor of this section, who assisted Dr. Swanton in establishing the path of De Soto and his men along the old Indian trail that may still be traced. The entire route through Geor gia and the Carolinas has been established . beyond reasonable doubt. The description of the route makes certain that the ex pedition crossed into North Caro lina near . the site ot nigiiianus, descended the Cullasagee gorge, and encamped on the plain of the valley of the Little Tennessee which now lies in the vicinity of the I'ranklih bridge. Romance Revealed The purpose of this perilous journey was the quest for gold, De Soto having landed in Florida a few years previous with a con siderable number of men and horses, besides elaborate equip ment. . The dramatic tale of a . kidnapped queen who was forced to accompany the party as guide is likewise authenticated. The story goes, that this "lady of Cofita chequi" craftily led the Spaniards in the wrong direction, escaping while they tarried on the banks of the river, accompanied by two of De Soto's men, one of whom she married! This true story is given further color by the incident of "the box of unbored pearls," which De Soto indended ' to ap propriate, had the queen not out witted him in this also. Tracing Route In a pamphlet entitled 'Tracing DeSoto's Route" describing some of this field work Dr.' Swanton quotes the following passage from Ranjel's diary dated Saturday, April 17, 1540: "They crossed a very large river, divided into two branches, wider than a long shot from an arque buse. And the fords were very ' bad, with many flat stones, and the water came up to the stirrups arid in places- to the saddlcpads. The current was very strong and none of the horsemen dared to take a foot soldier on the croup. The foot soldiers crossed the river further up where it was deeper in this way. They made a line of thirty or. forty men tied I tocether and so thev crossed over supporting -each other; and although some were in much oarn ger, it pleased God that none was drowned, for the horsemen' helped them with their horses and gave them the butt 'of .the lance or the tail of the horse, and in that way they all got out and passed the night on a hill. That day they lost many pigs of those which they had brought tame from Cuba, as they were carried down by the. current." The Route Described This . pamphlet further states: "Identification' of . De Soto's route from the northwestern section of South Carolina through the Appa lachians to the Hiwassee was par ticularly satisfying. The old Che raw town, called by De Soto Chroniclers Xuala, Xualla, or Chu ala, was evidently on what is now called Towns Hill between Crane and Knox Creeks, Oconee county (S. C.) where numerous Indian remains are constantly being un earthed, On the west face of the hill upon which Stood the town is a well-marked trail, and this is connected with an ancient trail whose counse is still known by old residents. It ran across the steep mountain ridges to Frank lin, via (Highlands and down the valley, of the Cullasagee river. The Little .Tennessee River was forded at Franklin, and the plain of Franklin was evidently where De Sotos army stopped tor a aay while one of the officers, Alonso Romo, went back in search of a couple of missing men and where the famous "lady of Cgfitachmti" escaped, carrying with her a oo of unbored pearls. At Franklin we learned from W. B, McGuire, a surveyor who ha spent many years of his life exploring this country, that the main Indian trail west ran up the valley of Cartoogechaye Creek and across Black Gap to the . head of Shoot ing Creek. In fact, Mr. McGuire went out with the investigators and showed them portions of this trail still discernible on the moun tain sides. Route Beyond Macon County "After descending the mountains the trail continued along Shooting Creek to the Hiwassee and reach ed . old Hiwassee town at the mouth of Peachtree Creek,, which there is every reason to believe was the Guasili of the De Soto Chronicles. From - there it went on along the north side of the Hiwassee to the mouth of Cina sauga Creek, where a famous war trail from the north crossed and continued southwest into the neighborhood of Chattanooga. This war trail, was picked up by the Spaniards, who continued along it to and down the Tennessee to the southernmost bend of the lat ter river." The tragic death of De Soto a year later and his burial in the Mississippi River is recorded in every school history. LUMBER If all the lumber cut in the United States for the past 135 years were in a single solid pile, it would make a cube almost ex actly one mile in each dimension. Brings Comfort PRODUCTS Mined and Processed in North Carolina Will cool your home in summer and make it warmer in winter. Frees your home from noise. Rats and mice avoid it. Keeps water hot in the tank. Is harmless. Loose fill insulation for walls and ceilings, ice boxes, etc. Vercalite plaster in place of sand plaster, many superior features Vercalite plastic insulation for boilers, hot water tanks, furnaces, etc. PHONE US FOR ESTIMATES AND PRICES Vermiculite Development Is Becoming Big Industry Disproving the statement that North Carolina's highly mineraliz ed country is a "Mineral Cabinet" containing many varieties and small quantities of minerals, is the re cent development of vermiculite. This mineral found nowhere else east of Montana is located here in such quantities that the pro duction from- it of Vercalite has come to be one of the big in dustries of Macon county. Vercalite, in its varying forms, is used in many ways, one of the chief of which is insulation that, in this age of air-conditioning has come to be of the greatest im portance, Differing from all similar pro ducts, features of this new miner al development are unusual. The loose-fill form used for filling walls does not "dust," "settle.v burn, rot or readily absorb moisture, while rats and mice, unable to tun nel through it, avoid it. Moreover it is harmless. It's insulation ef ficiency claims to equal or better all other insulation. As a . plastic, Vercalite Is used for insulating boilers, hot water tanks, brick or metal ovens and furnaces, steam, water or hot air pipes. One characteristic is that it can be broken up and re-used. Plaster, used as any sand plas ter is another form of Vercalite. With over three times the insulat ing properties of sand plaster, Vercalite also possesses five times its accoustical properties and is in addition fire resisting. Concrete blocks for flooring 1" pre-cst units ar? also, made of Vercalite, These can be sawn, cut with a knif, drilled.' Nails, even, may be driven into it. The weight of all is so much less than that of concrete that handling is easy. Finely ground, Vercalite, both raw and expanded, is used in lac quers, paints, and greases. Press ed, it is used as bricks, Vermiculite, the raw material, a form of mica, is mined, dried and screened to different finenesses for different uses. The name, ver miculite is derived from the latin word meaning "worm," for when heated, the mineral .curls in the manner of a worm. LIMESTONE WON For some time K. B. Bryant of Peppers in Mitchell County had debated whether to buy two acres of land to "square" his farm or to buy limestone for the land he now 'has. The lime won and he purchased 55 tons which will be applied to his 30-acre farm. This will enable him to apply lime and phosphate to all of his soil con serving crops. MORE ALFALFA' Additional plantings of alfalfa are being made in Transylvania County following success . with small plantings made last year, P. A. Morgan of Cherry field and Mrs. Judd McCrary of Pisgah For est are making the new seedings. During the fiscal year ending June 30, the Federal Surplus Com modities Corporation purchased nearly 1,700,000,000 pounds of sur plus agricultural commodities at a cost of approximately $66,000,000. 'MINERALS, INC. FRANKLIN, N. C. WEEKLY INCOME A weekly cash income of from $15 to $20 is reported by Henly Carr of Magnolia, Duplin County, from a flock of 150 laying' hens. He says the hens have kept him on a cash basis through the past winter and. spring. YMRfflKnr Situated in a shady oak grove at highest point in Franklin. Four hundred square feet of COOL VERANDAS Superlative Meals Hot and Cold Water in Each Room Also Rooms With Private or Connecting Baths Rates Without Meals $1.00 and Up With Meals $2.50 and Up Weekly $12.50 and Up For Further Information Address Trimont Inn, Franklin, N. C. to Your Home Coal f 7.5 Per Tom I have contract with mine so I can deliver you coal until September 15th at above price. L.B. PHILLIPS PHONE 114-J FRANKLIN, N. C. . n rxn rn UJU
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
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July 20, 1939, edition 1
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