The Trees of Ashe County, North Carolina

The Trees of Ashe County, North Carolina PDF

Author: Doug Munroe

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2017-11-28

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 1476631514

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 The mountains of Ashe County, in North Carolina’s northwest corner, support an antediluvian mixed hardwood forest, rooted in nutrient-rich soil and watered by 40 to 60 inches of annual rainfall. From the highest peaks—approaching a mile above sea level—to the lowest valleys, through which flows one of the most ancient river systems in the world, trees carpet much of the county’s 406 square miles. Species with nicknames like wahoo, goosefoot, ironwood, shadblow, bom-a-gilly and buckeye thrive. Others, dominant in the region for millennia, have all but disappeared in recent years. The author describes in detail their anatomy and ecology, and discusses maple syrup production, the local nursery business and the lore and deep value of heritage apple trees; 165 photographs are included.

The Trees of Ashe County, North Carolina

The Trees of Ashe County, North Carolina PDF

Author: Doug Munroe

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2017-10-30

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 1476672520

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The mountains of Ashe County, in North Carolina's northwest corner, support an antediluvian mixed hardwood forest, rooted in nutrient-rich soil and watered by 40 to 60 inches of annual rainfall. From the highest peaks--approaching a mile above sea level--to the lowest valleys, through which flows one of the most ancient river systems in the world, trees carpet much of the county's 406 square miles. Species with nicknames like wahoo, goosefoot, ironwood, shadblow, bom-a-gilly and buckeye thrive. Others, dominant in the region for millennia, have all but disappeared in recent years. The author describes in detail their anatomy and ecology, and discusses maple syrup production, the local nursery business and the lore and deep value of heritage apple trees; 165 photographs are included.

The People of the New River

The People of the New River PDF

Author: Leland R. Cooper

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2016-04-14

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1476618887

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Said to be one of the oldest rivers in the world, the New River begins at two locations in Watauga County in northwest North Carolina. From there the North and South Forks meander north through Ashe County until they meet near the Virginia border and continue through a corner of Alleghany County before turning north again into Virginia and West Virginia and on to the Ohio. Settlers came to the fertile bottom lands along the New River during the 18th and 19th centuries and many of their descendants still live there today. In this collection of oral histories, 33 people in Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga counties—most of whom are in their 70s, 80s, and 90s—share memories of their lives and work on the New River and their hopes for its future. They tell of floods, snows, sickness, the Great Depression, education, religion, quilting, weaving and other crafts, and the fight against a large power company that planned to flood thousands of acres of land. They also recall how the river has been central to their lives in providing food, transportation and recreation.

The Virginia Creeper in Ashe County

The Virginia Creeper in Ashe County PDF

Author:

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9780738588148

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West Jefferson did not exist until local entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to run the tracks from Whitetop Mountain in Virginia to North Carolina. In 1914, the Virginia Carolina Railroad came to Ashe County. Virgin timber grew in the mountains, luring the Hassenger Lumber Company into the area. Small sawmills and lumbering operations were located "up every holler," so the tracks were expanded into Elkland, known today as Todd. Until 1933, the train ran daily into the county, and communities such as Nella, Tuckerdale, Camrose, Bowie, Lansing, Warrensville, Berlin, and West Jefferson grew up along the tracks. The timber was gone by 1929, and when the Great Depression came, the Norfolk and Western Abingdon Line made the slow grinding haul up the mountain every week. During the 1950s and 1960s, the spectacular fall leaf displays made excursion trains popular for tourists. The last train ran in 1977, and the tracks in Ashe County were removed, leaving only a few vestiges to show the train was ever here.