Washington City Paper: Contents for Feb. 28

Appalachian Trail of Tears
Sixty years ago they were evicted from the Blue Ridge to make way for Shenandoah National Park. But the refugees haven't forgotten their lost mountain homes.

Cover Story

When the men in dark suits first came to the mountains, the boy thought them exceedingly odd creatures.

Though barely more than a tot, the boy had already seen many a stranger pass by his daddy's farm on the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. After all, the 34-acre spread sloped all the way down to the meandering dirt road that cut through Swift Run Gap. Travelers used the well-worn route to make the journey between the Shenandoah Valley to the west and the rolling Virginia piedmont to the east.

It was the Depression, and many were drifters from the lowlands, looking for work and shelter and maybe a scrap of food along the way. The boy's family would often leave bottles of fresh milk for them in the creek that trickled cold spring water below the farm. Despite the hard times, the cash-poor farm people could afford to be generous. They had cattle, horses, sheep, and turkey, along with other livestock; they had myriad vegetable gardens and orchards of apple, peach, and cherry trees. The altitude protected the crops from the bugs and blight down below.

Much of the nation was a dust bowl, but up here in the Blue Ridge—or at least in this snug hollow between Saddleback and Hightop mountains—the land was forgiving.

All kinds of stragglers stopped by the farm, and no one was turned away. But the men in suits didn't behave like most visitors, who were usually polite and gracious. These newcomers weren't here for handouts, and they offered no greetings. Instead, they sauntered around in their city shoes all businesslike, as if they owned the place.... Continued

Issue of Feb. 28 - Mar. 6, 1997

News and Features

Appalachian Trail of Tears
Sixty years ago they were evicted from the Blue Ridge to make way for Shenandoah National Park. But the refugees haven't forgotten their lost mountain homes.
Cover Story By Eddie Dean
Flamethrower
Career complainer Vaughn Bennett couldn't survive the fire department's silent treatment.
The City By Paul Belden
Wreckless Abandon
D.C. cops couldn't find Maggie Carey's stolen car, but the ticket writers knew exactly where to find it.
The City By Gwen Shaffer
Don't Fear the Reefer
The Mail By Andrew Williams
Acronymious
The Mail By Tom Carter
Clubs Don't Kill People
The Mail By Timothy Harden
Greek Love
The Mail By David S. Crowley

Columns

Location, Location, Location
Cheap Seats By Dave McKenna
CityDesk
City Desk
Anc Breakdown, Shakedown
Loose Lips By Ken Cummins

Eats

Stuck in the Middle Eastern With You
Young & Hungry By Brett Anderson

Movies

Two the Hard Way
Film Review By Mark Jenkins
Punch and Judy
Film Review By Arion Berger
The Road to Illville
Film Review By Joel E. Siegel
What We Don't Talk About When We Don't Talk About Improv
Talking Pictures By Dave Nuttycombe

Music

Gumshoeing
Music Review By Rickey Wright

Theater

How High the Moon
Theater Review By Bob Mondello
Dead in the Water
Theater Review By Trey Graham

Arts and Events

Wrangling a Deal
Artifacts By Dave Nuttycombe
The Music of Change
Artifacts By Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Gospel 2000
Artifacts By Christopher Porter
Come Out Swingin'
Author Tom Scanlan delivers a roundhouse to the younger generation of jazz.
Arts By Christopher Porter

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