{"id":4595,"date":"2016-04-18T00:00:41","date_gmt":"2016-04-18T04:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=4595"},"modified":"2016-04-19T16:00:14","modified_gmt":"2016-04-19T20:00:14","slug":"history-drovers-road-a-river-of-hogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/heritage\/history-drovers-road-a-river-of-hogs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Drover’s Road – A River of Hogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"History<\/a><\/p>\n

Story by John Turk | Photo by Paul M. Howey<\/p>\n

During the early 1800s, the population of Asheville stood at fewer than 500. The rest of Western North Carolina was also sparsely populated and isolated from the rest of the country. Most folks here toiled on small plots of land trying to make it from one season to the next. There were no tourists. The only asset of any major significance (other than the glorious mountains) was the drover\u2019s road that connected farmers of the area to markets farther south.<\/p>\n

Huge plantations were flourishing in the South and, to be effective workers, the slaves needed a diet high in protein. Hogs could have been raised there, but plantation owners felt that every acre not planted in cotton was a financial loss. As a result, most of the hogs were raised farther north in Eastern Tennessee and North Carolina. Each fall, the drover\u2019s road was used to drive these hogs to railroad connections in South Carolina.<\/p>\n

It was a sight to behold. Newspapers of the day referred to it as \u201ca river of hogs.\u201d It was estimated that the number of hogs marching through downtown Asheville was nearly 60 thousand per month! They were driven along a path that took them right through the center of Asheville along what are today Broadway and Biltmore Avenues.<\/p>\n

Tour guides are frequently asked, \u201cWhat would that have smelled like?\u201d The answer is, \u201cNot good.\u201d The citizens of Asheville, however, were familiar with animal smells. And they knew that smell meant money.<\/p>\n

The drover\u2019s road was the centerpiece of an amazing economic system. Nearly everyone profited\u2014the farmers who raised the hogs, the owners of hotels (called stands) along the road, local farmers who grew the corn to feed the traveling hogs, and the agents who eventually bought the hogs.<\/p>\n

The bronze hogs, created by artist Margery Torrey-Godwin, that are featured at the Urban Trail station at the west end of Pack Square remind us of the importance of the drover\u2019s road during Asheville\u2019s early days.<\/p>\n

John Turk, Professor Emeritus, Youngstown State University, is vice president of the Western North Carolina Historical Association and leads city walking and bus tours with History@Hand (history-at-hand.com<\/a>). He can be reached at jrturk@ysu.edu<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Story by John Turk | Photo by Paul M. Howey During the early 1800s, the population of Asheville stood at fewer than 500. 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