The first two “historical” events of our area may be legend, but they make for good stories and just might be true.

In 1539, the Spanish conquistador, Hernan DeSoto, landed on the coast of Florida and marched inland. His line of march took him through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and western North Carolina, but did he pass through Polk County?

Clarence W. Griffin, in his History of Old Tryon and Rutherford Counties, says DeSoto “undoubtedly entered North Carolina by the now famous Hickory Nut Gap.” If so, the Spanish adelantado could very well have marched through Polk County along the road bed of what is now Highway 9.What a sight that must have been! 600 conquistadors in shining armor and armed to the teeth with sabres, pikes, harque buses, cross-bows; a troop of perhaps 60 horses, a battery of light field pieces; a supply train of ox carts with tethered livestock; and a host of Indian allies…warriors, slaves, camp followers.”

The other early tale, perhaps mythical, perhaps factual, is the report that the first settlers to come into the area found herds of wild horses. If true, this would lend credence to the story of DeSoto’s passage; as native horses were long extinct, the Indians must have stolen them from the Spaniards.

Although the date is not recorded, these first settlers, led by Elijah Clark who later was a hero of the Revolution, began to move into Polk, Spartanburg, and Greenville counties around 1750. Also among the early arrivals were the Earle brothers: John, who built Earle’s fort on the north side of the Pacolet; and Bayliss, who created the fine estate, Four Columns, on the south side. The original Block House, site of the famed steeplechase of the same name, was built around 1756 for protection against the Indians.

There is no mention of horses in the early days but they were there as transportation, work horses, and mounts for the rangers who fought the Cherokee and finally defeated them at the Battle of Round Mountain in 1776.

Patriot cavalry gave chase to British dragoons and routed them after the Battle of Earle’s Ford in 1780; and without horses, the 900 Over mountain Men, who galloped through Polk County in October of that same year, would never have caught Major Ferguson and his Tory militia at King’s Mountain.

In 1812 and 1814, Polk and Rutherford Counties provided four infantry companies and a cavalry troop for service on the Alabama and Georgia frontier during the Creek Uprising.

All was not warfare for the men and their horses, however. The week the district court met was always a big occasion. Griffin states that “private accounts were settled, trades were made, and ordinarily there was much horse swapping and occasional trials of speed and other athletic events.”

It would follow that those with the means would begin training quality horses for sport. Griffin tells us the clearing of land for the railroads created race paths as well as eventual means of transportation: “About this time (1836) a group of sportsmen from lower South Carolina established a race course from near what is now known as the Dick Owens place in Sandy Plains, about three miles along the route surveyed for (this) railroad.”

Sadie Smathers Patton, in her Sketches of Polk County History, says, “Wade Hampton and many of his friends, coming to western North Carolina during the summers, brought with them fine horses which they matched—horse against horse and pair against pair —in driving from one resort center to another.”

These days ended abruptly with the tragedy of the Civil War and the harsh reconstruction thereafter. As a defeated South returned to the land to rebuild their lives, there was not time for horse sport for many years.

This brings us to the modern era, and here, the story of horse sport begins with the name of one man: Carter P. Brown.

Carter Brown was a gentleman from Michigan who first came to Tryon in the fall of 1917. He was a horseman and the man who put Tryon on the map as a horse center. He was the founder of the Tryon Riding and Hunt Club in 1925 and its first President;. He also started a fox hunt, the Tryon Hounds, in 1926 and was Master of Fox Hounds for many years. He was the guiding light of the Tryon Horse Show and the father of Steeplechasing in Tryon.

The oldest of these events, the Tryon Horse Show, was founded in 1929. Today, it is a rated United States Equestrian Federation event. However, it was the old show format which was dear to the hearts of the folks in the county. It was held on a Wednesday; many (but not all) of the riders were local; and there was a huge barbecue, free for landowners who let the Tryon Hounds hunt their property. The event was so popular that the schools were let out and most businesses closed for the afternoon.

For most of its long life, the horse show was at Harmon Field but, in recent years, it has moved to the new facility at FENCE (Foothills Equestrian Nature Center). The Tryon Riding and Hunt Club also held another important show at Mr. and Mrs. Willis Kuhn’s Cotton Patch. This was the Junior Horse Show, now sadly defunct as the junior population has dwindled. The Cotton Patch also gained fame as the training site for the US Equestrian Team preparing for the 1956 Olympics. Such equestrian “greats” as coaches Bert de Nemethy and General Tupper Cole; riders Bill Steinkraus, Hugh Wiley, Frank Chapot and George Morris trained here.

The Block House Steeplechase is one of the premier events in Tryon and one which supports much of the horse sport in the area. The first steeplechase in Tryon was run in 1934, a point-to-point at Harmon Field with a variety of stout fences, timber and brush, even a water jump. After three years, the race was discontinued but, after World War II, the first Block House Steeplechase was held in 1947 at the original Block House site. The “big race” was run for a purse of $500. By comparison, today’s feature race carries a reward of $25,000 and the total purse for five races is $60,000.

Despite the attraction of the many competitive horse events: the Block House Steeplechase in the spring, a variety of horse shows and horse trials, dressage shows, and carriage events; the area’s greatest equine attribute is the sport of riding to the hounds.

There are two fox hunts in this area where, many experienced foxhunters will tell you, no better hunting can be found.

The senior hunt is the Tryon Hounds, established in 1926. The Greenville County Hounds, established in 1962, later became the Green Creek Hounds, which was established in 1988.

The commercial aspect of horse sport should not be overlooked. There are many first-rate show trainers and horse farms in the area. Fairview Farm, just over the Carolina line, is one of the finest racing facilities in the country.

Thus, the horse is all-important in Polk County. Horses provide sport, pleasure, entertainment, business and the good country living. Indeed, it can be said that horses are a way of life in this pleasant community in rural North Carolina.

In season the Tryon Horse serves as a downtown billboard for the club, with dates for the Tryon Horse Show or the Block House Steeplechase displayed on his saddle pad. In earlier days when school let out and the stores closed for the horse show, the Horse was rolled down the road for signpost duty, giving visitors directions.

The original Tryon Horse was destroyed in the 30s when the building in which he was stored burned. The next Tryon Horse was ravaged in 1946 during a wild getaway ride when he was kidnapped – not for ransom, just for the devilment – by a few fellows who were enjoying a jar or two of white lightening. The third succumbed to age and weather in the 60s; and the fourth Horse was totally restored in 1983, when he acquired a fiberglass body made by a boat builder. He stands twenty-two hands high.

Occasionally the Tryon Daily Bulletin prints a letter from a reader who has had a conversation with the Tryon Horse. In those letters, the Horse is always referred to as ‘Morris,’ the name given him by a group of friends, the ‘Wilderness Road Gang,’ who put holiday garlands and a rakish top hat on the Horse every Christmas.

The nearest commercial airport is the Asheville Regional Airport (http://www.flyavl.com/) at Fletcher, 23 miles from Columbus. The Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, (http://www.gspairport.com/) located at Greer, S.C., is 33 miles from Columbus. A private airport, Fairview, is located 8 miles south of Columbus and has a 3,000-ft. paved runway with lighting.

DRIVER’S LICENSE / TAG AGENCY

POLK COUNTY

Drivers License: Columbus Mobile Unit: Located 130 Ward Street in Columbus (in front of Post Office) is open most Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Call 828-692-6915 for exact dates.

You can also go to the Hendersonville office: 828-692-6915, 125 Baystone Dr., Hendersonville, NC, Mon-Fri: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Proof of insurance, a valid driver’s license (renewals only), Photo identification and a social security card are required. For additional information, call one of the DMV offices listed above.

N.C. License Tag Agency: No office in Polk County. License plates may be renewed via the Internet at www.ncdot.gov/dmv/.

Offices are located:

Hendersonville: 828-692-0648, 145 Four Seasons Mall, Hendersonville, NC, Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Spindale: 828-287-3600, 1639 US Hwy 74A Bypass, Ste. 140, Spindale, NC 28160, Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Newcomers must register vehicles within 30 days of moving into the state.

LANDRUM, SC

Newcomers have 90 days after establishing residency to apply for a driver’s license and 45 days to purchase a S.C. license tag. With a valid out-of-state driver’s license, only an eye exam is required. For more information, go on-line at http://www.scdmvonline.com/DMVNew/

Local Spartanburg County offices: 8794 Fairforest Rd., Suite B, Spartanburg, SC, Ph: 864-587-4713; Mon-Fri: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

REGISTERING TO VOTE

It is suggested that people moving to our area register immediately so they may vote in local elections.

NORTH CAROLINA:

THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, Womack Building, 101 Courthouse Street, Columbus, NC 28722

828-894-8181, Mon – Fri: 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

SOUTH CAROLINA:

SPARTANBURG COUNTY BOARD OF VOTER REGISTRATION, Human Resources Center – Evans Bldg, 142 South Dean St., PO Box 1287, Spartanburg, SC 29304

Newcomers must register at least 30 days before an election. NC residents may register to vote when applying for a driver’s license. You can register when you apply for a driver’s license. Or, on-line: www.scgop.com and www.scdp.org.

SCHOOLS

Polk County: Seven schools serve approximately 2,500 students:

Website: www.polkschools.org

Polk Central Elementary School: 828-894-8233, Kindergarten through fifth grade.

Saluda School: 828-749-5571, Kindergarten through fifth grade.

Sunny View Elementary School: 828-625-4530, Kindergarten through fifth grade.

Tryon Elementary School: 828-859-6584, Kindergarten through fifth grade.

Polk County Middle School: 828-894-2215, Grades sixth through eighth. (Opened 2005)

Polk County High School: 828-894-2525, Grades nine through twelve.

Polk County Early College: 828-894-2698, first virtual college in the state.

New students will need two documents: a birth certificate and immunization. State law requires immunization against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, red and German measles.

Polk County High School is located on 60 scenic acres just northeast of Columbus. The 135,000 sq. ft. Polk County High School is listed as a School of Distinction for the 2009-2010 school year. It has a 750-seat, fully equipped theatre. All schools have a computer lab staffed by a fulltime technology specialist and are online with the Internet.

All schools are part of a wide area network (WAN) connected to the state computer network. All students have access to laptop computers for use during the school year. A gifted program, in each school, is designed to challenge and motivate the creativity and intelligence of academically gifted students. Advanced-placement courses offer college credit for satisfactory work in English, U.S. History, Calculus, Biology and Chemistry. The schools participate in TIP; a Talent Identification Program sponsored by Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Polk County Early College is located in Columbus, North Carolina in the foothills of the Saluda mountains. The Early College began in the fall of 2007 and was a project of North Carolina Governor, Mike Easley. The college is the first virtual early college in the state, and it is funded by the Bill and MeLinda Gates Foundation. The Polk County Early College is a Learn and Earn School in which students earn college credits while in high school. The Early College is a partner with the Isothermal Community College and with the North Carolina Virtual Public.

PRESCHOOL

Polk County Schools offer a daylong program for four-year-olds at four sites: Tryon Elementary/Forbes, Polk Central, Sunnyview and Saluda. Polk County Schools’ administrative office is at Stearns Education Center in Columbus. Telephone: 828-894-3051.

LANDRUM

On the Web: www.spartanburg1.k12.sc.us

O.P. Earle Elementary School: 864-457-3416, 100 Redland Road, Landrum, SC 29356

Landrum Middle School: 864-457-2629, 104 Redland Road, Landrum, SC 29356

Landrum High School: 864-457-2606, 18818 Asheville Hwy, Campobello, SC 29322

Christian School: Grace Christian School: 864-457-3348, Landrum Mill Road, Landrum SC 29356

LIBRARIES

Lanier Library: 828-859-9535, 72 Chestnut St., Tryon, NC • Website: www.lanierlib.org

Polk County Public Library: 828- 894-8721,  next to the Polk County ICC Campus • Website: www.publib.polknc.org

Saluda Public Library: 828-749-2117, 44 W. Main St., Saluda, NC (branch of Polk County Library)

Landrum Library: 864-457-2218, 111 E. Asbury Drive • Landrum, SC 29356C, Website: http://www.infodepot.org/zloc/laninfo.asp

NORTH CAROLINA TAXES

State Income Tax is based on Federal Taxable Income with modifications of certain deductions and exemptions. Tax rates start at 7% of taxable income and range to a maximum of 7.7%. The state sales tax rate is 7%, with the exception of retail sales of food for home consumption. Drugs purchased under a doctor’s prescription are exempt. All income from North Carolina Municipal Bonds and unit trusts is Federal, State and Intangibles tax-free. Polk County property tax rate is approximately 0.68 cents per $100 value into the general fund (every $100 of vehicles, real estate, businesses or personal property owned). Tax Collector can be reached at 828-894-8500.

HEALTH CARE

Polk County has St. Luke’s Hospital, a 74-bed private, nonprofit, acute care hospital providing 24-hour-a-day Physician coverage. The hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Excellent health and wellness programs are conducted at St. Luke’s and the wooded, exercise path located directly behind the hospital is a popular place for community “walkers.” Polk Social Services offers in-home services and administers other supportive services.

828-894-3311. Website: http://www.saintlukeshospital.com

Spartanburg County has Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, a 480-bed facility that includes state of the art technology, offers the only regional air ambulance center, the Gibbs Cancer Center, and the Heart Center. 864-560-6806, Website: www.spartanburgregional.com

Health Check provides free health insurance to children 0-20 whose families qualify. NC Health Choice for Children offers free or low-cost health insurance to uninsured children 0-18 whose families do not qualify for Medicaid. Both programs have comprehensive benefits. Call toll-free 877-252-8066 or 828-859-5825 in Polk County for information and applications. www.dhhs.state.nc.us.

GOVERNOR
Bev Perdue (D)
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
Phone: 919-733-4240
Fax: 919-733-2120
www.governor.state.nc.us

US SENATORS
Richard Burr (R )
Asheville
Federal Building
151 Patton Avenue, Ste 204
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: 828-350-2437
Fax: 828-350-2439

Tom Apodaca (R)
1504 Fifth Avenue West
Hendersonville, NC 28739
828-696-0574

US HOUSE, DIST. 48
Trudi Walend (R )

US CONGRESSMAN, DIST. 11
Heath Shuler (D)
512 Cannon House Office Bldg
Washington , DC 20515
202-225-6401
828-252-1651

Polk County Board of Commissioners: Chairman, Ray Gasperson (D); Ted Owens (R); Tom Pack (R); Cindy Walker (D); Renee McDermott (D), meets 1st and 3rd Monday each month at 7 p.m. at the Courthouse, 828-894-3301.

Board is made up of five citizens elected at large. Every two years, three commission terms expire and new commissioners are elected. Duties include: setting policies and adopting ordinances for the county, representing the county citizens at higher levels of government, setting the property tax rate, and adopting a balanced budget using the tax money collected in the county.

Elected Officials: Polk County Sheriff, Clerk of Court, Register of Deeds, and Board of Education. For more information, call 828-894-3301.

South Carolina information

GOVERNOR
Nikki Haley (R)
1205 Pendleton Street
Columbia, SC 29201
803-734-2100

US SENATORS
Lindsay O. Graham (R)
130 South Main Street, 7th Floor
Greenville, SC 29601
864-250-1417

Jim DeMint (R)
40 W. Broad St., Suite 320
Greenville, SC 29601
864-233-5366

US CONGRESSMAN, DIST. 4
Trey Gowdy (R)
101 W. St. John St.
Spartanburg, SC 29306
864-583-3264

SC SENATE DIST. 12
Lee Bright (R)
502 Gressette Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
864-587-1800

SC STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DIST. 38
Norman D. “Doug” Brannon (R)
404D Platt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
864-573-0048

Local Government Agency Telephone Numbers

For many years the expression “isothermal belt” or “thermal belt” has been used to describe certain sections of North Carolina which enjoy a more equitable climate than neighboring regions of comparable altitude and latitude. The questions “what are these isothermal belts?” and “why do they exist?” arise frequently, and not all are clearly answered.

However, one of North Carolina’s leading year-round resorts, Tryon, in the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, has developed in an area known as a thermal belt. In neighboring Rutherford County, the town of Rutherfordton enjoys a thermal belt climate, and a nearby community is named Thermal City. Smaller thermal belt areas across western North Carolina are favored locations for apple orchards. Tryon grapes are still a well-known product of the Tryon area, but in recent years their place in the town’s economy has been far surpassed by the value of the travel industry and the increasing popularity of the region with people seeking home sites for their retirement years.

*W. N. Hutt, former horticulturist for the State of North Carolina, writes in an article on “Thermal Belts from the Horticultural Viewpoint” that until he came to North Carolina in 1906 he had never heard of a thermal belt or of a verdant zone. Fruit growers used the terms, and Mr. Hutt writes:

“Practical men who make their living from Mother Earth in fruits, vegetables, grains or other products are close observers of nature and her laws. They may not always be able to correctly interpret her ways and define her laws, but if they have observed any phenomenon and formulated any practice from it you may be pretty sure there is something in it, and you will be unwise if you disregard it without investigation.”

Mr. Hutt made a lengthy study of thermal belts and verdant zones which appears as an appendix to the U.S. Dept. Of Agriculture’s Monthly Weather Review Supplement No. 19, published 1923, on “Thermal Belts and Fruit Growing in North Carolina.”

Mr. Hutt describes the thermal belt as being similar to a will-o’-the-wisp which always seemed to elude his grasp, but he did draw the conclusion that thermal belts are a reality and that North Carolina seems to have a monopoly on them. He advances the explanation that this is because one-third of the state’s area is made up of rolling Piedmont hills stretching up to another third, containing the highest elevations east of the Mississippi River. His preliminary survey resulted in the U.S. Weather Bureau’s setting observation stations at 16 western North Carolina areas where apples, grapes or peaches are grown, and making a study of frost pockets, high top freezes, and the fact that sometimes, in a year when weather conditions were so unfavorable over the state that it would seem impossible that any fruit could survive, some section, or some orchards in a section, would bear a phenomenal crop.

In the 1941 Yearbook of Agriculture, published by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Herbert E. Kichline, associate meteorologist and climatic section director for the North Carolina Weather Bureau, Raleigh, included a statement about thermal belts in his summary of North Carolina’s climates:

“An outstanding characteristic in western North Carolina is the thermal belts,” he wrote, “which are probably more pronounced here than at any other place in the eastern United States. Frequent observations have shown temperature inversions of 20 degrees or more along some mountainsides.”

Inversion is the term used to describe a condition occurring when on certain cool nights the temperature is relatively high on the slope of a mountain—much higher than at the base.

Over a period of four years, records kept by the U.S. Weather Bureau on six selected long slopes (having a vertical height of 1,000 feet or more) showed a total of 860 inversions for the six slopes together in one year (1913) and in no year did the number fall as low as 800. The largest for the entire period was Ellijay, in the southwestern section of the mountains. The greatest single inversion at any hour was 30 degrees at Cane River. Altapass in Mitchell had the smallest number, 173. Globe in Caldwell County near Blowing Rock, and Tryon, in Polk County at the southern tip of the mountains, had 26. Inversions occur most frequently in the spring and autumn, and August generally has the smallest number.

While inversions and thermal areas occur in a number of localities in the mountains, the results in most areas are evident only in the successful growing of apples and other fruits. At Tryon, however, thermal belt climate has contributed heavily to resort prosperity.

Quoting from the U.S. Weather Bureau Report: “Because of the peculiar topographical features at Tryon which affect the flow of air, there are some remarkable variations in the extent and the amount of inversions during the course of a year. Normally, the middle of the thermal belt lies at an elevation of only 400 feet above the valley floor. On no other slope is the center of the thermal belt found so close to the valley floor.”

It is on such slopes that the famous Tryon grapes ripen in late summer. The same climate that produces the grapes contributed to Tryon’s development as a resort.

*W.B. No. 796, U.S. Department of Agriculture Weather Bureau MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW SUPPLEMENT NO. 19. Thermal Belts and Fruit Growing in North Carolina and Thermal Belts from the Horticultural Viewpoint. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. Travel and Promotion Division Dept. of Natural & Economic Resources, Raleigh, NC

Columbus: 828-894-8236

Source is intake on Horse Creek and well near Industrial Park. Maximum Daily Capacity is 230,000 GPD. Peak load is 155,000 GPD. Storage is 500,000 gallons in one ground storage tank. Well can produce 150,000 GPD. Charges: Inside city limits are $35 deposit plus $12/month for the first 3,000 gallons and $1.85 for each additional 1,000 gallons. Outside city limits are $20/month for the first 3,000 and $2.85 for each additional 1,000 gallons.

The following shows the cost breakdown for the sewer rates for Columbus, N.C.:

Residential Inside Water  $16.65 $2.43 per 1000 gallons thereafter

• Residential Inside Sewer $24.10 $3.62 per 1000 gallons thereafter
• Residential Outside Water $32.17 $4.84 per 1000 gallons thereafter
• Residential Outside Sewer $46.82 $7.08 per 1000 gallons thereafter
• Commercial Inside Water $26.99 $2.43 per 1000 gallons thereafter
• Commercial Inside Sewer $39.20 $3.62 per 1000 gallons thereafter
• Commercial Outside Water $52.86 $4.84 per 1000 gallons thereafter
• Commercial Outside Sewer $75.68 $7.08 per 1000 gallons thereafter
• Saluda/Tryon Line Fee $3.40 All customers
• Garbage Fee $12.00 Inside Residential

* Residential water and sewer rates are based on a 3,000-gallon minimum. Commercial water and sewer rates are based on a 5,000-gallon minimum. ‘Inside’ means inside the city limits.

Saluda: 828-849-2581

Source is 8″ main supplying water from the City of Hendersonville.

The following shows the cost breakdown for the water/sewer rates for Saluda, N.C.

• Inside Water Base $20.00 $5.62 per 1000 gallons thereafter
• Outside Water Base $37.30 $6.69 per 1000 gallons thereafter
• Inside Sewer Base $20.00 $5.62 per 1000 gallons thereafter
• Outside Sewer Base $37.30 $6.69 per 1000 gallons thereafter
• Commercial Sewer Rate- $8.43 per 1,000 gallons
• Residential Garbage Rate $16.20
• Business 1X Garbage Rate $20.70
• WATER/SEWER USER FEE $3.50 PER ACCOUNT

Tryon: 828-859-6655

Sources are Big Fall Creek, Colt Creek, Fork Creek and Lake Lanier. Maximum Daily Capacity is 1,275,000 GPD. Average peak load is 500,000 GPD. There are 1,250,000 gallons in elevated and ground storage. The charge for the first 1,000 gallons is $14.71 and $3.92 for each additional 1,000 gallons. Outside City limits $32.30 for the first 1,000 gallons and $11.76 for each additional 1,000 gallons.

Landrum

Spartanburg Water Systems: 1-877-797-7773, 200 Commerce Street, Spartanburg, SC

GAS

Public Service Company of North Carolina, Inc.

Toll free 1-877-776-2427

Provides power for Columbus and Tryon

Landrum

Freeman Gas Company: 864-457-2246, Landrum (propane only)

Prince Oil Company: 864-457-2490, Landrum (oil for furnaces only)

Greer Commission of Public Works: 864-457-4220, 301 McCall St., Greer, SC. (natural gas)

ELECTRIC POWER

Duke Power Company: 1-800-777-9898, Tryon, Columbus, Saluda, Landrum

Rutherford Electric Membership Cooperative: 1-800-521-0920, Northeastern portion of county

Broad River Electric Cooperative: 864-582-8247, Southeastern tip of county

TELEPHONE SERVICE

Windstream: 1-800-501-1754, Landrum, Tryon, Columbus, Central Polk County

Bellsouth: 877-780-2355 (toll free), Northeast area of Polk County

TDS Telecom: 828-749-9090, Saluda area

INTERNET SERVICE

BROADBAND (HIGH-SPEED)

Windstream: DSL 1-866-255-8356, Landrum, Tryon, Columbus, Central Polk County. Website: www.windstream.net

Pangaea: 828-859-3072, Polk and Rutherford Counties. Website: www.pangaea.us

CABLE

Charter Pipeline (Charter): 828-859-9295 in locations where cable TV is available, Website: www.charter.com

WIRELESS

SkyRunner (NewEraCom): 1-828-258-8562, requires unobstructed line of sight to Tryon Peak, Website: www.skyrunner.net

SATELLITE

Starband (EchoStar): 1-800-478-2722 or 863-2320 in any location that can receive Dish Network television, www.starband.com

Hughes Net: 1-866-819-0170 in any location that can receive DirecTV, Website: www.hughesnet.com

DIAL-UP (LOWER-SPEED)

Local ISPs not requiring a long-distance call to connect. In N.C, phones beginning with 859, 894, 863. In S.C., phones beginning with 457.

Windstream: 1-800-925-5835, Website: www.windstream.net

TDS Telecom: 749-9090 or 1-800-358-3648, Website: www.tdstelecom.com (provides innovative Voice, Internet, and entertainment services to rural and suburban communities nationwide as well as leading-edge business technology).

AT&T: 1-888-321-2375, Website: www.att.com

The area was a fine place in which to live, as the first white settlers quickly learned. Several decades before the Revolution a sprinkling of families had set down their roots in the mountain coves in the midst of the Cherokee hunting lands. By 1768 traders were already traveling up the old Blackstock Road from Charleston to bargain for furs and hides. The proximity of the two civilizations resulted in many clashes and much bloodshed. The conflicts became so numerous that the Royal Governor, William Tryon, himself journeyed west from the colonial capital to parley with the Cherokees and negotiate a boundary line.

The new line agreed upon extended from a point near Greenville in South Carolina to the highest peak on White Oak Mountain. When the treaty had been signed, Governor Tryon was flattered to learn that the settlers had named the highest place on White Oak—Tryon Peak.

Determination of the boundary, however, failed to insure safety for the pioneers to the east or for Indians to the west. Many vicious raids continued despite the establishment of forts. One of the heroes of the time was the Indian, Skyuka.

As its population slowly increased, the area became a favorite stopping place for drovers transporting livestock from Kentucky and Tennessee to seaboard harbors. With political independence, towns gradually emerged.

Polk, named to honor the Revolutionary War hero, Colonel William Polk, did not achieve county status until 1855. Columbus, the county seat, was named for Dr. Columbus Mills of Mill Spring. One of his ancestors, Colonel Ambrose Mills, was a Loyalist who was hanged by Patriots after his capture at the Battle of Kings Mountain. An imposing courthouse, built of handmade brick in 1855 distinguishes the Town of Columbus. The ancient slave block still remains on the courthouse lawn.

Tryon is the largest city in the area and is most unusual in the versatility of its residents. Half the population has migrated from other parts of the country to enjoy the mild climate and beauty of the surrounding countryside. The transplanted residents are chiefly writers, artists, educators, professional people and industrial executives who are fascinated with the tranquility of the community life and who contribute so greatly to the social advantages of the city. The Hunting Country abounds in large estates and stables to make an equestrian paradise. There are hundreds of miles of marked riding trails. The fox hunts, horse shows, and steeplechase are well known throughout the country.

Saluda, on the county’s western border, has long enjoyed fame as a vacation area and place of retirement. Many of the Low Country people seek its pleasant summer climate as well as the sheer beauty of its mountain setting. Saluda is noted for its fine apple orchards, which constitute the main source of farm income.

Other communities such as Mill Spring, Sunny View and Green Creek have retained the charm of the Old South. The local roads are all good and provide easy access. An interstate highway, extending from Charleston to Asheville, provides convenient egress from the outside world.

The mountain slopes of the region experience a climatic phenomenon known as the Thermal Belt. This is due to a temperature inversion, which results in a belt, rather indefinite in width, wherein the frosts of the valley – or the freezes of the higher altitudes – do not occur. Botanically, the area is rich in native flora.

Lakes Adger and Lanier provide aquatic sports and fishing. Some of the clear, cold mountain streams offer good trout fishing in season. Golf, riding and hiking attract devotees who need not wait appropriate seasons for such outdoor activities.

The inborn courtesy of the native people makes even daily shopping chores a memorable experience with, “You all come back.”

The Carolina Foothills Chamber is involved with many area supporting organizations in western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina. One of our many goals and objectives is to attract visitors who will truly appreciate what this area has to offer and whose interests in relocating here include a strong desire to participate in and contribute to the community.

The Chamber is host to the largest event in Polk County, the Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival held every June.

Motto

Setting the standard; helping business succeed.

Mission Statement

To provide leadership in developing business and economic opportunities that enhance the quality of life in our community.