Five Reasons to Visit Johnson City

Johnson City, Tennessee, is a diverse little city that is growing fast. The city was once a transportation hub, where coal, timber and goods from the east would cascade off the western slope of the Appalachian Mountains to develop an expanding frontier.

Long gone are the frontier days. Gone are the boom days of coal. Gone are a lot of the factories, and gone is the need for rail travel. Finally, gone is most of the agriculture that once dominated the region. The little city has struggled to redefine itself.

The never-say-die spirit of the Appalachian American is kicking in though. They are picking themselves up and finding new ways to make a living. This time in one sustainable for future generations.

Outdoor-Assets are to play a major role in the future of the region. Mountain Bike parks are popping up where local organizations have struggle with land-use for two decades. More emphasis is being placed on long standing assets like the Appalachian Trail, in near by counties.

One trail head at Winged Deer Mountain Bike Park.

Every visit to Johnson City provides another opportunity to learn or try something new. There is always a festival for music, food, cultural diversity or outdoor recreation happening. Besides all of the reasons one has already, what follows is a list of five reasons to visit the city, with your bike.

1. Accommodations: One can choose from a variety of accommodations in the Johnson City area. Whether you want a 5 Star hotel complete with room service, or a private country cabin; the region will oblige your needs. There are a variety of offerings ranging in price to accommodate most people’s budget. Easily search online for any offerings if looking to book a trip.If one is traveling with a bike do not worry. There are a variety of bike shops in Johnson City to take care of your best friend if repairs or a tune is needed. One can find a shop that is brand specific to their bike but most of the shops can work on any bike. The city is very bike friendly and has multiple repair points in the parks downtown too.
2. Biking: Tannery Knobs Bike Park will be opening soon. This park is located within an easy 2 miles of downtown Johnson City. TK features beginner to advanced skill-level mountain bike trails, built by IMBA Trail Solutions. Also, being built at this time is a paved pump track by Velosolutions out of Knoxville, Tennessee.Winged Deer Mountain Bike Park is within city limits and features miles of single-track. The local Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association is in the process of expanding the trail system for 2019. This trail system is mostly hand built by volunteers, residents and from donations.SORBA Tri-Cities will be adding an advanced skill-level trail to Winged Deer. The trail will feature natural rock gardens with 4 to 5 feet drops. This line was discovered, when club members began to clear undergrowth looking for opportunities to dig new trail.

   

   Members of SORBA Tri-Cities gather for Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day at the Mountain Bike Park at Winged Deer. Photo by Kenneth Medley

   The cities convenient location also makes it possible to drive to Pisgah National Forest for a day trip. There is also Paint Creek and a few other popular mountain bike destinations available for day trips. That is why it is best to plan an extended stay, around a week, to the region.

   There are also great road biking opportunities, if one is more into that. There are a myriad of routes to choose from with loops of 50 to 100 miles or more. Local clubs and businesses have nightly rides Monday through Saturday during peak season for road and mountain bikes.

 

3. Beer: Okay, if you do not drink then this may not be a reason. Let me entice you though. Beer has been a part of American Culture since the countries founding. Some of the founding fathers were even rumored to be brewers themselves.Johnson City has found success in the popularity of craft breweries. The city features five craft breweries and six tap rooms within a one-mile radius of downtown. At any time of the day one can catch a whiff of malt in the air and this floods the mind with images of 18^th Century America for the history buff.

 

4. History: Johnson City has a storied history. One such story is how the city received its nickname, “Little Chicago,” from notorious American gangster Al Capone. Although not spoken about by the locals, the Bible Belt-town had quite the reputation during prohibition.Also, nearby is Jonesborough, Tennessee, the state’s oldest town. This historical town is home to the International Storytelling Center, the first abolitionist newspaper in the south, and a preserved Main Street where the likes of Daniel Boone, President Andrew Jackson, David Crockett and John Sevier, once went for an evening stroll.

   One can experience this living history in Johnson City and much more. The trails nearby provide more history. The Overmountain Shelter is a rejuvenated shelter on the Appalachian Trail once used by the Overmountain Men during the Revolutionary War. You can hike up, stay overnight here and imagine what it would have been like; to be a part of a militia about to battle the most powerful army in the world, at the time.

 

5. Convenience: One thing that one should have noticed is that not everything on this list is in Johnson City. That is on purpose. Johnson City is conveniently located in the Tri-Cities and Northeast Tennessee region.Johnson City provides the best all around location to get the most out of what the region offers. One can travel to Bristol Motor Speedway, Roan Highlands or Erwin to white-water raft all in under an hour. These activities can be accomplished on a day trip.

   

   Once back in Johnson City you can enjoy a refreshing drink at a local award-winning brewery, grab a bite to eat at a fine restaurant and return to your accommodations, all without spending an arm-and-leg. The city provides the convenience of backcountry outdoor recreation without the negatives.

Did you know? Why is Johnson City, Tennessee, called “Little Chicago?”

With the 2^nd Annual Little Chicago Festival kicking off in downtown Johnson City, Tennessee, many people may be wondering why Johnson City is called “Little Chicago.” A brief look into the colorful history of the city explains.

Johnson City is located just miles from Jonesborough, Tennessee, the states oldest town. It is home to East Tennessee State University, Dr. Enuf and a thriving art scene. There are many stages for struggling musicians, galleries for all kinds of visual art and railroads, a lot of railroads.

Johnson City started life as Johnson’s Depot in 1856. There have been battles; the State of Franklin is immortalized by one of the main roads through the city. The name was changed during the civil war and changed back after. It was once the wild frontier.

The geographical location makes Johnson City a central rail hub of the Southeast. During the boomtown days of mining and railroads major rail lines passed through and were headquartered here.

One still hears train horns in the city daily. Signs that the city still relies on the rail industry to an extent. The railroad is what brought the name Little Chicago, and with it the infamous gangster, Al Capone gracing the streets of this little mountain city.

Al Capone was one of the most notorious organized crime bosses during the Prohibition era in the U.S. At this time Johnson City grew to be the fifth largest city in Tennessee. It also earned a place on Look magazine’s list as “a hotbed of vice conditions” city along with Knoxville and Chattanooga. Oral histories say that the residents of the city have tried to suppress its storied history. Newspaper articles from 1929 refute this. Speakeasy raids were conducted throughout the city. Citizens made outcries to end corrupting in the police force since the city was considered, “wide-open” to the alcohol business.

Many stories can be found about Johnson City during the Prohibition Era. Many have been passed down through word of mouth. One can find evidence in support of these claims. No matter the case, the Little Chicago Festival is a celebration of the city today.

Food, family and music will grace the streets this Friday and Saturday, not gangsters. Bring your little ones out and enjoy the city. It has been around through sketchy times for over 150 years. Come help make the 2^nd annual Little Chicago Festival better than the first and make sure it isn’t the last.

 

 

Government and Civil Rights

The American Civil War is one of the most horrific times in U.S. history. Many people seem to not grasp what the war was over or why it started.

Many feel that upholding slavery was the primary reason why southern people of the U.S. wanted to succeed from the Union. They ignore the fact that the Southern States were not equally represented in government. They also ignore the fact that at the time of succession abolition of slavery was not on the government agenda.

Many Southern State Governments wanted to succeed because they felt they could better represent the people and the agricultural economy coming out of the region. Slavery was an issue that came about later within the presidential administration of Abraham Lincoln.

After the war ended the 14th Amendment was ratified by congress to truly free all the slaves in the U.S. Many new beginnings and new problems arose in the nation.

Freedmen now had opportunities they had not enjoyed before but the former slave owners did not want this. They felt that the white race was superior and that the freedmen would be a detriment to the nation.

Out of this dilemma came many possible resolutions but most seem to fall short. The Freedmen’ s Bureau and other organizations fought for civil rights. Almost from the beginning of Reconstruction.

Freedmen now had the tasking of starting a life. There were many different attempts that were unsuccessful as well.  Freedmen saw themselves as equal to their former owners. The former owners did not agree with this sentiment.

They key things to point out I am pointing out is that slavery was the first time that the government took upon the responsibility of a social issue. Many social issues were prevalent prior to the Civil War i.e. woman suffrage, slavery, immigration, and laborer rights to name a few.

Most of these issues got put aside when the war broke out so as not to divide the nation even more. Slavery however took center stage in 1863 when President Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. Then pushed for the 14^th Amendment during reconstruction.

Although, this great atrocity was something that needed to be destroyed. No other time in American history had a President made a social issue the matter of the government. This led to repercussions that have reverberated throughout the history of the US.

From labor issues to woman suffrage the Federal Government has taken up arms on many issues and continue to do so today. State government laws are being stamped out by the U.S. Federal Government.

One cannot argue against the belief that slavery was an atrocity and needed to be ended. This issue needed to be shouldered.  Where, however, is the line in the sand for people to take personal responsibility today? The State Governments need to stand up and start making sensible laws as well.

WWII Second Most Important Event in Human History

World War II could be argued as one of the most important time frames in the history of the planet we call home.

The U.S. before WWI and WWII carried many policies of isolationism. Some believe that Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted involve the U.S. in the war but popular opinion kept America out. This changed December 7, 1941, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.

FDR asked for war against Japan and had unlimited support from the government and the people. Pushing to war changed almost every aspect of American life. The able men went off to war. The women were left to make war machines in the factories. The independence and show of support ultimately lead to women suffrage and other rights for women.

The American-Japanese endured some of the worst treatment American Citizens have received by the government up to this day. They were imprisoned in interment camps because all Japanese were seen as potential spies and “could not be trusted.” Their civil rights were revoked and many families were torn apart.

The loss of human life due to the war was devastating. However, many good things could be traced back to it. Developments in technology were one of the largest benefits of the war, especially in areas of communications and medicine.

Civil rights became a focus not just for blacks but also for Native Americans, Hispanics, and women during the war and there were measurable reasoning behind the arguments. More than one million African-Americans served during the war, which gave the leaders of the civil rights a large foundation to argue from.

The culmination of WWII being the Atomic Bombs dropped by U.S. Forces on Japan truly changed the world. The power of the bombs could be said to have been over-powering.

In my opinion WWII is the second most important event in human history following the Industrial Revolution. The dropping of the Atomic Bombs on Japan truly changed the world in ways we are still discovering.

Apart from the violence, many leaps were made in Civil Rights in America, some faster than others, and not just for one demographic. The inclusion of Asian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, African-Americans, Native-Americans, Female-Americans and just good old-fashioned Americans in the war and war effort display that Americans weren’t labeled by where they are from or what they looked like, all are AMERICANS.

These movements didn’t happen right away and were/are still fought arduously. There was/is justification that must not be denied by any.

Many labor reforms that came about during the war we still share today; along with government policies like the GI Bill and retirement benefits for military members.

America also pushed forward the standards of living with many families switching to duel income and consuming more product. WWII evolved America into a superpower, a status still enjoyed today, but changed the world into a community. Now one country is not solely standing alone, whether economically, militarily or another reason, we all became dependent on one another.

What is an American?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary says that an American is: 1) A person born, raised or living in the U.S. 2) A person born, raised or living in North or South America. 3) A citizen of the U.S.

Do you the people agree with this? I want to know.

J. Hector St. John De Crevecoeur a farmer, author, immigrant, diplomat and Canadian militiaman was also a colonial settler in the U.S. before there was a U.S. He married, had a home in what became New York and travelled throughout New England and Canada before returning to Europe.

He described an American in his essays published in the late 1700s Letters From an American Farmer. Crevecoeur said:

“They are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans and Swedes. From this promiscuous breed, that race now called Americans have risen…I could point out to a family whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations. He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds…Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.” – From Letter III. What Is an American

 Do you the people agree with this? I want to know.

(Genetic testing has proven that many other races mixed too: Native American, African, Spanish, Etc. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/12/genetic-study-reveals-surprising-ancestry-many-americans)

From this example one could argue that American is a race and not a nationality. American may be the first race without nationality since nations formed in history? What do you think?

 

Paradise Found Through Providence and a Military Campaign: John Smith, The General History of Virginia

John Smith found Paradise in the hardships and skirmishes of the new world. He saw manifestations of God “the patron of all good endeavors” while conducting military actions against the natives. These actions were not necessarily to gain territory instead resulting in the extortion of resources from the Natives by the English in order to establish a foothold to later establish colonies.

While conducting the operations, many times he is outnumbered ten to one and the Natives “being well armed with clubs, targets, bows and arrow,” and the English armed with muskets, cannons and other weapons, thought to be superior, would prevail in battle. (Norton 85) Witnessing the English victories in these battles, Smith discovered his interpretation of God’s plan for the English in his idea of Paradise.

John Smith was educated as a shoe keepers apprentice and through military experience as told in the biography. (81) He was also a man that knew the company he kept was not the noblest of men. This is apparent in many examples from his writings about Virginia, one example of this, as stated by Smith, “The new President and Martin…of weak judgment in dangers, and less industry in peace,” demonstrates that he was not ignorant as to why some had come to this new world. (85) The statement “less industry in peace” could be interpreted to mean that with a war or on-going conflict, there would be more of a demand for the supplies the English were quickly harvesting, cultivating, or extorting. He knew that many had come to accomplish their fortunes and those fortunes were hastier made by waging war rather than striving for peace.

Smith describes scenes of people dying from sickness, starvation, and dehydration. On page 83 Smith deems necessary to write down that during the crossing the sailors would pilfer the rations to exchange with the passengers. One thing he states they would exchange for, but not the only, was love. Love in this sense most likely does not refer to companionship or marriage but rather an exchange of physical pleasure. These passengers were entrepreneurs, religious freedom seekers, and military personnel whose charge was to protect the interest of the crown and to some extent the lives of the settlers. The importance of noting that Smith wrote this down is that the mismanagement and ill preparations by the men in charge of the voyage were to blame.  After arriving to the New World their conditions did not seem to improve according to Smith.

He continues to write about their poor health and contributes this to starvation and dehydration as much as disease and sickness. The natives took pity upon them and gave them food out of kindness. This kindness however he does not contribute to the sympathy, for their fellow man, of the “savages” but rather to “God the patron of all good endeavors,” further demonstrating his belief that God was giving this new world to the English as Providence. However, Smith being the ever military minded man that he was and possibly alluding to his true purpose, Smith criticizes the decision to meet and accept the gifts because he fears it only shows the English’s weaknesses. (84)

After the supplies from the natives replenished those at the camp John Smith and others did not set right away to only planting or raising crops of their own survival. Referring again to his comment about the President and Martin, Smith writes that they left the endeavors outside the camp to him. Although he does say he set some to preparing fields and others to building lodgings because up to this point they only had “castles in the air.” Another point to bring to order is that he makes sure to point out that no lodging was built for himself until last. This is a great show of character for a military leader and shows an empathy that Smith had for the other settlers around him. Also important to note is that through this section Smith refers to himself in the third person. This is intentional and could be to set that he was a sympathetic man after all he was a Christian. In the following paragraphs Smith writes about battles between Natives, where he may not have taken the most Christian action and his actions could have been interpreted as a sins of vanity and pride.

“Being but six or seven in company he went down the river to Kecoughtan where at first they scorned him as a famished man,” in this quotation Smith is speaking of how the Natives gazed upon HIM with this scorn. Seeming to be even more disrespectful, and in Smith’s interpretation on purpose, the Natives attempted to price gouge the trade between them offering “him a handful of corn, a piece of bread” for the English weapons. This infuriated Smith and after denying the trade they charged the Natives and fired upon them. This was more of a show of force because Smith knew with his few numbers that he could not hold the ground while the few men he had loaded their canoes. They stood ready to repel an attack of “sixty or seventy of them,” when the attack came the English prevailed after killing the Natives leader and securing their “Okee.” The “Okee” is described as a decorated Idol and Smith describes this battle and states, “that down fell their God.” It is important to point out that Smith does divulge that the Natives were armed with bows and arrow, clubs, and other simple weapons, while there is not evidence in this text that they had been exposed to musket fire before. After rapidly disposing of the conflict the Natives were forced into trade agreements with the English and Smith mentions later that return trips were made for supplies as a result of this.

It is important to note the language that he uses here to describe this battle. Notice that when he tells of the capturing of the “Okee” he uses the words “their God” not only implying a mission of necessity to secure supplies and trade, he labels a battle amongst the religions now occupying the land, ours and “theirs.” This could have been to spur the emotions of missionaries to come and convert the savage or to justify his own actions. One could interpret the meaning that Smith had a narcissistic personality and he could do no wrong therefore took credit personally for striking down “their God” for his. With being so outnumbered there was but one way he could have down this in his eyes and that was through God. This is very apparent with his next lines stating:

 

Thus God unboundless by His power,

Made them thus kind, would us devour. (86)

 

It is easy to conclude while examining this small selection from John Smith’s, The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles, that although Smith was a religious man looking for Paradise and found it while conducting military operations in the new world. This is evident from the few examples above. Smith lays fault for the hardships experienced for the failings of man, but in the sympathy of the Natives his only conclusion is the power of God. This example demonstrates his purpose in the world as one not to find kind and good-hearted people and fertile land, but to take action and secure trading sites for the advancement of God and country. Although he does not state his loyalties to the crown and shows tones of dissension Smith was still employed by the English crown. One can conclude from these examples that Smith found evidence of God’s Providence in his military actions taken against the Natives in order to secure his self-written place in history.

 

WORKS CITED

 

Smith, John. The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles. Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8^th ed. Eds. Nina Baym et al.

New York: Norton, 2012. 83-99. Print.

A Brief History of the Bohemian Brigade

Many do not know that the profession of Journalism evolved in the 1830s around the same time that law, medicine and other professions came to be in America. One of the many things that caused change to the profession, and media in general, was the American Civil War that began in 1861.

New to sending out reporters to cover stories and turning newspapers into corporations rather than one-man operations, editors continued to refine the process. Technology became the factor that allowed reporters to send information to home offices quickly, making the news relevant and speedy.

The Union reporters were some of the most successful and became known as the Bohemian Brigade. In the beginning this was a term they called themselves. Exploring a brief history of the writers and illustrators one can gain knowledge and insight as to how they helped journalism evolve as a profession.

Technology may be the most important factor that allowed the evolution of these northern reporters. Kathleen Endres said in her book, “The Media in America A History,” that the telegraph single handedly changed how information was sent from the field to the editors. By the 1860s the nation had telegraph wires strung far, wide, and many changing news to being about speed. Editors would no longer wait weeks or months for information they wanted it now.

Photo courtesy of http://www.thebohemianbrigade.com/alfred4.html

This also led to sending reporters to the field to cover stories. Before the telegraph an editor would wait for word of mouth tales of an event and then write their own articles about it. Many newspapers were one-man operations with the editor obtaining the story, writing it and printing all on his own.

The telegraph changed this dramatically and the editor no longer had to wait for somebody to come along. The editor could send a reporter out to cover an event. This person would send the coverage via telegraph back to the home office, and within hours, or a couple of days, the editor could begin printing.

“Through the first third of the 19th Century, American newspapers did not contain much actual ‘news,’” said Brayton Harris in an essay. “They were journals of opinion, political cheerleaders, vehicles for cultured discourse and cultural pretension. Much of what they published about the world outside the door came in the mail: letters from subscribers and copies of other newspapers in an informal system of exchange—encouraged by free postage—from which interesting items could freely be appropriated, if given credit to the source.”

Technology alone could not change newspapers into corporations. The citizens in the United States wanted this information; accurately reported from the battlefield and they wanted it quickly changing the profession into a competition to see who could get a story to the editor first.

Reporters covered all aspects of the war from combat to living conditions. They sent countless sensational stories to their home offices. Many New York papers influenced opinions around the nation and Mid-West papers came into fruition during the War. The Cincinnati Gazette became known as the soldier’s paper in the west although they had fewer reporters in the field.

One problem that arose during this time frame was operational security. Reporters would write about troop locations and movements not knowing the harm that they were doing in trying to describe the battlefield. Another was that many writers sensationalized stories or wrote fictitious ones to appease their editors, this according to Endres.

The Bohemian Brigade, as mentioned before, was a group of reporters from the north that covered Union affairs during the war. Endres wrote that there were said to be as many as 500 reporters in this group; approximately only 200 of them were professional writers. They began calling themselves this because of their liberal arts beliefs and others began calling them this because they seemed to live on the fringes of societal norms.

Louis M. Starr wrote in “Bohemian Brigade Civil War Newsman in Action,” that many were young men that had no families. He said that they were to be so vulgar they lacked the manners to speak or be around the upper echelon leaders of the Union. Not all were said to be this way, Thomas Wallace Knox was a Bohemian Brigade member. He was invited to have dinner with President Abraham Lincoln so the president could hear first hand accounts from the battlefield.

 Charles Colburn, N.Y. Herlad, Charles C. Coffin, Boston Journal, Julius Browne, William Davis Cincinnati Gazetter, L.L. Crounse, “New York Times, W.D. Bickham, Cincinnati Commerce, Thomas W. Knox, New York Herald. CDV courtesy of Leon Basile’s Collection. Photo courtesy of http://www.thebohemianbrigade.com/alfred4.html

Knox was a professional writer and has been counted among the top American storytellers, which made this occasion not a surprise to many. Apart from being a great storyteller he was a very well traveled man. Knox for many years before and after the war travelled the world and wrote about his trips.

Being an accomplished writer helped Knox along the way during the war, but came to get him in trouble with General Ulysses S. Grant. Knox loved detail and on one occasion wrote a story revealing troop locations and movements. This lead to his capture and being charged as a spy for the Confederacy, although he was later pardoned by Lincoln and called to the White House to tell his story to the President, Grant never forgave him, this all according James Phelps.

Many reporters at this time would put themselves in grave situations to cover a battle or a camp exposing themselves to disease and combat. They would be left fending for themselves when it came to food and shelter because they were not members of the military. The New York Herald sent a wagon with their reporters, which became a common sight amongst the military men. Having as many as 50 reporters in the field, the Herald was also one of the largest distributed newspapers in the country. The photograph at the beginning of this article is of the New York Herald wagon.

Some Bohemian Reporters would engage in non-ethical practices. Trying to be first in getting their story to editors, bribery and coercion with train engineers and telegraph employees happened. These methods did not always work and made military leaders look down upon them.

The use of these tactics and living outside the norms of society is what made it difficult for some reporters to fit in with the upper echelons according to Endres. Being in the trenches with the soldiers made it easy for them to relate and tell the stories of the common man.

Although difficult times were upon the nation during the civil war many industries flourished and journalism was one of these. Changing from a hobby of writing for a paper, into a profession and evolving the rules is but one factor that has made it possible for journalist today.

The bohemians of the brigade may not have been the most respected members of the war. They did, however, bring the war to the homes of the nation’s citizens. Many have accredited these men to keeping every person, from common man to the president, informed on not only the battlefield, but also on the soldier and the sentiment of the nation.