October 1995

Watauga River at Shulls Mills

We are looking west up the Watauga River at Shulls Mills. The railroad crossed the river here after passing through the mill area on its way to Boone. There was a 104 foot steel thru lattice truss bridge here, it crossed right about mid photo. The mill was in the field on the right and the depot was a little ways down to the left. You may be able to just make out the abutment on the left bank. Anyway, this gentle brook is the same one that became a roaring torrent in 1940 and took out the 2 bridges and trestle work here and wrecked havoc farther downstream, ultimately decimating the Linville River Ry and forcing its abandonment. The Boone Fork Lumber Company that ran the mill here followed the Boone Fork, a tributary of the Watauga, up into the mountain timber in the direction we're facing. The Boone Fork runs into the Watauga a little ways upstream from here closer to where the sawmill was situated. The area to the left is now Hound Ears Country Club and Golf Course, and is quite a ritzy area with many expensive homes perched on the sides of the mountains surrounding this valley. The large meadow where the mill was is now a Christmas Tree farm among other things.