Bell County's land is still most of it in forests, but virgin timber areas have been cut out. Most of the land has been cut over several times in the last several years. The coming of the mines depleted the timber areas still more, and, in many parts of the county, all the timber was taken off even down to four inches. There are some sections of the county where lumbering can be carried on yet, but these areas are few and far between. It would take another generation to produce another good crop of merchantable timber. At first the walnut went, then the poplar and finally the oak, chestnut, hickory and other timbers. And now mine timbers are getting the rest of the timber. If the timber is let alone, the forest areas here are favorable to growing of another fine crop of merchantable timber. The soil and moisture are suitable for this growth.

       Mining began in the county after the coming of Louisville and Nashville Railroad, or about 1889. The mining of coal has been carried on since that time. The peak of the coal production has long ago passed, and most of the coalfields have been mined out or are in the process of being mined out. The coal industry began around Wallsend and lower part of Straight Creek. These fields have been altogether or practically mined out. There is some mining in the lower Straight Creek area. The Wallsend mines have been worked out and abandoned. The Greasy

Creek field has been largely worked out. The Log Mountain area, on Bennett's Fork, Stony Fork, and Big Clear Creek, have largely been mined out, although there is some mining going on in this area yet. The Four Mile area has been largely worked out. The lower Yellow Creek area has been mostly worked out. All of the county, where there is any large body of coal, has been mostly worked out, with the exception of the upper straight Creek and Red Bird areas. These areas are at the beginning of their development. Some mines, on a new branch of railroad which has been built into this area recently, are going now at full capacity. This area has enough coal to keep up a large development, with a number of mines, for a hundred years. But this is the last stand of coal in Bell County, the last of any large boundary of coal for development. This field can never bring Bell County back to the coal production it once had. The peak of this development has passed for all time.

        With the passing of the lumber business for the present, with the passing of the major part of the coal business, what has Bell County to look forward to? She can look forward to more lumber business in the distant future, she must look to something that will take care of the people of her population. The positions in lumber camps are gone, the number of workmen at the mines has been cut to one-fourth. The farms, during the industrial period, the period of lumber and coal, have largely been abandoned. A few farms along the streams have been kept up and kept

producing. The others have been abandoned.

        The automobile business has come in to take the place of the loss in the lumber and coal businesses. Filling stations, repair shops, and sales agencies, will give employment to a large number of people. A large number of people, as some are already doing, must go back to the farms. On these farms they must raise a varied crop for family use and something to market to get money to run the farms. They can raise corn, hay crops, garden stuff and tobacco. In Bell County tobacco has never been raised to any extent; but it can be raised in large quantities and profitably, too. More farmers should turn their attention to the tobacco crop for ready money to keep up their farms, along with these other products. The tobacco crop could be developed to such an extent that it would be worth more than their mines in their present condition.

        Then, the farmers must grass their hills and raise more cattle, sheep and hogs. There will always be money in these, because the nation at large will, more and more, be demanding pork, mutton, and beef. The tobacco crop and the animal crop can bring the inhabitants of Bell County out of the wilderness of doubt and despair and place them on an independent footing. Add to these orchards of all kinds suitable to this section of the country and Bell County will come back to its own. Apples do well in this county. But, during this industrial period, orchards have been abandoned and no, or few, new ones have been planted to take the place of the old ones of the pioneer period. Apple orchards should be revived all over the county. The peach, the pear, the grape, and all small berry crops should be brought back or produced anew where they have not been produced before. Scientific methods for the care of these fruits should be developed and followed.

        There is the tourist trade. No section of the country has finer scenery than Bell County. The Cumberland Mountains, the Log Mountain system, and the Pine Mountain, have some of the finest scenery in the world. The building of roads through these mountains will bring tourists to this section in large numbers. There is money in the tourist trade, money for the inhabitants of Bell County.

        The Pine Mountain State Park is a start in this direction. This park lies around the Narrows and roads have been built through it and along the top of Pine Mountain to the Lee Gap. Laurel Cove is located in this park, and is the meeting place for the Laurel Festival each year. This Festival Brings in from 500 to 8000 people each year. The tourist movement has started here and will grow in volume as the years go by.

        The Skyland Highway at the Pinnacle, Cumberland Gap, is another movement for tourist trade. Thousands of people, from all over the country and from foreign countries, visit the Pinnacle each year. A movement is now on foot to make of the Cumberland Gap area a national park and link it up with the park highway for the state, and join these parks of the state with the parks of the eastern part of the United States. So the movement is in progress. We need to fan the embers into a flame for tourist trade for Bell County and southeastern Kentucky.

        Clear Creek Mountain Springs is the oldest tourist center in the county. These springs have brought people here, in small numbers, from the pioneer days. J. M. C. Davis was the first one to develop the springs and bring in tourists, and, for a lifetime, he brought them each year, and thereby brought to the attention of outsiders the beauties of this mountain region and the healing properties of the springs. Now, the Baptists have turned this place into a place of instruction, a place for religious devotion, and a place for the enjoyment of the beauties of nature and a place for quenching the thirst of weary travelers.

        This new development is in the hands of the young people of the county. The sturdy pioneer stock must come to the fore in these young people. Through education, and they have a good system of education in the county, through foresight, through determination, through honor and integrity, they must rise to the situation and place Bell County on a high position among the counties of the state. They must ever keep it off the pauper list of counties of the state and keep it on the productive side. In this lies independence. In this lies honor. In this lies the goal of their hopes. I was nurtured upon the soil of Bell County. I love it. Out of the soil must come the progress of the future. Look to it, strong and valiant youth of Bell County.