Old photos of The Rock - the rendering of expansion shows what could have been

[HighlandsApp]

[yosef13]

Awesome pictures. Thanks for sharing.

I like the first one the best. "We're too big for our stadium"

40 years later.....

[Rekdiver]

The 4th photo I am amazed at the amount of deforested areas!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NO.2]

I love seeing old pictures of Boone. Here's a decent approximation of the same shot so you can see what has changed.

[HighlandsApp]

The 4th photo I am amazed at the amount of deforested areas!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of WNC was hills with cattle grazing on them up until the mid 1970s when families stopped farming and then in 1980s the corporate industrial farm took over. There was once hundreds of family chicken houses all about. The drive from Boone to WS was stinky through Wilkes County.

[Boone Goon]

Love the old pics. Thank you for sharing.

[Dmanuhone]

Is that a black track?

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

I see the stadium originally had one heck of a display board as well.

[asu66]

Is that a black track?

*Wink, wink!* As matter if fact, it is a black track! Loose, black coal cinders from the old '50s, '60s, '70s era steam plant on Faculty Drive (now Rivers Street). I know this because I've been carrying some of 'em around under the skin of my elbows and knees since 1960-something.

You haven't really lived unless you've tried to run a distance event or a sprint in 4" deep cinders. It was only a matter of time before you went down; and then God help you. The blood would flow and the coaches would be on your butt if they saw you wince. A few hours later you'd be in your dorm room or your apt.-- still bleeding
-- while you tried to pick the cinders out of your skin with dull-pointed tweezers.

But then, like now, it was great to be a Mountaineer!

[HighlandsApp]

Does anyone know if the high rise stands on the East side were actually a part of the original expansion plan in the 1970s?