The changes in transportation in the 19th-20th Centuries

 Time for some history of our land -

Squire John Stepp’s Stagecoach Stop on Blue Ridge Road near the corner of current old US 70. Photo circa 1910 by Gertrude Sprague

"Valley Rewind: This month, the Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center is exploring early travel and transportation through its weekly Valley Rewinds. By the mid-20th century, commercial stagecoach lines became a common way for travelers of means to traverse western North Carolina. To reach the Swannanoa Gap from the east, stagecoaches would take a route starting at Henry’s Station on Mill Creek, travel uphill following the Swannanoa Creek. Several stagecoach lines took travelers to and through the Swannanoa Valley. This included Dowling's Stage (1872 - 1880) which transported passengers from Old Fort to Asheville, and the Morganton to Asheville Stage Line (founded 1831), operated by J. H. & R. W. Tate. U.S. Mail lines also transported mail by stagecoach through the valley. Though stagecoach travel was one of the more luxurious forms of transportation in the early 20th century, it could still be an arduous, expensive and crowded undertaking. A list of rules for passengers on the Edwin T. Clemmons Stage Line (which also ran through the valley) included this: “Don’t snore loudly while sleeping or use your fellow passenger’s shoulder for a pillow; he (or she) may not understand and friction may result.” Many stagecoach stops developed in the valley, including a station at Swannanoa Gap, Kerlee’s Station on Flat Creek Road and Squire John Stepp’s on Blue Ridge Road- pictured above.

Source:

Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center

NOTE: the railroad didn't come through Mills Gap (Old Fort/Swannanoa Gap) until tunnels were completed in 1879 (see below)

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 May 10, 1869,

After six years of work, the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad were finally ready to be connected, with Chinese workers laying the last rails from the west and Irish workers laying the last rails from the east. The two lines met at Promontory Summit in Utah. In what was the world’s first live mass media event, telegraph wires were connected to the final spike that would join the lines and to the sledgehammer that would drive it in. In New York and San Francisco ceremonial cannons were loaded and pointed out to sea. When the sound of the last spike being driven came over the wires the cannons fired, putting the world on notice. The American halves were now joined. The Transcontinental Railroad was a reality.

It is nearly impossible to overstate the significance of the Transcontinental Railroad and the changes it brought to American society. In 1868 a cross-country stagecoach trip took over six dangerous months to complete and cost the equivalent of $20,000 in today’s money. One year later the trip took a week and was 85% cheaper. Within a few years freight worth tens of millions of dollars was crisscrossing the country every year, opening new markets, and giving Americans affordable access to items never before available to them. The very first shipment from west to east was a carload of Japanese tea, illustrating the commercial and social revolution that was unfolding. At least 7,000 new cities and towns sprang up along the railroad route as the railroad opened up not only commercial traffic, but also made it easier for Americans to move to new areas of the country. Of course, not all of the immediate consequences of the new mobility were positive, but the railroad boom that accompanied the connection of the two American coasts created an economic and social transformation that would be unequaled until the invention of the internet.

On May 10, 1869, one hundred fifty-five years ago today, Leland Stanford hammered in the “Golden Spike,” completing the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.

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Then

The Swannanoa Tunnel, in this photograph from the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center's extensive collection, was the longest of seven tunnels (1,832 feet) constructed up the mountain between Old Fort and Ridgecrest to complete the railroad across North Carolina in the late 1800s. The tunnels were hand dug primarily by African-American convicts. Convicts were used ostensibly to save money, but also because the work was dangerous and prisoners were viewed by many as expendable and easily replaceable. Over 300 lives were lost during construction.

Western North Carolina Railroad’s Swannanoa Tunnel opened on March 11, 1879. At a length of 1,800 feet, it was the longest of the seven tunnels on the railroad between Old Fort and Asheville.

Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center

Now Photo By Joe Standaert 2011

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THEN: Black Mountain Depot

Black Mountain's Southern Railway Train Depot, located on the southeast corner of Sutton and Black Mountain Avenues, was once considered one of the busiest train stops in North Carolina. Southern Railway completed the structure in 1909 but was forced to rebuild the building after a fire ravaged Black Mountain in 1912. In the early 1900s, Black Mountain saw the arrival of up to 10 passenger trains a day. These passengers came to the Swannanoa Valley as tourists exploring the scenic vistas of the mountains, tradespeople seeking their fortune and ailing visitors looking for cures for respiratory ailments such as tuberculosis. The Southern Railway promoted the Land of Sky as the Pleasure Park of America and the World's Greatest Playground. The last regularly scheduled Southern Railway Passenger Train ran from Asheville through Black Mountain to Salisbury on Aug. 8, 1975. Since passenger service ended, the depot has served as a shop for local artists. It is currently owned by The Old Depot Gallery and Association. The depot has maintained much of its historic facade, making it a wonderful example of early 20th-century design. It is a one-story rectangular building of decorative novelty wood siding and pebbledash in the craftsman style. Hipped roof and flared eaves are supported by massive triangular, carved, heavy-timbered brackets. The interior is in original condition with narrow headboard walls and ceiling. All interior woodwork is intact including the office and ticket window.

Courtesy Of Swannanoa Valley Museum & History 

NOW. Photo by Fred McCormick 2020

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Today's quote:

There is a price to pay for speaking the truth. There is a bigger price for living a lie.

 -Cornel West, author and philosopher and sometime presidential candidate (b. 2 Jun 1953)