5MI»1
From Pȣe 1
.. n,ed in his classe;i- From
[ »t? t0 formation, he published A
ithi*5 in geology, illustrated by
™>P »' N"th C,ro
! Tr vine visited the mountains in
, ^logical expeditions, he be
,-prv interested in the range
^^nimtaiM known as the Blacks,
"to this time, the two Michaux
distinguished French bo
rn
} brothers,
taiiis
had made a trip through
‘western part of the state gath
They
the
.ring botanical specimen*
fvnressed the opinion that
were the highest range of
ntains in the eastern part of
IV. United States because the
-imens they found in that area
... a.*. u
| spf
; were
unlike any that had been
r -d anywhere south of Canada.
IniVer naturalists expressed the
I, me opinion, and Professor Mit
IlLll supported this idea. Up un
(ben, it was generally believed
;;.lt Mount Washington, in New
Hampshire, was the highest point
lin Eastern America.
1 Hence, in July 1835, Dr. Mitch
1,1 ,et out with his daughter to
f 11 -,,rmine which one of the Blacks
■!|; the highest and its height.
r[T-ing Morganton as a base to be
; his survey, he worked his way
to the Black range. He de
termined what seemed to be the
Eighest peak to be 5,408 feet above
|h0 elevation of the Morganton
Eailway depot. Morganton railway
fetation was believed to be 986 feet
Lp,wo sea level, and by Dr. Mitch
Ejl’g calculations, his peak stood
^ . 7b feet above sea level. This
verified that his peak w’as truly
jpber than Mount Washington,
foreover, when it was discovered
hat the elevation of Morganton
1,169 feet above sea level
Lther than 986 feet, making his
ountain 6,677 feet, he was thor
lughly convinced that his range
■as the highest in Eastern Amer
His measurement was only
jeven feet short of the true alti
ide.
Mitchell revisited the peak in
838. In 1844, wanting to be posi
ive of its elevation, he determined
check the altitude again. This
ime, equipping himself with Gay
iiissac mountain barometers from
jaris, he once again began the
sk of measuring the mountain.
. decided this time to use Ashe
le as a base for comparison. The
suit of this measurement was 6,
|2 feet.
Sometime after this, Senator
omas L. Clingman began a
dy of the mountains of Western
rorth Carolina and made a public
tement to the fact that Dr.
atchell had not been on the high
it peak. He claimed that he had
easured the highest peak, not
itchell, and named it after him
ielf. This question was debated in
to measure the mountain He
planned to measure as accurately
as he possibly could and, also to
take witnesses to verify that’ he
had been on this particular mourn
tain when he made his measure
me-t in 1844. He had carved his
name and the altitude on a tr£
and he intended to locate this tree
as proof that he had been there.
1 aking his son along to help in the
survey, he set out in June 1857
Using Smithsonian barometers, he
planned to have a friend take read
ings at sea level for several days
while he was taking readings on
the mountain. By so doing, he
hoped to obtain reliable data.
On Saturday, June 27, Dr.
Mitchell had been at work for about
two weeks and was progressing
steadily toward his goal. About
2:30 o’clock in the afternoon, he
halted his work and told his son
to return to the mountain house
"which they wrere using for a camp.
He told his son that he was going
to cross the mountain to Big Tom
Wilson’s home on Caney River.
Since Big Tom had been with him
on the survey in 1844, Dr. Mitchell
felt sure Big Tom could help him
locate the tree he had carved on.
His son was to meet him back at
their stopping point on Monday.
As the strong old man began
his climb up the mountain, little
did his son realize that he was see
ing his father alive for the last
time, for he was to perish that
night on the mountain during a
storm.
On Monday, his son returned to
the appointed meeting place to
wait for him. He waited all day,
but Dr. Mitchell did not return.
Thinking perhaps the old man had
been delayed in starting back from
Caney River, his son returned on
Tuesday to wait for him. Still
there was no sign of the Doctor.
The son became very worried for
his father’s safety, and the alarm
was sent out on Wednesday. Noth
ing new developed on Thursday,
but on Friday the dreaded news
came that Dr. Mitchell had not
reached Caney River.
The news of Dr. Mitchell’s dis
appearance spread rapidly through
the sparsely populated area, and
soon about five hundred of his
mountain friends gathered to take
part in the search. The Doctor’s
friend and former guide, Big Tom,
led the search. The party search
ed vainly. On Tuesday, as the
search was about to be abandoned,
the dismal news came that the tree
Dr. Mitchell had been searching
for had been found, and he had
truly been on the peak in 1844.
When everyone else in the party
was ready to give up the search,
Big Tom still felt that he could
WITH WHAT
rrr costs to ed- '
, THREE.JERRV?^T^
Si
JOINED PM
, ROLL SAVINGS
f WHEN THEY WERE ’
BORN, TOM.PILED
UP US SAVINGSj
BONDS TO PAY
THE BILLS
FISHING
LAKE!
:
BETWEEN TWO AND THREE
ACRES OF FRESH
STREAM WATER!
OPENING:
Saturday, Sepl. 1!
• Pike
• Channel Cat
• Bass • Bream
• Western Carp
- PLENTY OF PARKING SPACE -
PICNIC AREA- SOFT DRINK STAND -
Begley’s
Fishing Lake
5 BLOCKS FROM CENTER OF TOWN ☆
Sunset Drive
Black Mountain, N. C.
find his friend. On Wednesday,
■ 11 y 8, he picked up the trail, the
sa"\e one he and Dr. Mitchell had
used years before, and displaying
in tracking Dr.
i 1 itchell over the rocky slope, he
ound where the Doctor had been
stumbling along. He surmised that
he storm and darkness had caught
ie Doctor and he had lost his way.
following the stream about four
miles, Big Tom heard a waterfall
ahead. He said to the people with
him. We will find him here.” As
B,8 Tom had predicted, Dr. Mitch
ell s body was found submerged in
the pool of clear, cold water at
the foot of the falls. He had fall
en about forty feet to his death.
The good man had a peaceful ex
pression on his face. The cold
water had preserved the body well,
and the party camped by the pool
until the coroner could come to
make his investigation.
The body was carried down the
rugged mountain and taken to
Asheville for burial at the request
of the family. Many of the Doc
tor’s friends felt it would be ap
propriate to bury him on top of
the mountain, and with the assent
of the family, his body was taken
from Asheville and reburied on the
mountain in June 1858.
The mountain was officially giv
en the name Mount Mitchell by the
U. S. Geological Survey in 1881.
The State of North Carolina
bought the land to make Mount
Mitchell State Park, the first state
park in North Carolina, in 1916.
The park has an area of 1,224
acres, including the last of the
virgin spruce and balsam forest
that once covered the area. Dr.
Mitchell’s measurement of the
mountain was not far off, for it
has now been determined that the
height is 6,684 feet.
On the peak of the mountain
stands a rock observation tower,
from which one can see for many
miles over the lower peaks and
valleys far below. Close by the
tower is the rock mound covering
Dr. Mitchell’s grave. On it is the
metal plaque which reads:
Here lies in the hope of a blessed
resurrection the body of the Rev.
Elisha Mitchell, D.D., who after
thirty nine years a professor in
the University of North Carolina
lost his life in the scientific ex
ploration of this mountain, in the
sixty-fourth year of his age, June
27, 1857.
Not just the observation tower,
not the plaque on his grave, but
the entire mountain stands a mon
ument to his memory. Visited by
thousands of people yearly for its
scenic beauty and breathtaking
views, Mount Mitchell seems a
fitting memorial to the memory of
the man who sleeps peacefully on
its peak.
TREE FROG
This small green tree frog may
be found from central New Jersey
south to South Carolina. Mature
adults are just under 2 inches in
length with the females being
slightly larger than males. On
either side of the throat of the
female is a white-bordered green
patch. A plum-colored band with
light borders may be seen along
the side of the frog’s body separ
ating the beautiful pale green up
per parts from the whitish under
parts.
This little tree frog appears to
be rather stout in build. Like
other tree frogs, the ends of its
fingers and toes are provided with
small round sticky discs that en
able the animal to cling firmly to
almost any surface. Except for
the breeding period, the frogs may
be found in the trees and shrubs
where they feed largely on insects.
In the breeding season the males
give a repeated call sounding
something like “aquack.” This may
be repeated as many as 20 times in
a series. The throat is greatly
distended while the call is being
made. Breeding takes place in
shallow sedgy pools, usually where
there is sphagnum moss and fair
ly dense woodlands. In New Jer
sey, the breeding season extends
from the first of May until mid
July. The eggs are laid singly and
are attached to submerged vegeta
tion or to the bottom. The tad
pole is olive-colored, having a rel
atively long tail which is pointed
at the tip. It may reach a length
of IV2 inches during the 50 to 75
days required for its development.
The young frog which leaves the
water after the tail has been ab
sorbed measures about 2/3 of an
inch in length. Its color changes
rather rapidly from a dull olive
green after it leaves the water
and takes up its arboreal life.
People seem to differ more about
their appreciation of the sounds of
nature than over any other na
tural phenomenon. To some the
sound of frogs “singing” is music,
while to others it is just a noise
To those who look upon the sound
as “music” there are recordings
of frogs published by the Cornell
University Press in Ithaca, New
York.
These beautiful frogs are highly
beneficial to man. We hope that
if you have never seen or heard
them you may sometime have this
nleasure. This note and the picture
E appears on the Federation’s
■1 iiifp stamp series repiesent a
part^of thff National Wildlife Ted
lion's effort to help people de
velop an appreciation of nature.
E. Laurence Palmer.____
EL SINGING SET
RDAY, SEPT. 1
e will be a gospel singing
> Vance Avenue Baptist
Saturday, Sept. 1, begin
t 7:30 pm.
following singers are ex
. Runion trio, Melodiers and
duet of Black Mountain,
ia Harmoneers of Spnice
ind the Melotones of Ashe
The public is extended a
invitation to attend.
FIEDS SELL-Phone 4101
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DIAL 4381
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