River of Cliffs: A Linville Gorge History

Linville Gorge is one of the few examples of old-growth forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains and draws thousands of visitors every year.


The Gorge was approved by Congress in 1964. "The Grand Canyon of the East" was named for William Linville, a member of a party of long hunters in 1766 who fell victim to a Shawnee attack. The difficult terrain made early settlements nearly impossible and logging unprofitable. Unique rock formations, from Table Rock to the Chimneys, and miles of trails attract thousands of climbers, hikers and adventure seekers each year. In this revised edition, author Christopher Blake draws on American colonial reports, travel writings, diaries, fiction and numerous archival records to weave a narrative fabric of an American treasure.

"1125899267"
River of Cliffs: A Linville Gorge History

Linville Gorge is one of the few examples of old-growth forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains and draws thousands of visitors every year.


The Gorge was approved by Congress in 1964. "The Grand Canyon of the East" was named for William Linville, a member of a party of long hunters in 1766 who fell victim to a Shawnee attack. The difficult terrain made early settlements nearly impossible and logging unprofitable. Unique rock formations, from Table Rock to the Chimneys, and miles of trails attract thousands of climbers, hikers and adventure seekers each year. In this revised edition, author Christopher Blake draws on American colonial reports, travel writings, diaries, fiction and numerous archival records to weave a narrative fabric of an American treasure.

11.49 In Stock
River of Cliffs: A Linville Gorge History

River of Cliffs: A Linville Gorge History

by Christopher Blake
River of Cliffs: A Linville Gorge History

River of Cliffs: A Linville Gorge History

by Christopher Blake

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Overview

Linville Gorge is one of the few examples of old-growth forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains and draws thousands of visitors every year.


The Gorge was approved by Congress in 1964. "The Grand Canyon of the East" was named for William Linville, a member of a party of long hunters in 1766 who fell victim to a Shawnee attack. The difficult terrain made early settlements nearly impossible and logging unprofitable. Unique rock formations, from Table Rock to the Chimneys, and miles of trails attract thousands of climbers, hikers and adventure seekers each year. In this revised edition, author Christopher Blake draws on American colonial reports, travel writings, diaries, fiction and numerous archival records to weave a narrative fabric of an American treasure.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781439661680
Publisher: The History Press
Publication date: 07/24/2017
Series: Natural History
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 256
File size: 4 MB

About the Author

Christopher Blake is a retired college English instructor and head of Friends of Linville Gorge, a nonprofit wilderness group based in Linville Falls and dedicated to gorge preservation and public safety and education. Mushroom forays and stunning vista views are among the free group activities offered by FOLG. Since 2006, when FOLG contracted with the U.S. Forest Service Grandfather Ranger District's Adopt-a-Trail program, the group has performed year-round maintenance on Devil's Hole Trail, adding Bynum's Bluff, Cabin and Babel Tower and other north gorge trails in 2014. River of Cliffs is a companion volume to Chris's 2009 Images of America book Linville Gorge Wilderness Area.

Table of Contents

To the Reader 9

Acknowledgements 13

Introduction 17

1 The Spangenberg Diary 23

2 Royal Governor Tryon on the Linville Massacre 25

3 "Attack on the Linville Party" 27

4 Daniel Boone and the Linville Massacre 30

5 Western North Carolina: Its Mountains and Its People to 1880 33

6 Table Rock Described by Andre Michaux, John Fraser, Elisha Mitchell and Arnold Guyot on Linville Gorge 36

7 "Sketches of the Pioneers in Burke County History" 39

8 The Mountain People and Linville Gorge 41

9 Letters from the Alleghany Mountains 43

10 Mountain Scenery: The Scenery of the Mountains of Western North Carolina and Northwestern South Carolina 48

11 The Heart of the Alleghanies, or Western North Carolina 55

12 "A Mountain Tramp from Bridgewater to Blowing Rock: Sketches of Linville Falls and Bynum's Bluff" 62

13 The Balsam Groves of the Grandfather Mountain 65

Photos 72

14 Master of the World 86

15 The Carolina Mountains 100

16 "A Walking Trip to Table Rock Mountain: July 3-6, 1914" 107

17 Vacation Days in the Summitlands of the Blue Ridge and Cumberland Mountains 114

18 The History of Linville Falls 119

Photos 131

19 "Linville Gorge Legends" 148

20 "Bea Hensley Hammers an Iron Chinquapin Leaf on His Anvil Near Spruce Pine and Cogitates on the Nature of Two Beauty Spots" 156

21 Linville Gorge in the 1950s 158

22 Outward Bound Journal, or, "How I Skipped School for 26 Days" 170

23 "Outward Bound-Explore Your Capabilities" 182

24 Green Beret Radio Exercise in the Pisgah Gorge, June 1969 187

25 "Linville Gorge Caves" 196

26 Mountain Yarns, Legends and Lore 198

27 A History of Watauga County 210

28 The Lost Airmen of Jonas Ridge 212

29 A Natural History of Northwest North Carolina 220

30 "Linville" 223

31 "The Circle of life: A Story from Linville" 232

32 The Last of the Mohicans and Linville Gorge 236

33 Jane Blalock Holtsclaw, Cherokee Wisewoman and Healer 239

Recommended Reading 245

Works Cited 249

About the Editor 253

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