HISTORIC OCONEE COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA Subject: Transportation History in Oconee County Version 1.0, 12-Jan-2003, H-30.txt **************************************************************** REPRODUCING NOTICE: ------------------- These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, or presentation by any other organization, or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Paul M Kankula - nn8nn Seneca, SC, USA Oconee County SC GenWeb Coordinator Oconee County SC GenWeb Homestead http://www.rootsweb.com/~scoconee/oconee.html Oconee County SC GenWeb Tombstone Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~scoconee/cemeteries.html http://www.usgwtombstones.org/southcarolina/oconee.html **************************************************************** DATAFILE INPUT . : Paul M. Kankula at kankula1@innova.net in Jan-2003 DATAFILE LAYOUT : Paul M. Kankula at kankula1@innova.net in Jan-2003 HISTORY WRITE-UP : Unknown Author, Keowee Courier Newspaper in Jan-1973 Early travel in this area has the romantic backdrop of animal and Indian trails. Many of these trails were the forerunners of our roads. The Indians traveled them -- many of them situated in the higher ground --on foot and on horseback and transported goods by horsepack. Two notable trails passing the rough Oconee and Pickens territory were called Warrior Trail and Keowee Trail. During these last hundred years however, vehicular travel developed. Part of this period is actually called "horse and buggy days." For overland passenger transportation was the stage coach. One came up Walhalla way from Augusta and connected with one from Charleston. The wagon train, with its necessary tar bucket hanging on the rear for wheel lubrication purposes, carried freight. The covered wagon from the mountains, often ox drawn, bearing such produce as cabbages, apples, and chestnuts was a familiar sight in all this foothill area up until the 1920's. Often when large streams had to be crossed, the trails and later the roads led to fords or shoals. One ford for traffic from Oconee County into Georgia was "Smash Waggin" Ford across Chattooga River at Russell's and one across the Keowee into Pickens County was "Shallow" Ford. Another was Chapman's Ford with its "Pilot" rock. When the water covered the rock, the river was too deep to cross. Later this ford was superceded by Chapman's Bridge. There were also ferries to help travelers get across streams before the advent of costly bridges. There were several across Seneca River. Some of the covered bridges and other later ones were financed as toll bridges. Then came the train! It was a great day when the Blue Ridge Railroad was finished between Anderson and Pendleton in 1858 and then extended to West Union in 1860. In 1870 the railroad was brought to Walhalla. In the interim a bus that could hold sixteen to twenty people transported passengers to Walhalla. It was drawn by four horses and the drivers sat on top of this carriage-like van where the baggage was placed. There was said to be a stagecoach drawn by four white horses that went from Walhalla and Highlands. In every town, the hack or spring bodied horse drawn vehicle played the important role of taking "drummers" from the depots to the hotels and boarding houses. The steel tired carriage usually drawn by two horses was the family type vehicle. The buckboard and later on the two passenger buggy came into being. About 1910 the old steel tires on passenger vehicles were replaced by solid rubber tires. This was indeed a thrilling and important innovation! Then in the early 1900's came the horseless carriage speeding along at the fabulous rate of 25 mph. Old timers can remember getting their first glimpse of one, and each town knew who owned the first one. With the advent of power driven vehicles has come a network of paved highways all over the county, and parking lots in all the towns. Today, daily and hourly travel and traffic in buses and trucks is a commonplace necessity. Oconee County can also boast of a landing field for airplanes! But this miraculous development of modern transportation has brought the dual problem of speed and space -- completely unknown 100 years ago when there were no traffic cops or parking meters!