Bristol
VIRGINIA TENNESSEE
Where two cities become one
Volume 2 | Issue 2
Treasures in the Landscape
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From The Editor
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any are Mother Nature’s pure works of art. Others involve man’s nudging influence on the countryside, either to allow access to its beauty or to assist the harvesting of its resources. From the South Holston Lake to the 400-foot-tall spire of dolomite known as The Pinnacle, these treasures in the landscape add value to life in the Mountain Empire. Within a day’s drive of town, dozens of such treasures enrich this region, and in this edition of Bristol magazine, as the National Park System celebrates its 100th anniversary, we are revealing some of the tales of their discoveries, their uses and their surprises. Even the region’s earliest dwellers understood the value of the lands around
them. It’s an wooded area and idea supported drive to the center, by legends of and there would be the Cherokee, no Indians in sight who lived and ... as if they had hunted this been swallowed up region for eons by the earth.” before European Later, after a or other settlers farmer stumbled arrived. As late into the cave, word Christine Uthoff, Editor as the 1700s, spread and during the Cherokee used the Bristol both the Revolutionary and Caverns as places to store Civil wars the Bristol Cavfood and other belongings. erns were used by military According to the book, troops. “Families and History of Native or newcomer, man Sullivan County, Tennessee found value in those caverns. Volume One, 1779-1992,” As the American Civil War written by the Holston Terraged, a town farther north ritory Genealogical Society, became a place to fight over. the Cherokee would conduct Saltville was a strategic tarraids on the settlers then dis- get for a couple reasons, and appear into the landscape. one of them was the work “In the Holston Valley of Mother Nature, the salt area, there was a dense fordeposits. est into which the Indians The other valuable asset were always retreating when was the railroad, a mode retaliation by of transportation between the whites be- the theaters of fighting came fierce,” during the Civil War, and VIRGINIA the book while manmade, it was the ESSEonEe TENN ome ec states. “But railroad’s value in harvestb ties two ci Where the settlers ing the treasures of the region pe a sc d n a L e noticed a that also helped to mold the Treasures in th very strange landscape. thing. The A perfect example is BackIndians bone Rock, a 75-foot-tall, never 20-foot-wide pillar of 450 seemed to million-year-old Cambrianemerge age quartzite on Holston from the Mountain. In the late 19th forest once and early 20th centuries, as they had man harvested the timber entered. that grew in plenty in the Hundreds Mountain Empire region, of men there was a need to get the would logs to the mill, quickly and encircle efficiently. Locomotives were the the answer, but first they
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needed tracks, and a path. Owners of the Empire Lumber and Mining Co. went to work, but near the Holston Mountain they encountered Mother Nature’s obstacle: a solid wall of rock extending from the mountain in what geologists call a spur. Faced with the more costly option of routing tracks around the rock, the builders chose instead to blast through it. The work was done in 1901, creating a 20-foot tunnel through the spur ridge — or so they thought. When the first locomotive arrived, it didn’t fit because of the height of the steam engine’s smokestack. “The first train almost got stuck,” said Bob Morrison, who works with the Johnson County Historical Society. “Then they came in and chiseled away at the opening — the train stayed there until they got enough cut for it to fit.” Man met the challenge Mother Nature provided.
But it wasn’t always about changing what she offered. By the time Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt was in the White House, Americans were awakening to a different type of stewardship of the landscape – one that allowed the harvesting of its wealth but considered also the preservation of its beauty and resources for future generations. “We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune,” Roosevelt once wrote regarding his passion to protect natural areas. Much of the national and Virginia and Tennessee parks systems were developed as such ideas took hold. And in the 1930s, as this country struggled to emerge from the Great Depression, another Roosevelt — Franklin D. Roosevelt — created a program to put young men to work and create
facilities that allowed everyone to experience the beauty Mother Nature provided. Called the Civilian Conservation Corps, the program provided the labor that created many of the parks in this region, including the foundation for Steele Creek Park in Bristol, Tennessee, and the six original state parks in Virginia. Those first Virginia parks were dedicated June 15, 1936, as then-Gov. George Perry stood beside the beach at Hungry Mother State Park. “The working man is entitled to more than a bare existence,” Perry told the crowd, “and so it is the duty of government, either state or national, to help bring him some of the pleasures the world has to offer.” Parks systems, operated by the city, the state or the federal government, have been doing just that for decades now, and this region is blessed to have a great share of that wealth: The Treasures in the Landscape. §
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Bristol Contents
VIRGINIA TENNESSEE
Page 7
Virginia Salt Trail
Page 11
Sugar Hollow Park
Page 15
Where two cities become one
Backbone Rock
Roan Mtn.
One of the Souths tallest peak at 6,285 ft.
A playground for young and old alike
Page 18
The Breaks Interstate Park
Page 27
Grayson Highlands
Page 31
A geological anomaly in our own backyard
The Pinnacle Natural Area
‘The Grand Canyon of the South’
Where the ponies run wild
Roan Mountain is one of the highest peaks in the eastern United States, and located along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Towering above quiet, historical, rural communities, the Roan features the world’s largest natural rhododendron gardens; the longest grassy balds in the eastern United States; thick, record-breaking fir tree forests; the highest shelter along the Appalachian Trail; and a natural biosphere second to none.
Page 35 Page 39
The recent arrival of national outdoor retailers Bass Pro Shop and Cabela’s to the Twin City further emphasizes this region’s status as a center of outdoor recreation, said Beth Rhinehart, CEO of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce. Rising interest in the lake and river continues to spawn entrepreneurs, including local fishing guide services.
Virginia Creeper Trail
Take a train ride on the Steele Creek Express
One of the longest rail trails in Virginia
Page 47
National attraction, local treasure
Steele Creek Park
‘Seashore among the Peaks’
High Knob
Page 49
South Holston
Hungry Mother State Park
Page 43
‘A wholesome place to recreate’
Page 21
VIRGINIA TENNESSEE
Where two cities become one
Bristol magazine is a quarterly publication published by the Bristol Herald Courier®, a BH Media Group newspaper, at 320 Morrison Boulevard, Bristol, Va. Periodicals postage paid at Bristol, Va. All Rights reserved. The contents may not be reproduced without prior written consent of the newspaper. ISSN 8750-6505.
Publisher: Jim Maxwell 276-645-2552 jmaxwell@bristolnews.com
Page 53
‘The Salt Capital of the Confederacy’
Bristol
The Channels
See four states from the observation tower
Formations of 400-million-year-old sandstone
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VirginiaSalt Trail
12,000 B.C. First evidence of human occupation.
Saltville is home to many natural features including salt deposits and well fields
1,0001,500 A.D. Site of a sizable American Indian settlement.
“The Salt Capital of the Confederacy” BY ADRIAN HEDDEN
W
hen Cora Manili was a little girl, Saltville was the place to be. Now 81, Manili remembers late nights drinking beers with her friends at multiple popular pubs in the booming company town. She remembers swimming in the salty marshes — the only inland bodies of saltwater in Virginia. She remembers Friday nights, when the entire town and many surrounding residents would come together to enjoy live music, dancing and the confidence of the American dream. Her memories take her back to a time when Saltville was a force in America’s salt industry, and an era that will forever mark prosperity in rural Southwest Virginia. “I have so many memories of this place,” Manili said while showing her daughter around at a local museum. “It used to be a big town. Friday nights were always big here.” A native of nearby Clinchburg, Manili recalled five-mile walks through the hills to the bright lights of Saltville. “It’s a very interesting area,” she said. “It’s authentic. We had no way of getting anywhere back then unless we walked, so we walked.”
Natural attraction In those days Saltville was the home of chemical company Olin Corp. The company paid for highquality housing, schools and a hospital. It drew workers from across the state to work in its plant, using the salt deposits to produce a wealth of chemicals. And so it provided what its labor force needed; there was even a company store and a company bank. Reminiscent of the town’s historical salt production, an eight-mile trail remains just outside Saltville’s sleepy downtown. Originally a supply line
for the plant when railroads were deemed too dangerous, Town Manager T. Michael Taylor said, the trail today serves as a popular destination for walkers, bikers and those looking to explore a piece of Virginia’s natural and industrial history. “It’s been getting more popular,” Taylor said. “There have been many charitable events on it during the years. Thus far it’s been an asset, nothing but an asset.” Beyond the churches, banks and other establishments that populate the humble business district where the Town Council has
1748 First colonial survey of Saltville Valley.
1782 First salt-manufacturing operation started by Col. Arthur Campbell.
1799 First salt mine in the United States dug by William King.
1861 William A. Stuart, brother of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart, purchases a partial ownership of Stuart, Buchanan and Co., a major salt manufacturer in Saltville.
Oct. 2, 1864 The rich salt deposits beneath the Saltville Valley and what came to be known as the town of Saltville, Virginia, have been renowned for hundreds of years. BHC FILE PHOTO
First Battle of Saltville sees 5,200 Union troops led by Gen. Stephen G. Burbridge defeated by Confederate soldiers.
Dec. 20, 1864 Second Battle of Saltville ends in the capture of the salt works by Union troops led by Gen. George Stoneman.
BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 7
1894 & 1896 Town of Saltville incorporated into the Virginia Commonwealth twice in two years.
1914 Henry Stuart, son of W.A. Stuart, is elected as the 47th governor of Virginia.
1931 A dry ice plant, the first of its kind, opens in Saltville.
1961-1969 The U.S. Air Force opens a hydrazine plant, and the first men walk on the moon after their rocket engines are powered by hydrazine made in Saltville.
2001 After 15 years without salt manufacturing, Spectra Energy begins developing natural gas storage using caverns created by salt wells.
Today United Salt Corp. operates a $40 million facility in Saltville, producing 25 tons of salt per hour.
8 | BRISTOL MAGAZINE
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Pictured is the Saltville Hydrazine Plant. It was here that fuel was manufactured for the U.S. Air Force Titan 2 Rocket that carried man to the moon and back in 1969. barred the large signs of chain restaurants, the trail connects both sides of Saltville — a town straddling the Washington and Smyth county lines. The trail connects Saltville’s Smyth County side, winds into Washington County and ends in the town of Glade Spring. It is ideal for visitors interested in the unique wildlife and fauna, or the town’s rich history, Taylor said, describing the seagulls that fly over the marshes along with many species of fish and other birds and plants typically unseen about 400 miles inland from the Atlantic coast. “It’s a small-plant town for lack of a better word,” Taylor said. “You’ve got a tremendous history. There is also a lot of wildlife that is indigenous to coastal towns because of the salt. You wouldn’t expect to find that up in the mountains. “You’ll see all kinds of wildlife out there from deer
to peacocks. It’s gorgeous and quiet; you could hear a pin drop.” Saltville’s annual Salt and Labor Day Celebration can draw as many as 20,000 people to the trail for the four-day event, Taylor said. The town’s regular population is just more than 2,100. During the event, a 300foot section of the salt trail known as Vendor Alley hosts hundreds of vendors selling food and memorabilia to attendees. “The only thing you pay for is the food you eat,” Taylor said about the event running through Labor Day weekend. “It helps promote the trail and people walking it.”
Space Program Neal Armstrong’s fateful “one small step for man” came on the heels of centuries of history for Saltville, because the salt found in this small southeast Virginia town was used
to create rocket fuel. Space travel was fueled in part by something called hydrazine, which was produced by the Olin Corp. in Saltville. And, without that rocket fuel, Armstrong’s Apollo 11 flight would not have made it to the moon. Olin had begun manufacturing hydrazine in Saltville by 1961, and would lead one of the most profitable chapters in the history of the small Virginia town, after merging with Matheison Alkali Works in 1954. The hydrazine plant was operated for the U.S. Air Force under a $25 million contract. Olin put most of the town’s residents, and then some, to work. “Some of the older police around here remember that Olin would fire you if you were in jail on Monday,” said Erik Pucket, assistant chief of police and a life-long Saltville resident. “Everyone worked for Olin so they’d keep those jail doors swinging.
“(The police) would get you up and ready for work,” Pucket said. “You’d pay your fines and they wouldn’t say a word.” The next decade would see Olin shrinking its corporate interests, pulling out of Saltville in 1972 and leaving almost 2,000 people out of work. “It was bad,” Pucket said. “Everything left when Olin left.” In the following decades, Saltville would regain some of its past prosperity. After 25 years of no salt production, the only hiatus in Saltville’s history, United Salt Corp. would develop a $40 million facility in Saltville, producing up to 25 tons per hour.
Sustaining value “Millions of people and animals, more than ever before, are once again consuming salt from Saltville,” said Harry Haynes, manager of the Museum of the Middle Appalachians in downtown Saltville. “The history here is salt. Salt remains one of the most abundant and important minerals on Earth. “Salt makes our modern lives possible. This is the birthplace of the modern chemical industry in America.” Haynes said Saltville’s natural resources date to the prehistoric era. Millions of years ago, the area was a shallow inland salt-water sea, and the
reminder of Saltville’s centuries-long history. Henry C. Stuart (1855 - 1933) “All sources of salt were found by prehistoric aniOccupation: 47th governor of Virginia from 1914 to 1918 mals,” Haynes said. “They Hometown: Saltville, Virginia found it and were drawn Contribution: Stuart, who grew up in Saltville, was the son of William A. Stuart, the older brother of Confederate to it. All mammals need General J.E.B. Stuart. The elder Stuart brothers were two salt. You can imagine what of the earliest modern salt manufacturers in Saltville, kind of trails those guys partially establishing and contributing to the area’s econleft. What became Saltville omy and reputation for rich salt deposits and production. was once a hub of these trails. It was a center of the region.” Saltville’s notoriety continued Virginia salt trail and well fields into the early days of the AmeriWhere: Saltville, Virginia can colonial era, when founding Size: Trail is 8 miles long; the well fields cover 100 acres Admission: free father Patrick Henry’s two sisOwner: Town of Saltville ters discovered the salt marshes while living nearby in the 1780s. Key natural features: Holds the only inland saline The land would soon become marsh in Virginia along with a historic nature trail. The a hotbed of development, leadtrail was used to transport salt for hundreds of years ing several companies and inwhile it was being procured. dustries to converge in the area and capitalize on its rich natural Historical significance: “Salt Capital of the Conresources through the rest of the federation;” Saltville was a high producer of salt for century and early 1800s. hundreds of years, due to large underground deposits. Industry continued to thrive into the Civil War. Two major clashes between the Confedersalt would settle to the bottom. Geoate and Union armies marred the salt logical changes eventually caused the works with violence and forced the sea to dry up, but the salt remained. area to rebuild. The deposits drew animals, such as Mathieson Alkali Works was charmastodons and wooly mammoths dur- tered following the war, taking Saltville ing the ice age, leaving enormous trails into the modern era of industry and that would be followed much later production. by Native Americans and then white “Salt, one of the world’s most comexplorers and colonial-era settlers. mon substances, is the town’s reason The settlers, Haynes said, called these for being,” states a quote posted on the museum wall. It’s from Roger Allison, a trails, roads. local historian and journalist. “It is the The skeleton of a wooly mammoth presence of salt that assured the town found near the marshes now stands of its rich history.” § in the middle of the museum as a
Several Civil War battles were fought around the Saltville area. Today you can take a walk on one of the Virginia Civil War Trails. DAVID CRIGGER / BHC
BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 9
BELOW: The Well Fields of Saltville, Va. EARL NEIKIRK/BHC
Saltville
COURTESY OF DON SMITH
This circa 1910 photo shows a well derrick where brine was pumped for various chemical applications.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
During a recent dig at an archeological site in Saltville, a student found a tusk that had been hidden underground for years.
Saltville can date its first humans to before 12,000 B.C. Inside the Museum of the Middle Appalachians, visitors can get a view of the creatures that came to the valley in search of salt deposits. EARL NEIKIRK/BHC
LEFT: The salt furnace at the Salt Park holds the original salt kettles. RIGHT: Vials of salt mined from the original salt deposits. PHOTOS BY DAVID CRIGGER / BHC
10 | BRISTOL MAGAZINE
Sugar Hollow
Developed out of necessity, Sugar Hollow has become one of Bristol’s best treasures
1917 One of the worse floods Bristol has seen hits State Street.
18-hole disc golf course a perfect addition BY ADRIAN HEDDEN
M
ore than once, State Street in downtown Bristol became a river. One of the worst incidents was in 1917, when the floodwaters ran knee deep. The culprit was Beaver Creek, a meandering stream that stretched from just south of Abingdon, Virginia, to a short distance below Bluff City, Tennessee. The waterway often would overrun its banks, damaging homes and businesses on both sides of the state line. But the Tennessee Valley Authority, an agency created by Congress in 1933 for
the purpose of taming flood waters and providing power, offered a solution. It was an answer that one day would create a major recreational treasure for the city — Sugar Hollow Park. “Bristol was flooded pretty regularly back then, and this became the place they wanted to build some dams,” said Danny Hill, recreation superintendent for Bristol, Virginia. “They wanted the dam and water kept back, but at the same time the land was valuable recreationally.” So the Twin City and the TVA made a deal: The city would contribute $119,750 toward the flood damage prevention project, and the
TVA would build two dams northeast of town. “At the time, Bristol had no big city parks,” Hill said. But the deal included a return of the land surrounding the dams, in the form of a permanent easement for recreational development. Work on the dams began in earnest in the early 1960s. Clear Creek Dam was completed in 1965, creating a reservoir with a floodstorage capacity of 2,511 acre-feet. The structure is 51 feet high and 670 feet long. About 8 miles northeast of town, Clear Creek Reservoir extends just over a half mile upstream from the dam. Completed the same year,
1933 TVA enters into an agreement which provided for a comprehensive flood damage prevention project for the city.
1960 Work begins on Clear Creek Dam.
1965 Clear Creek Dam is finished, standing at 51 feet high and 670 feet long.
1968 Robert “Bob” Childress leads the transformation of the land into a recreation area.
1970s Ownership of some of the needed land was finally transferred to Bristol, Virginia.
BHC FILE PHOTO
Sugar Hollow Park Wetlands is a great spot for bird watching, as well as home to many species of birds, turtles and frogs.
BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 11
1978 The city received a federal grant from the Virginia Commission of Outdoor Recreation to begin work on the development
1981 “Sugar Hollow Recreation Area” officially named.
BHC FILE PHOTO
Sugar Hollow Park in Bristol, Virginia offers a trail system through the wooded areas, a campground and a play area with paved walkways. Wetlands with wooden walkways, shown, make viewing the wildlife, flora and fauna easy.
2010 About 30 acres were sold to Alpha Natural Resources for their corporate offices.
2015-16 An 18-hole disc golf course was added, bringing in disc golf enthusiasts from all over.
12 | BRISTOL MAGAZINE
Beaver Creek Dam was built a bit closer to the city, just off U.S. Highway 11. The 85-foot-high, 1,588-foot structure is what is called a dry dam, one without a permanent reservoir. When necessary, though, the structure has a flood-storage capacity of 5,020-acre-feet. Neither provides hydroelectric power, but both dams have created a healthy dose of TVA’s other major purpose: recreation. A public golf course unfolds around Clear Creek, and fishing docks are accessible via the golf course fairway. What is now among the largest picnic and camping facilities in the region has grown around the Beaver Creek Dam. The area boasts playgrounds, hiking trails, ball fields and wilderness areas. Teeming with plants and wildlife, the park is a place where, on a spring afternoon, a line of baby ducks swam up a small creek to meet Jerry and Hazel Wyatt.
“Over the years (Sugar Hollow) has just gotten better,” said Jerry Wyatt, who was carrying a walking stick while traversing the park’s trails and hills. He and his wife, Hazel, watched in amusement as the ducklings paddled up to the water’s edge, seeming to pose for photos on the couple’s smart phones. Soon, the mother duck paddled over, appearing to scold her children before urging them to move up the creek. Exchanging amused glances in the spring sun, the Wyatts said the scene was reminiscent of their own grandchildren playing in the park. Married in 1963, the couple moved to Bristol from Richlands after they both retired in 2005. He was a railroad engineer and she was a school nurse. “They continue to keep it clean and add new stuff to it,” Hazel Wyatt said. “It’s a very nice, clean park. We come here as much as we can.”
The couple said they visit the park every day to get fresh air, and take a brisk walk among the wetlands and athletic fields. The Wyatts live nearby in a townhouse without a backyard. “So many people live in apartments now and don’t have yards, so getting out is essential,” Jerry Wyatt said. “It’s very beneficial to the community. I’ve never heard of anything bad happening here.” Sugar Hollow Park also is a favorite for Norma Pyle of Blountville. A patron on and off for decades, Pyle remembers decades of family reunions taking place among the rolling hills and fields throughout Sugar Hollow. She said the park has always been an ideal family meeting place, renowned for its many amenities. “It’s really a well-kept place,” Pyle said. “A lot of families don’t have yards anymore, so you need a place to go for the kids. It’s very well kept.” The park recently added
Recreation. that turned into a major asset.” The work First came the picnic area, then the began Oct. softball fields and campgrounds. Sugar Occupation: Former director of Bristol Virginia Parks 1, 1978, Hollow also added soccer fields and and Recreation (1968-2008) and, three began to host tournaments for several Hometown: LaFollette, Tennessee years later, sports. Later, the wetlands were develContribution: Childress was the director of Bristol’s the park oped to provide a natural backdrop for parks department in the early 1970s when Sugar Hollow was given hikers. Park was opened as a city park. He worked with the Tenits name Hill estimated a recent cross country nessee Valley Authority and local government to develop — Sugar running event drew athletes and fans the land, and led efforts to make the park suitable for Hollow Rec- from 60 schools to Sugar Hollow. He said public use. reation Area. on busy days the park can see between Originally, 500 and 600 visitors. a disc golf course among the bike trails, the park was “You can just walk out here on a daily campgrounds and softball and soccer 400 acres. In 2010, about 30 acres were basis and see people walking all over fields. The 18-hole course attracts disc sold to Alpha Natural Resources to build the park,” he said. “And it’s not just one golfers from across the state, eager to get the company’s corporate offices. segment of our population; it’s all ages. in on the bourgeoning outdoor sport. Bob Childress led the transformation You’ve got the fitness and the natural Professional disc golfer Zach Melton of the land into a recreation area, while aspects. We get a lot of people who love of Gray, Tennessee, frequently uses the serving as the original director of the the wetlands and all the animals.” course for practice, as well as competiBristol Virginia Parks and Recreation The Wyatts don’t love anything speciftions. He noted the challenging final Department from 1968 until his retireic about Sugar Hollow Park. The couple holes in the nearby woods. ment in 2008. He called the project a agreed that Sugar Hollow’s beauty is Melton said he found it especially “massive undertaking.” encapsulated in the array of offerings it difficult to throw a disc straight on a “The park was originally constructed provides for community members from required 200 to 300 foot path through to block the flood waters,” Childress all walks of life. Sugar Hollow’s dense trees. said. “There’s only been one flood Jerry Wyatt said he fondly remembers “There’s some pretty tough holes in since.” those woods,” Melton said. “It’s probAfter 10 to 15 years of grants and hard Easter egg hunts and his grandchildren playing under a large painted totem ably the second best course in the Triwork, Childress said, the land became pole near the softball fields. Cities area. Having the 18-hole course an important part of the community. is great. More course, more people, and “It’s important to have a place to get Sugar Hollow provides for people from the sport grows.” across the area, he said, beyond the city the kids active,” he said. “But there are But it didn’t happen overnight. also a lot of elderly people who come of Bristol where it sits. The city didn’t have the funding ini“Because of its location, Sugar Hollow here to do their walking. And everyone tially to develop recreational facilities on is more like a regional park than a muis friendly. It’s just a nice atmosphere.” § the easement TVA provided. But in the nicipal park,” Childress 1970s, ownership of some of the land said. But it didn’t just Sugar Hollow City Park was transferred to Bristol, Virginia, and magically appear. Most Where: 3600 Lee Hwy., Bristol, Virginia in 1978, the city received a grant from of it was built in-house. Size: 300-400 acres the Virginia Commission of Outdoor It was a gradual project
Bob Childress (1943-present)
Admission: $1 for camping; general access free Ownership: City of Bristol, Virginia and Tennessee Valley Authority
Key natural features: Beaver Creek Dam, wetlands, mountain trails, disc golf course. The 85-foot-high Beaver Creek Dam came first, built solely as a water detention structure to prevent the flooding that was plaguing both sides of Bristol. The 1,588-foot-long dam creates a dry-bed reservoir that can hold up to 5,020 acre-feet of water when necessary. In the 1970s the land was designated as a city park.
DAVID CRIGGER / BHC
Historical significance: The park is in an area once known as the Walnut Grove Plantation; adjacent to the park land is The Grove, a two-story home built in 1850 as the home of Col. John Preston, who was once a judge in Washington County, Virginia. On the other side of the park is a slave cemetery dating to 1798, now known as The Resting Tree.
After searching for food in the shallow waters of the Sugar Hollow Wetlands, a heron takes flight. BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 13
BELOW: This primitive shelter has been set up in the woods of Sugar Hollow Park. ANDRE TEAGUE/BHC
Sugar Hollow
EARL NEIKIRK/BHC
There are a variety of playscapes for children of all ages in the park.
DAVID CRIGGER/BHC
Students from Van Pelt Elemenary School work to clear and mark trails at Sugar Hollow Park.
The Sugar Hollow Wetlands were named for Robert “Bob” Childress, former Director for the Bristol Virginia Parks and Recreation Department DAVID CRIGGER/BHC
The park comprises some 2.5 miles of paved sidewalks/trails, 3 miles of paved roads, and about 8 miles of unpaved trails for hiking, biking, and walking. EARL NEIKIRK/BHC
14 | BRISTOL MAGAZINE
Backbone Rock
What began as a way to move timber is now a popular recreation destination
Late 1800s The Empire Lumber and Mining Company began logging operations in northeastern Tennessee
1900
A geological anomaly in our own backyard nessee Lumber and Manufacturing Company set up sawmill operations near the estled among the mountains of John- small community of Sutherland, Tennessee, 2.4 miles son County, Tennessee, in the far northeast- southwest of Damascus, Virginia. The mill employed ern corner of the state and 400 people and produced up just a few miles from the to 100,000 board feet a day. Tennessee-Virginia border, As the Empire company stands a geological anomaly was laying track for the known as Backbone Rock. railroad toward the Virginia Backbone Rock is a solid border, builders encoun75-foot-tall, 20-foot-wide tered that large, solid, rock pillar, what is called a spur formation. The rock spur ridge, on Holston Mountain. And its 450 million-year-old was formidable and borCambrian-age quartzite for- dered by Beaverdam Creek. Rather than attempt to mation became an important part of regional history build around the formation, engineers decided it was in the 20th century. During the surge of timber cheaper to blast through the harvesting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Empire Lumber and Mining Company began logging in Northeast Tennessee. The company operated a sawmill in the small community of Crandull, Tennessee, 1.4 miles northeast of Shady Valley. BY LAURA J. MONDUL
N
stone cliff. So in 1901, a hole was carved through the rock, creating a 20-foot tunnel through the ridge. “The original purpose of the cut was to get a narrow gauge train from the Shady Valley area to Damascus,” said Bob Morrison of the Johnson County Historical Society. “The narrow gauge train was unique for the area — the Tweetsie Railroad in North Carolina was a narrow gauge.” Eleanor Grasselli, a member of the Historical Society of Washington County Virginia, described the work. “My neighbor, Vernon
Empire Company incorporates the Beaver Dam Railroad.
1901 The first dynamite was lit on what would become a 20-foot tunnel through a spur rigde
Early 1910 Companies began pulling out of the Beaver Dam Railroad when timber started to run short.
1918 The Tennessee section of the Beaver Dam Railroad was abandoned and the tunnel was widened for use as a road.
1920 Cherokee National Forest was created, encompassing more than 655,000 acres.
Lumber market In 1900, Empire began building the Beaver Dam Railroad to transport finished lumber from the Crandull sawmill. Upon reaching the Virginia state line, the railroad would join up with the Virginia-Carolina Railway (along what is today known as the Virginia Creeper Trail). Around this time, the Ten-
It’s worth the drive just to see the size and work that went into cutting the archway at Backbone Rock.
1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal creates the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
DAVID CRIGGER/BHC
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1935 CCC Camp No. 357 starts its own newspaper “The Backbone Star.”
1935-37 Backbone Rock sees major changes as the CCC comes in and creates picnic shelters, stone walkways for climbing to the top of the stone ridge and other trails.
1938 CCC Camp No. 357 at Damascus closes its doors.
1942 The Civilian Conservation Corps program was discontinued.
1960 U.S. Forestry Service added campgrounds to the Backbone Rock recreational area.
1990 Toilets and running water were added to the campgrounds.
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Waters, explained how his grandfather worked on cutting through the rock,” Grasselli said. “One man would hammer a steel rod and Vernon’s grandfather would turn the rod to dislodge many particles of rock at each turn.” But, the railroad ran into a snag when the first engine steamed its way toward Backbone Rock. The hole that had been cut through the ridge was too small. The top of the engine’s smokestack did not have the overhead clearance to pass unobstructed through the short tunnel. The remedy was for workers to hand-chisel a rough gap in the top of the tunnel, allowing the smokestack to pass through. “The first train almost got stuck,” Morrison said. “Then they came in and chiseled away at the opening — the train stayed there until they got enough cut for it to fit. They had to cut several times before they finally got the area that you see now.” The hand-cut enlargement of the hole appears as if someone took a bite out of the top of the original tunnel. And today, it looks almost exactly as it did when it was made, with the exception of some minor erosion. In just more than a decade following the tunnel’s creation, most of the timber in the area had been harvested and the Tennessee Lumber Company moved its sawmill. With the decline of logging and a reduced need for the railroad, the U.S. Forestry Service began using the railway as a truck trail. Eventually, the railroad was removed, and the road evolved from dirt and gravel eventually paved in the 1920s. Now, it is known as Tennessee Highway 133. The route was still the
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
With the decline of logging, the railroad was removed, and the road evolved from dirt to gravel and was eventually paved. Now, it is known as Tennessee Highway 133. most convenient way to access the Damascus area from Shady Valley; the alternative was to go through Mountain City or down 421 through Bristol, and both were much longer paths. “The tunnel literally opened up that section of Virginia to the Tennessee people living in the Shady Valley area,” Morrison said.
New Deal In the early 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) brought more changes to Backbone Rock. The CCC was a work relief program developed to combat the effects of the
Great Depression. Young men enrolled in the program were provided food, shelter and clothing as well as an income of $30 a month — $25 of which they were required to send home to their families. In addition to improving the physical condition and morale of these young men, the program focused heavily on the conservation and restoration of natural resources. To that end, CCC workers planted nearly 3 billion trees in America to help reforest the country. The Appalachian region of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia was heavily harvested by the timber industry, so the CCC was deployed to plant
Backbone Rock Where: Near the VA/TN boarder in Johnson County in northeast Tennessee What: A recreational area in the Cherokee National Forest named for a spur ridge that is 75 feet high, with a tunnel that is 20 feet long Admission: Free for day visits; Camping is $10; other fees vary. Key natural features: Backbone Rock and tunnel, Backbone Rock Falls, Beaverdam Creek, and Backbone Rock Trail Historical significance: In the early 1900s, when logging was at its peak, a railroad was built to connect Shady Valley, Tennessee, and Damascus, Virginia. Rather than try to go around the large spur ridge of rock, the railroad team blasted a hole in the rock to allow trains carrying timber to pass through, thus saving miles of travel.
young trees on the stripped hillsides. In 1935, the CCC built Camp No. 357 near Damascus, Virginia. The company published its own camp newspaper, called The Backbone Star, which was printed from 1935 to 1937. The Star reported that the young men attended classes at the Damascus Rock School and were attended to by a local medical doctor who served as the camp physician. “In the years between 1935 and 1937, under capable supervision by Army officers and Forest Service Rangers, the young men built picnic shelters, stone
walkways for climbing to the top of the stone ridge and other trails for Backbone Rock Park,” Grasselli said. “They even built a substantial half-log bridge with rock abutments over the Beaverdam Creek by the exposed end of the rock. It was eventually washed out by high water sometime after 1949.” Grasselli notes that the rock columns at the ends of the bridge are still visible — one PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY VIRGINIA beside the current road and the Workers used hammers and steel rods to cut a hole through other down by the river bank. what is known as a spur ridge to make way for the railroad. Camp No. 357 at Damascus was closed in 1938 and moved flush toilets and running water to Sugar Grove, Virginia, for timber The recreation area also offers rappelstand improvement. The CCC program ling from the heights of the cliffs, as well was discontinued in 1942 as World War as fishing and hiking. The old trail still II and the draft made the need for work leads to the top of the ridge as well as to relief obsolete. the scenic 45-foot Backbone Falls. §
Campground and trails
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The railroad immediately ran into a snag when the first engine started through the small hole. The engine’s smokestack did not have the overhead clearance to pass through the tunnel. The remedy: workers hand-chiseled a rough gap in the top of the tunnel, allowing the smokestack to pass through.
In the 1960s, the U.S. Forestry Service added campgrounds to the Backbone Rock recreational area, which by now had become a popular destination for tourists and a favorite hangout for locals. Though the cliffs of Backbone Rock are precipitous and draw many visitors to the heights, there is only one recorded death from a fall off the ridge. In 2014, local news reported a local man apparently committed suicide by leaping from the top of the cliff. In the 1990s, the campgrounds were upgraded. Current facilities include
Civilian Conservation Corps What: A workforce program that provided meals, training and income for young men while improving public areas. Created: President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the CCC as part of the New Deal When: March 1933 to July 1942 Monthly income: $30 Camp No. 357: A CCC project built just over a mile north of Backbone Rock in 1935. Work at Backbone Rock: The CCC built picnic shelters, a bridge across Beaverdam Creek, stone walkways for climbing to the top of the stone ridge and other trails; the corps also planted young trees on slopes in the area that had been logged. Historical significance: In the early 1900s, when the harvesting of timber was the primary industry of Damascus, the only way to get the timber out of the area was through the ridge. Blasting a tunnel through the rock gave trains the ability to move large quantitieas of lumber to a mill in Southerland, Tennessee. The mill employed 400 people. BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 17
BELOW: Breaks Gorge is the centerpiece of the Breaks Interstate Park. JOE TENNIS/BHC
The Breaks
JOE TENNIS/BHC
The Virginia side of Breaks Gorge.
RIGHT: A birds-eye view of the gorge at Breaks Interstate Park. This feature is what gives the park its nickname of “The Grand Canyon of the South.” JOE TENNIS/BHC
The Kentucky side of Breaks Gorge.
JOE TENNIS/BHC
LEFT: Whitewater rafting is a very popular activity at the Breaks. JOE TENNIS/BHC
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JOE TENNIS/BHC
Anytime is a good time to visit Breaks Interstate Park.
The Breaks
With nearly 5,000 acres of natural enjoyment, one could spend weeks here
1767 Daniel Boone explores the area now known as Breaks Interstate Park.
‘The Grand Canyon of the South’ the gorge, providing a postopened in 1954. card-pretty sight. “It offers something that t’s a nearly two-hour Breaks Interstate Park no one place equals: the drive from Bristol to spreads across about 5,000 scenery alone and the quietBreaks Interstate Park acres, with land in both ness,” retired park superin— heading through Honaker Kentucky and Virginia. The tendent James L. Childress and up State Route 80; or Breaks offers miles of trails said in 2010 at age 81. “And, slipping through St. Paul and a half-dozen major it’s an orderly place.” and going up through Tram- overlooks. Visitors will find Today, with a fishing lake mel; or riding into Richaccommodations ranging featuring boats for rent and lands and grinding through from primitive camping to a water park for children, Grundy; or pouring into luxury cabins and blocks the Breaks boasts the recipe Pound and cruising through of motel rooms within easy for a vacation paradise, high Clintwood. walking distance to the on a mountaintop, where You’ll find a lot of signs full-service Rhododendron glitz and glamour do not pointing here. But, any diRestaurant. matter. rection you go, it’s not easy As one of only a couple Elk tours are now offered to get to The Breaks. of “interstate” parks in the on field trips to a site near The park staff knows United States, the Breaks is Vansant. The park has also that. Why, they even sold a jointly overseen by the state most recently added rock T-shirt that makes fun of all park systems of Virginia and climbing to its myriad of the twists and turns of the Kentucky. outdoor offerings, Park Susnake-shaped highways that Generations of coal-minperintendent Austin Bradley run there. ing families have explored said. Getting to the Breaks, still, the Breaks since the park “There’s always been an was even more of a challenge in the 1940s, when only dirt roads led into what has since become known as either the “Grand Canyon of the South” or the “Grand Canyon with Clothes On.” “The Grand Canyon” nickname comes from how the Russell Fork of the Big Sandy River cut a five-mile-long gorge through the northern end of Pine Mountain. In Kentucky, folks historically called this cut the “Breaks of Sandy.” In this place, walls of rock stand 1,000 feet or more. But one part on Pine Mountain did not crumble — “The Towers,” a pyramid-shaped rock formation that rises 600 JOE TENNIS/BHC; feet above the rocky floor of The Breaks Garden Hole looks as smooth as glass. BY JOE TENNIS
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1937 National Park Service studies possible plan to make Breaks a national park.
1951 First hard-surface road established to the Breaks.
1954 Breaks Interstate Park is established and is shared by Virginia and Kentucky.
2008 Longtime park superintendent Carl Mullins retires as cabins are under construction.
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2011 Bristol native Tony Scales releases book “The Breaks,” published by The Overmountain Press.
2012 Water park opens at Breaks Interstate Park.
JOE TENNIS/BHC
“The Towers,” a pyramid-shaped rock formation that rises 600 feet above the rocky floor of the gorge, is part of the “Breaks of Sandy” feature of the canyon. interest, but we’ve never allowed it.”
Hiking is plentiful
2013 Current superintendent Austin Bradley named to post at Breaks.
Today Breaks Interstate Park now offers field trips to the elk restoration site and has added rock-climbing to its’ list of attractions.
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Natural rock steps at the edge offer access to the canyon. Another of the trails offers views of jungle-esque foliage, where rocks create flumes along a tributary called Grassy Creek. This might be one of the park’s least-known trails. And to reach its natural swimming hole, visitors must exit the main park then return to State Route 80 along the Kentucky border. Now, pay attention to the park map and follow the trail. After squeezing past some small cliffs, the view might include some teens riding down a rock slide, squealing and laughing as they prepare to make a splash. In October, the Breaks offers whitewater rafting on Class V challenges with names like “El Horrendo” and “Maze.” In 1937, the National Park Service considered making this a national park, but rejected the idea, with
officials later saying in 1952 that the park lacks “the superior qualities necessary for national park status,” writes author Tony Scales. A retired geologist who grew up in Bristol, Tennessee, Scales blends humor with a larger-than-life narrator’s voice in his 2011 book, “The Breaks: The Grand Canyon of the South,” published by The Overmountain Press. Over the many decades, this park has grown, Scales notes. Under the 18-year administration of Superintendent Carl Mullins, beginning in the 1990s, a block of motel rooms and a conference center were added. Construction also began on the luxury cabins at Laurel Lake. Those cabins were later completed by Mullins’
replacement, Matt O’Quinn, who once said opening the structures could signal Breaks evolving into a luxury vacation destination. “It’s going to be a little bit more of a resort-type atmosphere,” O’Quinn said. “They’re like small homes, with kitchens, multiple bathrooms and a lakeside view.” Today, the park keeps evolving. Bradley, the current superintendent, had served as O’Quinn’s assistant, and was appointed to the job in 2013. “Our focus is on trying to re-position ourselves as a vacation destination,” Bradley said. “And the way we’re trying to do that is to build on activities. Improve on what we have.” §
Breaks Interstate Park Where: Breaks, Virginia Getting there: The park is seven miles north of Haysi, Virginia, along State Route 80 in Dickenson County. Available: Hiking trails; overnight lodging (camping, motel, cottages, cabins); fishing lake; restaurant; and gift shop. Details: 276-865-4413 Web: www.breakspark.com
South Holston
Recreational opportunities for thousands and a lifestyle for many around the region
Late 1800s Bristolians begin building summer cottages in the Big Creek area of Holston Mountain.
National attraction, local treasure Lewis and Willey Lumber Company sawmill in Bristol Tennessee, author Robert ig Creek Dam was Loving wrote in his book the name locals “Double Destiny.” The naronce applied to row gauge rail line was later the massive earth and rock electrified. structure the Tennessee “When Bristolians began Valley Authority built during building summer cottages the 1940s, to bottle up the at Big Creek, the Holston south fork of the Holston Railway Company erected River. a pavilion and bath houses Located 10 miles southon the banks of the Holston east of the Twin City’s downtown, work on the dam River,” Loving wrote. “With three trains running each project began in 1942, was day, it became an ideal sumtemporarily halted during mer resort for those wishing World War II, restarted in to escape the heat of the 1947 and was completed city. in 1950. The dam spawned “In those days, whenever a 7,580-acre, 24-mile-long lake known today as South Holston. It spans two states and now covers the former tiny bergs of Big Creek, Fish Dam, Friendship and Rooty Branch. In the decades since, South Holston has provided widespread recreational opportunities for thousands, a lifestyle for many and an economic engine that continues to fuel a unique array of business and tourism opportunities. It is the easternmost of a string of TVA lakes developed to provide flood control, electricity and recreation. BY DAVID MCGEE
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anyone in Bristol wanted to entertain visitors, they took them on the little railroad to Big Creek. The train was a combination passengerbaggage car and would seat 50 persons,” Loving wrote. Back in those days a roundtrip ticket cost 50 cents. Property records show more than 50 families owned land in Big Creek in 1909, according to the book “Family and Histories of Sullivan County.” A number of general stores also dotted the landscape, providing for the needs of permanent and temporary residents. “In the beginning, Big
The Holston Valley Railway Company establishes paviliions along its route in the Big Creek area.
1909 More than 50 families had taken up permanent residence in the area.
1930
Anne W. Armstrong uses Big Creek as the setting for her novel “This Day and Time.”
1930 Landowner Dr. Charles Fleenor Sr., establishes Fleenor Park — a series of resort cabins along Jacob’s Creek.
Redbuds in bloom stand out against the aquamarine color of South Holston Lake.
Big Creek Resort The Holston Valley Railway Company was chartered just after the turn of the 20th century to haul logs from the forests around Big Creek to the Morton,
Early 1900s
1938 The Fleenor family sold the property which is now totally under the water of South Holston Lake.
FILE PHOTO
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1941 TVA authorizes the building of the Holston River Dam.
1942 The War Production Board requested that the operation be suspended because of a shortage of critical materials. DAVID CRIGGER/BHC
Boaters enjoy the crystal clear waters of the South Holson Lake.
1947 Work on the dam resumes.
1949 The “morning glory” spillway is built as an emergency device so water wouldn’t spill over the dam.
1950 The valve gate on the new Holston River Dam closed and water begins backing up to create South Holston Reservoir.
1958 Sports Illustrated magazine includes the South Holston and other East Tennessee lakes in a story about TVAcontrolled rivers and lakes.
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Creek was a family type resort affording wholesome recreation,” Loving wrote. “It continued as a popular resort for many years and during the prohibition era gained the reputation of a notorious ‘moonshining’ section from which bootleggers supplied their customers with ‘white lightning’ corn whiskey.” Big Creek gained additional fame in 1930 when it became the setting for Anne W. Armstrong’s novel “This Day and Time,” the story of a divorced mother who returns to the mountains to reclaim her family farm. Armstrong moved to Big Creek in the late 1920s after working in New York for Eastman Kodak. She later died in Abingdon. Also in 1930, Dr. Charles Fleenor Sr. established Fleenor Park — a series of resort cabins along Jacob’s Creek, according to author Joe Tennis in his book “Images of America: Sullivan County.” The resort boasted an impressive 120-footlong swimming pool filled from the mountain stream, along with a pavilion and other amenities.
The Fleenor family sold the property in 1938 and it, too, was eventually lost beneath the waters of South Holston Lake.
Building the dam The Tennessee Valley Authority, developing a plan to subdue the flood waters that in 1940 damaged parts of Bluff City and Kingsport, identified the Holston River as a location for a dam. The final authorization to build the dam was issued Dec. 17, 1941, and work began Feb. 16, 1942, but was halted that October at the request of the federal government so resources could be diverted to the war effort. To make way for the dam and lake, TVA purchased nearly 13,000 acres of land and had to relocate 342 families, several cemeteries containing more than 500 graves, and 30 miles of roads. Four new bridges had to be constructed. When work resumed in the summer of 1947, building South Holston Dam required about 1,200 employees who labored three shifts around the clock for
nearly four years, Tennis wrote. The TVA established dormitories, a post office, cafeteria and recreation room on the construction site to serve workers from out of town. The dam also required considerable amounts of rock. So in July 1948 and again in February 1949, hundreds of thousands of pounds of explosives were set off near the site. The shock waves were felt from Abingdon, Virginia, to Johnson City, Tennessee. In 1949, workers built the “morning glory” spillway — named because it resembled the flower’s bloom — as an emergency device so water wouldn’t spill over the dam. The spillway is capable of discharging 116,200 cubic feet of water per second. Work on the dam was completed in November 1950 with the finished structure standing 285 feet high and spanning 1,600 feet across the Holston River. It formed a lake that is a mile wide at one point and boasts 168 miles of shoreline, most of which is surrounded by the Chero-
kee National Forest, according to the TVA. The dam can generate up to 44 megawatts of electricity and the reservoir has a flood storage capacity of 252,800 acrefeet. Its total construction cost was $31 million, which computes to about $317 million in 2016 dollars — close to the estimated cost to repair Boone Dam. In addition to South Holston, a smaller saddle dam was built at Painter Spring, about four miles from the main dam. The saddle dam is 40 feet high and 3,400 feet long.
a tailwater from the South Holston Dam fishing we have here are bringing people. and stretches 14 miles to the Boone People are coming from other places reservoir. It is hailed as a Mecca for trout because they can’t go five miles down anglers. Multiple fishing guide services the road to do these things where they claim the river contains between 5,000 live,” said Matt Bolas, executive director and 8,500 fish per mile. of the Bristol Convention and Visitor’s A reciprocal agreement between Bureau. “We are getting a lot of out-ofTWRA and the Virginia Department town visitors and corporate people who of Game and Inland Fisheries allows use it to recruit business. Fishing covers Tennessee residents to purchase an all economic ranges and we’ve seen a annual South Holston reservoir license huge uptick on that. It’s also extending to fish the Virginia portion of South the stay of visitors who come here.” Holston Reservoir. Virginia residents can Evaluating the economic and recrepurchase a similar license to fish the ational value of the lake is easy, Bolas Tennessee portion of the reservoir but said, just by looking westward toward anglers from other states must abide by Boone Lake, which is greatly diminished Recreational paradise the state boundary line unless they pursince last year, due to long-term repairs Enterprising marina operators started chase appropriate fishing licenses from at Boone Dam. opening businesses as TVA’s newest lake both states. “You can see the impact of the lake A South Holston reservoir license is began to reach full pool in 1951. just by looking at how devastating it is valid for all impounded portions of the Sports Illustrated magazine included for our neighboring community that lost South Holston and other East Tennessee reservoir below full pool elevation of their lake, so hopefully that will be fixed 1,730 feet, including the confl uence of lakes in a 1958 story about TVA-conquickly,” Bolas said. “We’d be devastated the middle fork and south Fork Holston trolled rivers and lakes if that happened here.” Rivers and the south fork Holston Magazine writer Virginia Kraft claimed Rhinehart, whose parents have owned upstream to the Route 710 Bridge at TVA’s work “created a man-made recrea home overlooking the lake since she Alvarado, Virginia, according to TWRA. ational paradise unrivaled anywhere in was a child, said the area also offers one the world. This vast playground, lying other amenity — scenery. within 500 miles of half the population National attraction, local treasure “It’s one of the most beautiful places of the nation, stretches across 26 million The recent arrival of national outdoor I’ve ever been,” she said. § acres. Its lakes, with over 10,000 miles of retailers Bass Pro Shop shore line, yield 23 major species of fish. and Cabela’s to the Twin The writer concluded that touring the City further emphasizes South Holston Lake Tennessee valley was as “awe-inspiring this region’s status as a Where: Sullivan County, Tenn. and Washington Co., Va. as an African safari.” Getting there: Take U.S. Route 421 for approximately center of outdoor recreWhen specifically describing South 5 miles then turn right onto Emmett Road. After anation, said Beth RhineHolston, Kraft fell into the trap of stereo- hart, president and CEO other mile, follow Holston View Dam Road to the Weir typing the region. “Back in the hills, the Dam and continue driving east 1.6 miles to reach South of the Bristol Chamber of occasional smoke of a still drifts above Holston Dam. Commerce. Amenities: 140 Camp sites (tent and trailer sites), the trees, signaling a moonshiner at his “If you look at why sanitation facilities, playground, picnic shelters, boat illegal but never abandoned sport,” she people go to Montana ramp, fishing and more wrote. She mentions the Barter Theatre or other places for grand Web: www.tennesseelakeinfo.com/southholston/ in the next sentence. scenery, hunting, fishing But the writer concludes, “throughout and recreational opthis region, small mountain streams Work at South Holston Dam: The construction of portunities, they’ve got afford fine trout fishing well into the South Holston Dam began on February 16, 1942 and nothing on Southwest completed November 20, 1950. The total cost of summer months. But most fishermen Virginia and Northeast construction of the reservoir was $31,242,224 taking in the area go for the big black bass in Tennessee, in my opinmore than 7,842,134 man hours to complete. The dam South Holston Lake,” adding “big fish ion,” Rhinehart said. “The itself contains 97,500 cubic yards of concrete. The are beginning to be taken regularly.” fly fishing, boating and Dam is 285 feet tall and 1,600 feet long. The reservoir trails just around South is 10,053 acres with a shoreline of 160 miles and 8 miles of island shoreline. No fish tale Holston Lake, it doesn’t get any better. I think we Decades later, South Holston Lake take for granted just how and river continue to afford ample Historical significance: The South Holston Dam great it is.” and Reservoir were constructed for the purpose of recreational fishing opportunities for electric power, flood control, navigation, recreation, an Rising interest in the anglers in search of smallmouth and adequate supply of water and other related benefits. lake and river continues largemouth bass, walleye, rainbow There were 49 injuries incurred during the constructrout, black crappie and catfish, accord- to spawn entrepreneurs, tion of the dam and reservoir with 3 fatalities. There including local fishing ing to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources were 342 families and 559 graves relocated due to the guide services. Agency. construction of the dam. “The lakes, access to The south fork of the Holston River, the lakes and the type of dubbed South Holston River, begins as BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 23
South Holston
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
ABOVE: One of the Holston Valley Railway Companies pavilions in the Big Creek area. LEFT: A postcard featuring Big Creek Park.
The generating capacity of the dam is 38,500 kilowatts of electricity for Tennessee Valley Authority customers. ANDRE TEAGUE/BHC FILE PHOTO
South Holston Lake is a prime location for bass fishing as well as camping and hiking.
Mountains cascade in the background while a vast body of water dominates the foreground. Such are the makings of great art and soaring hearts. EARL NEIKIRK/BHC
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Natural Tunnel
This breathtaking spectacle has lent itself to many a traveler’s tale
1700s Daniel Boone is believed to be the first European to discover the area known as Natural Tunnel State Park.
‘The Eighth Wonder of the World’ BY GEORGE STONE
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UFFIELD, Va. — Twin ribbons of steel snake parallel along Stock Creek, disappearing into the pitch black abyss chiseled through solid rock by nature nearly a million years ago. Long before a railroad ever passed through this marvel of nature known as Natural Tunnel, it’s a common assumption that the first humans to lay eyes on this breathtaking spectacle were the Native Americans who inhabited Southwest Virginia. And in 1775, as Daniel Boone was on his Wilderness Trail expedition from Tennessee to Kentucky, it is highly probable the legendary frontiersman stood at the base of this stone mountain with the cavernous opening in silent awe, as have so many millions who have visited over the years. Who exactly discovered Natural Tunnel will never be known, but it was Lt. Col. Stephen H. Long, a western explorer with the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, who visited the site in 1831 and published the first description of the natural wonder. Located in Scott County, Virginia, about 13 miles north of Gate City, near Duffield, Natural Tunnel is approximately 850 feet long and 100 feet high and is the centerpiece of the 909-acre
Virginia State Park, which had nearly 250,000 visitors in 2015. William Jennings Bryan, a lifelong politician who served as secretary of state under President Woodrow Wilson, is credited with calling Natural Tunnel “the Eighth Wonder of the World.”
A popular legend about the tunnel — and the sheer, high cliffs surrounding it — tells the story of a young Shawnee brave and a Cherokee maiden who were forbidden to marry. Out of despair, and believing it the only way they could be together, the two leaped from the peak above the
1831 Col. Stephen H. Long, with the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, visits the site.
1832 Long publishes an article about his exploration in a national geology journal.
1893
The first railroad was constructed through the natural tunnel.
1894 The first train, operated by the Virginia & Southwestern Railway Company, passes through the natural tunnel.
1897 William Jennings Bryan, the 41st US Secretary of State, dubsthe tunnel the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. EARL NEIKIRK/BHC
Who exactly discovered Natural Tunnel will never be known, but legend has it that Daniel Boone might have been one of the first. BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 25
1899 Natural Tunnel was purchased by the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company.
1906 Southern Railway acquires the tracks and creates a passenger line.
1931 Natural Tunnel and Caverns Corp. opens the area as a tourist attraction.
1967 Natural Tunnel was purchased by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
1971 The park opens to the public.
Today The rail line is still open but is now run by Norfolk Southern and CSX and only used to transport coal.
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tunnel to their deaths into the gorge below. “It certainly makes for a good story,” said Robert Chapman, Natural Tunnel’s park manager. “Could it have happened? It’s legend and we like to leave it at that and let people decide for themselves.” While Natural Tunnel has been a destination for untold millions generation after generation, it also has served as a major rail thoroughfare for both passenger trains and coal trains as outlined in Tony Scales’ definitive history: “Natural Tunnel: Nature’s Marvel in Stone.” According to Scales’ timeline, the first regularly scheduled passenger train from Bristol passed through the tunnel on its way to Big Stone Gap, Virginia, on May 15, 1890. The first coal train soon followed, on June 10, en route to Bristol. “In the 1880s, the railroad was looking for a path of least resistance to the coalfields in western Virginia and Kentucky so it came up through the valley and made use of the natural tunnel,” Chapman said. “At one time there were passenger trains to Big Stone and Elkhorn City and toward the Bristol area. Today, there are no passenger trains and occasionally there are still coal trains that pass through.” On Aug. 25, 1931, according to Scales, the Natural Tunnel and Caverns Corp. opened as a tourist attraction. The festive event was broadcast live by Bristol’s WOPI radio. In 1967, Natural Tunnel was purchased by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and in 1971 Natural Tunnel State Park opened
Lt. Colonel Stephen H. Long (1784-1864) Hometown: Hopkinton, New Hampshire Occupation: Topographical Engineer Contribution: The first to publish a firsthand description of the Natural Tunnel in 1832.
Natural Tunnel State Park Where: Duffield, Virginia Size: 909 acres Admission: $4 to enter park Ownership: Commonwealth of Virginia Key natural features: The tunnel itself is 850 feet long, 400 feet tall and 100 feet wide Key historical significance: Once a pathway for passenger train service in Southwest Virginia and today continues rail service transporting coal and various goods.
to the public. can bring your family and “The park continues to enjoy an outing that’s ecogrow,” Chapman said. “We nomical and fun,” Chaphave swimming, hiking, man said. “Our mission is biking, camping, picnic to conserve and protect the shelters and we have natural resources and natucabins for rent as well as ral beauty we have here for a conference center for generations to come.” weddings, business reOne can only imagine treats and youth retreats. the first time someone We also have a visitor’s emerged from the woods center and gift shop.” and stumbled unexpectA chair lift floats visitors edly upon Natural Tunnel. from the peak to the gorge Breathtaking. Absolutely below and to the mouth breathtaking. § of Natural Tunnel. There’s also a walking path from the top to the bottom for those not minding a slightly strenuous hike. “Natural Tunnel encompasses a wide variety of not only historical, cultural and natural resources, but we try to make EARL NEIKIRK/BHC it a place The Natural Tunnel also has served as a major rail where you thoroughfare for both passenger and coal trains.
Grayson Highlands From the balds to the peaks, this is the place to view nature in its purest form
Early 1800s Settler Lee Massey takes up homesteading at the gap with his wife and five children. Present day Massie Gap is named after Lee Massey
Home to a small herd of wild ponies BY ZACH IRBY
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oaming among the ridge lines, oblivious to where the Virginia state park ends and the national forest begins in the shadow of Mount Rogers, the state’s highest peak, is a herd of feral ponies. Short in stature, long in mane and with heavy coats, the ponies of Grayson Highlands are neither tame nor fearful of humans. A little larger than Shetland ponies, they are content to graze casually as hikers and park visitors venture close for photographs, yet they survive with minimal human intervention. The ponies have been
occupants of the region, grazing throughout the park’s Wilburn Ridge area, for longer than most folks can remember. “The ponies at one time belonged to land owners in the area,” said Theresa Tibbs, park manager at Grayson Highlands State Park. And more than 50 years after the park was created, the ponies remain a major attraction and an inseparable element of the mountain environment. “Either the land owners moved away and left them or in some cases, they were off grazing and couldn’t be found,” Tibbs said. “The stray ponies then became a
herd and the decision was made that their grazing was helpful as it would prevent the reforestation of the landscape.” Their grazing protects the balds, the mountain meadows peppered with rocky outcroppings and bare of heavy vegetation, sporting merely an occasional windswept tree and the low grasses that the ponies love to eat. Originally named Mount Rogers State Park, Grayson Highlands was created in 1965 and is today Virginia’s third-largest state park. It was a time when Virginians, and citizens across the nation, were embracing a strong conservation move-
1830s Wilburn Waters gaines a reputation as a bear and wolf hunter in the area. Wilburn Ridge is named after the famed hunter.
1875 Wilburn Waters found dead in Wilkes County, North Carolina at the age of 63.
Early 1900s Land remains a free territory where settlers continue to live off the land.
1963
ANDRE TEAGIE/ BHC
Virginia General Assembly created the Outdoor Recreation study, which looked at the impact on state parks and the rapid population growth.
This mare and foal are members of an introduced herd of wild ponies that has lived on the balds of Wilburn Ridge in Grayson Highlands State Park for over 50 years. BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 27
Photo by ANDRE TEAGUE/BHC
Alpine-like peaks more than 5,000 feet high, sporting lonely windswept trees, rocky outcroppings and low-growing grasses highlight the nearly 4,500 acres that are Grayson Highlands State Park. From those peaks, when the sky is clear, visitors can see acres of forests for 70 miles. Grayson Highlands is Virginia’s third-largest state park, and uniquely features a herd of feral ponies that love grazing on those grasses and so help to preserve the landscape of the mountain balds.
1965 Grayson Highlands, originally named Mount Rogers State Park, is established.
1970s Ben Bolen becomes park director and saw increased value for park attendance and growth.
2010 Grayson Highlands Fall Festival held for the first time. Pony Auctions are held during the festival to auction off some of the ponies.
Today Grayson Highlands State Park continues to thrive with trails, visitors’ center, picnic areas, wild ponies, and gorgeous scenic views with some nearly 60,000 people stopping by from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 30 | BRISTOL MAGAZINE
ment, one that sparked the growth of many park systems across the nation. “In the mid1960s, the Virginia General Assembly created the Outdoor Recreation Study Commission,” said Nancy Heltman, the visitor service manager for Virginia state parks. “The commission was to inventory and evaluate Virginia’s natural and recreational resources and develop a plan of action to meet current and future demand for outdoor recreation.” That plan, titled “Virginia’s Common Wealth,” set the course for a major effort to preserve outdoor recreation opportunities across Virginia. “One major element of the new statewide comprehensive outdoor recreation plan was expansion of the state park system,” Heltman said. “Beginning in 1965, with the acquisition of Grayson Highlands, 12 parks were then added to the system over the next decade.” It started with the state purchasing 73 individual farm tracts, many backing up to the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, which itself was created in 1966. The recreational area is part of the Jefferson National Forest, created in 1936 (and later combined with additional forests to become the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. Virginia’s efforts at that time created eight new parks, and Grayson Highlands was the first of these, according to the Grayson Highlands Master Plan. “The name was derived
Wilburn Waters (1812-1875) Place of Birth: Wilkes County, North Carolina Contribution: Well known woodsman and hunter throughout Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina during the 1800s. Waters hunted on parts of Grayson Highlands State Park before settling on White Top Mountain, where he hunted bears, deer and wolves. His most famous hunt pursued an entire pack, returning from his winter’s hunt with 42 wolves killed.
Grayson Highlands State Park What: A 4,502-acre natural area with alpine-like peaks as high as 5,000 feet Where: On U.S. 58 between Independence and Damascus Key features: Near Mount Rogers and Whitetop Mountain, the park includes high-elevation balds and features a herd of wild ponies; the Appalachian Trail crosses through the park To get there: Take Exit 45 in Marion, then south on Route 16 to Volney and west on U.S. 58 for about seven miles. Address: 829 Grayson Highland Lane, Mouth of Wilson, Va.
from the name of one of Virginia’s first Senators, William Grayson, and the mountainous ‘highlands’ location,” according to the history detailed in that plan. The first rough-graded road through Grayson Highlands was added in 1967. By 1970, the park had opened to the public with limited facilities. During the 1970s, trails were laid, stone and split-rail fences were added, and log cabins from the area were acquired and rebuilt in the park. Today, Grayson Highlands is listed as part of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ Birding and Wildlife Trail, and a part of the Crooked Road — Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. Visitors to the park are not guaranteed a view of the ponies, but most often one or two will venture near the trails. And when they do, park officials say there’s one important thing to keep in mind. “Do not feed the ponies,” Tibbs said. “They do not have carrots, Snickers or
potato chips as part of their diets. They have to forage for natural food sources, on their own, so they can survive the harsh, winter conditions at this elevation.” The wild ponies’ livelihood depends on good behavior from park guests and a little help from a group of people that made a commitment to watch over them years ago. The Wilburn Ridge Pony Association took the herd under its wing and cares for them. Four families now run the association and twice a year, the group checks on the herd and helps with feed over the winter months. Each year during the last weekend of September, as part of the Grayson Highland’s fall festival, the ponies are rounded up for accounting and health checks, and some of the ponies are auctioned off, to help manage the herd and to raise money that is then used toward their care. The 2016 Grayson Highlands Fall Festival takes place Sept. 24-25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Grayson Highlands State Park. §
ThePinnacle
A natural area filled with at least nine rare plants and five rare animal species
1946 Russell County begins managing the area it called Big Cedar Creek Park.
‘It’s a wholesome place to recreate’ pretty. The Pinnacle means a lot to me.” EBANON, Va. — As Created by the dissolving a child, Andrew action of groundwater and Gilmer followed the shore-moving work of his grandmother into the the creek, the tower of rock wilderness along Big Cedar known as The Pinnacle is at Creek, eyeing the geological the heart of a 776-acre wilformations — particularly derness in Russell County, the 400-foot-tall spire of do- Virginia, called The Pinnacle lomite that gives the area its Natural Area Preserve. The name — and the plants that area encompasses Big Cedar captured her attention. Creek’s confluence with the “When I was a boy, you Clinch River, and has grown could drive down to the Big considerably since its initial Falls,” said Gilmer, who grew 69-acre tract was donated in up six miles away on the 1989. family farm in Lebanon. “My “That giant, towering grandparents would take me rock overlook is absolutely there when I was little. My beautiful,” said Gilmer, now grandmother is a naturist a regular volunteer at the as well. She has a love for preserve, and the district nature and things that are manager of the Clinch Valley BY TOM NETHERLAND
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soil and water conservation district in Russell County. The Pinnacle thrusts well into the sky about a mile’s hike into the wilderness; it’s about a 20 minute walk from the Big Falls. The route to the tower’s base is an easy walk; visitors may also hike to the top for a more expansive view of the mountainous landscape that the state of Virginia sought to protect by creating the preserve. The Pinnacle is one of 62 natural areas managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, encompassing more than 55,000 acres. The system was created in the late 1980s, to protect the commonwealth’s most
1966 Virginia adopts its Open Space Land Act.
1966 Virginia creates the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.
1973 U.S. Endangered Species Act adopted.
1978 Youth Conservation Corps volunteers developed trails and added picnic tables.
1980s The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is created.
1989 Virginia Natural Area Preserves Act adopted.
TOM NETHERLAND/BHC
The tower of rock known as The Pinnacle is at the heart of a 776-acre wilderness in Russell County, Virginia, called The Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve. BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 31
1989 Russell County, Virginia, donates 69 acres to The Natural Conservancy.
1992 Virginia voters approve the Park and Recreational Facilities Bond, which provided $11.5 million to buy at least 10 new Natural Area Preserves.
TOM NETHERLAND / BHC
The sound of water roaring over the rock shelves in the Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve makes you feel as one with nature.
1992 Land now known as the Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve is transferred to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
2002 Virginia voters approve a Park and Natural Areas Bond, providing $20 million for natural area preserve acquisitions.
Today The Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve encompasses 776 acres and is open year round.
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significant natural areas — and the habitats of such unusual or rare creatures as the hellbender salamander and freshwater mussels. “They’re unique, geological places,” said Claiborne Woodall, the southwest regional supervisor and natural area preserves steward with the conservation department’s division of natural heritage. “About a third are open to public access, and The Pinnacle is one of them.” The conservation department reports that The Pinnacle’s diverse habitats support at least nine rare plants and five rare animal species — including the hellbender. It’s also abundant with hiking trails, swimming opportunities, fishing and plenty of areas to observe, explore and imagine. “It’s a wholesome place to recreate,” Woodall said. “We see a lot of families now, enjoying it for what it is. You’ll see church groups,
Boy Scouts, families.” The distinction of The Pinnacle also centers upon its geological rock formations, and ecological diversity. “There are some fascinating, rare plants here,” Woodall said. “It’s a bastion of that sort of thing. The Clinch River has the highest number of freshwater mussels in North America. It’s a global hotspot for freshwater mussels. However, they’re federally protected. You can’t touch them.”
En route Visitors enter the preserve via a swinging bridge that crosses Big Cedar Creek. Numerous trails follow, with varying levels of difficulty. Most classify as easy trails to walk, though some of the more hilly trails brand as moderately difficult. A physically fit person should have no problems hiking any of the trails within the preserve. “We have about 12,000
visitors per year,” Woodall said. “It’s the only real hiking opportunity in Russell County to the best of my knowledge. It’s also probably the best fishing in Russell County. There’s spectacular canoeing along the Clinch River through The Pinnacle. I have done that. It’s very isolated. They’re rugged cliffs, which are extremely scenic.” En route, hikers can make use of several benches, placed intermittently throughout the preserve, which provide a restful or contemplative break. Also, about a half-mile into the hike, visitors come upon an obvious point of distinction for The Pinnacle as compared with all of Virginia’s other preserves. “There is a restroom at the preserve,” Woodall said. “It’s the only restroom in a preserve in the state of Virginia.” Folks are invited to employ picnic tables, the first of which exists adjacent to
the parking lot. More turn up near the restrooms. Depending upon the day and the intensity of the sun, many of the wide trails are shaded well. And all along the path, even well beyond those resting places, hikers will hear the rippling waters of Big Cedar Creek. “If you get off work one day and want to get some exercise in, you can go down some easy trails that meander along the creek,” Gilmer said. “If you want to get your heart racing, you can veer off to the Copper Ridge Trail, and then get back home before supper.” Some hearty souls might wish to take supper home with them. “Fishing,” Woodall said, “we do allow as long as you have the proper license.” The state of Virginia stocks the waters with trout. Numerous signposts along Big Cedar Creek serve to notify patrons and would-be fisherman that trout abound and are available. “They have trout, smallmouth bass and rock bass,” Gilmer said. “The fishing is really nice for kids. It’s easy for people to hike in there and get your dinner.”
Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve Where: Russell County, Virginia Size: 776 acres; Only one of 61 Natural Area Preserves in Virginia as part of more than 50,000 acres Getting there: From Abingdon, follow US 19 north to Lebanon. Take US 19 (Business) into Lebanon. Turn left onto VA 82 towards Cleveland. Turn right onto VA 640. Bear right onto VA 640 where VA 740 comes in. Turn left onto VA 721 and follow it into the preserve. Admission: Free Open: Year-round from sunrise to sunset Managed by: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation For Information: http://www.virginia.org/Listings/ OutdoorsAndSports/PinnacleNaturalAreaPreserve/
lush beds of biodiversity, folks are asked to kindly leave no mark upon their exit. “When I was a kid, there would be people camping down there, leaving trash. Some had wild parties,” Gilmer said. “Now it’s a great place for families. I advise people to leave no trace. When you go out there, enjoy yourself, pack it in and pack it out as if you’ve never been there.”
Make it a day
A short drive beyond Lebanon and about an hour’s drive from Bristol, The Pinnacle Natural Key natural features: A 400-feet tall thrust of Area Preserve came together in dolomite known as The Pinnacle, globally-rare plant species including Canby’s mountain-lover (Paxistima stages, starting with a 69-acre tract canbyi) and Carolina saxifrage (Saxifraga caroliniana) donated by Russell County to The along with such rare biological species as the hellNature Conservancy, with the unbender salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis). derstanding that it would eventually be transferred to the state as a natural area. With the aid of the Historical significance: Formerly used as sparse conservancy and the U.S. Fish and farmland, Russell County donated the original 69-acre Wildlife Service, and with funding section to The Natural Conservancy in 1989, with an understanding that the property would transfer by from Virginia’s Open Space and 1992 to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Conservation Recreation Fund, Recreation to be managed as a natural area preserve. additional tracts were added over the years. be killed. If a fisherman catches one in a While overnight camping is net or on a line, they must turn it loose. not allowed, such activities as hiking or “They are harmless unless you’re like perhaps picnicking are encouraged at my cousin and just put your finger in his The Pinnacle. And a mere drive in and mouth,” Gilmer said. “He bit the fire out out might appeal to those in search of of his finger.” rural bliss. Not for dinner Gilmer has seen and accidently caught After passing through the town of several hellbenders through the years. Some things exist with the Pinnacle Lebanon and a short trek along Route “It’s a common misconception that that folks will not want to take home. 82, turn right onto scenic Route 640. they eat fish. They don’t,” he said. “They For one thing, you can’t. They’re proCurvy as a wily snake, the road provides only eat crayfish, or crawdads, dependtected animals including the Big Seder pleasure to those who adore time behind Creek millipede, the spiny riversnail, the ing on what you call them. They wait for the wheel. Mr. Crawdad to come along.” Tennessee clubshell and spiny softshell. Pass tin-roofed barns aplenty, fields Multitudes of plants thrive within The While fishing and if incredibly fortunate, of rocks and cows and unseen critters, folks might also catch sight of the Crypto- Pinnacle. Astute eyes might come across rolling hills and waves from folks on branchus alleganiensis, also known as the such plants as the spotted mandarin, the front porch swings. Beyond Miller View Alabama grape-fern, the Carolina saxihellbender salamander, which can grow Primitive Baptist Church on the right, frage or perhaps the prostrate blue violet. the Jacob Rasnake “Hessian” Soldier to about 2 feet long. “Cross the swinging bridge, go down “They’re quite rare,” Woodall said of state historical marker on the left, and and around the corner,” Gilmer said. the hellbender. “People used to extermithe pothole-pocked road in the middle nate them. Old-timers used to kill them.” “That stretch all up and down the hillside exists what amounts to an oasis of soliThey were often nailed to nearby trees, as far as you could see was completely tude within The Pinnacle Natural Area purple a few weeks ago with larkspur, Gilmer said, Preserve. which is a violet blue, royal blue flower. “An old-timer told me that anything “Yes, excellent place for solitude, that ugly wasn’t allowed to live,” Woodall Really pretty.” especially when you get off and onto the Take note. Folks are invited to come said. “Yes, I have seen one. They’re just less-traveled trails and deeper into the and appreciate the beauty, walk and magnificent. Their closest known kin is property,” Woodall said. “It’s just under picnic and fish and swim at will, from in China.” six miles of trails. If you hike to The PinTo make it quite clear, hellbenders now sunrise to sunset year-round. However, nacle and back, it’s about three miles. It’s to maintain the property’s scenery and are protected, therefore they are not to a great place to visit.” § BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 33
The Pinnacle
TOM NETHERLAND/BHC
The Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve has an abundance of natural wonders like this waterfall above. It may take a few trips to take in all the preserve has to offer, such as hiking trails and picnic areas.
Abingdon Mercantile & Frame Gallery 130 Wall Street SW <> Abingdon, Virginia 276-628-2788 <> www.abingdonmercantile.com Visit our website for more information and discounts
Hungry Mother
More than just a park or nature area — it’s a beach right in our own backyard
1774 The creek was listed on a land survey as “Hungers Mother” creek.
‘Seashore among the Peaks’ man is entitled to more than System [...] it all started right a bare existence, and so it here,” Park Manager Nate ohn D. Lincoln is the duty of government, Clark said. wouldn’t take no for either state or national, to More than 5,000 visitors, an answer. help bring him some of the and of course the new park He and his family had pleasures the world has to system’s director, Robert already donated 1,881 acres offer.” Burson, were there to hear of land for the project — and At the hands of Civilian the governor’s dedication he just couldn’t see a beauti- Conservation Corps memspeech, in what late histoful crescent beach on the bers, six state parks were rian Mack Sturgill called the edge of the man-made lake developed in the middle of “single greatest event in the without sand. the Great Depression, under history of Smyth County.” He had made the suggesprograms designed to put And Hungry Mother Park tion, but the Virginia State men to work: Franklin D. — highlighted by its sandy Commission managing the Roosevelt’s CCC and the beach — quickly became creation of a new statewide Work Progress Administrawhat Gov. Perry predicted, park system refused to aption. a haven of relaxation amid prove such a proposal. “The history of Hungry the mountains of Southwest Lincoln, a landowner and Mother is the beginning Virginia. entrepreneur in southwestof the Virginia State Park Perry was dedicating all ern Virginia, where the new park was nestled among the Appalachian Mountains, did it anyway. Renting a railroad boxcar, he sent it to Virginia Beach, had it loaded with 1,500 tons of the finest sand from the seashore, and brought it back to the fledgling Hungry Mother State Park. The boxcar was unloaded in Marion, and the sand trucked to the park and spread on the new beach. By June 15, 1936, the day Virginia Gov. George Perry stood by that very beach to dedicate the new park system, the commission had admitted that the sand was a capital idea. Consequently, beaches at Virginia’s other new parks also were covered with Virginia Beach sand. Perry said the system of ANDRE TEAGUE/BHC parks was created for the working man: “The working Hungry Mother Park’s floating dock is a great way to spend the day. BY PAUL RICE
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1775 Virginia historian Goodridge Wilson finds documentation of a Samuel Stalnaker cabin on the same creek.
1930 The opening of Lake Forest, which would eventually become Hungry Mother, is reported in The Marion Democrat.
1933 John D. and Mildred Lincoln donated 1,881 acres to the state for the establishment of a state park in Smyth County on Hungry Mother Creek.
1933 The Marion Democrat referred to the park as “Hungry Mother Park, at Marion.”
BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 35
1933 600 CCC workers arrive in Marion to begin working on the new state park.
1934 The Marion Democrat publishes a letter from local citizens rejecting the new name, “Hungry Mother Park, at Marion.”
1936 Governor dedicates Virginia’s six-park state system at Hungry Mother State Park.
2007 Hungry Mother State Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Today Hungry Mother State Park greets more than 8 million visitors to its recreation area.
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ANDRE TEAGUE/BHC
No need to drive 8 hours to the beach when you have one right in your own back yard at Hungry Mother Park. The sand for the beach was originally railed in by boxcar from Virginia Beach, Virginia. the state’s new parks, but Hungry Mother was hailed as the centerpiece — and was the most complete of the parks on that dedication day. Virginia is home to the first state park system in the country, and the 1936 ceremony was the only time an entire system was inaugurated at once. Eighty years later, as one of the state’s and the nation’s oldest parks, Hunger Mother still serves as an archetype, the ideal image of a public park, Clark said. “We get so many people here who say, ‘Now, that’s what a state park is supposed to look like.’” And each summer since, as the temperatures warm up, thousands of area residents head to the beach amid the mountains. While nearly 400 miles from the Atlantic, Hungry Mother boasts prime beachfront recreation at the foot of its tallest peak, Molly’s Knob. Thousands in Southwest Virginia — and from at least 47 states just last year — have kicked up fun on the shore or learned to swim in the lake. In 2015, more than 60,000 stayed
at the park overnight and nearly 28,000 played on the beach. Hungry Mother has an estimated $7.4 million impact on the local area. Clark said the park is intertwined with the community. “We’ve always had a strong community tie. You meet people all the time — they’ve lived here their whole lives, they’ve worked here at the park, learned to swim at the beach, learned to ride a bike, gotten married here — people who are born and raised in the area have such a deep tie to Hungry Mother.” The community ties started with the Lincoln family, John and his brother Charles, as well as with adjacent landowner Frank Copenhaver, who also donated property. Once the land belonged to the state, close to 600 men arrived by rail, walking into Hungry Mother on Oct. 15, 1933, with a task of creating something for the ages. Many of these men were from New York and New Jersey, and they had just returned east after spending the summer with the CCC
building facilities throughout the first national park: Yellowstone. Additionally, scores of local men were guaranteed work with the CCC companies. They left a legacy of craftsmanship still visible in the intricate rockwork, dam and spillway, and cabins scattered across Hungry Mother’s thousands of acres. They left their mark in a number of ways, such as the uniquely shaped parking lots, outlined as images of hand tools, including a hammer, when viewed from above. In Hungry Mother, the CCC used sweat and ingenuity to craft a world apart from the Depression — a world unreservedly dedicated to play — and one that Virginians couldn’t wait to visit. Mack Sturgill writes that from the park’s opening, June 15, 1936, that mountain retreat, with its man-made lake among mountain peaks, proved to be the most popular of all the parks in Virginia. On June 21, the first Sunday after the dedication, some 1,500 people visited the park. Between 400 and 500
went swimming (the cost then was 15 cents for adults and 10 cents for children), which was the most popular activity, with the exception of sightseeing. Swimming was so popular that swim cards were sold at the bath house, and the crescent-shaped beach gently sloping to the water became the park’s centerpiece. Hungry Mother also is a gateway to the entire region; hundreds who stay at the park also visit the Birthplace of Country Music or ride motorcycles across the Back of the Dragon, Clark said. And even though Hungry Mother is home to bountiful history, it continues to grow and expand in meaningful ways. The park added cabins and campgrounds in the 1950s, and in the 70s, the park focused on the construction of an amphitheater on an island in the center of its lake, as well as a bridge for access and a conference center. More recently, the park made
improvements to its infrastructure, and added a new campground in 2000. The park also is home to the Hungry Mother Festival, a large-scale celebration of local arts and crafts, and the Hungry Mother State Park Birding Festival. The park is already getting ready for its 80th anniversary event this summer, and chief ranger Tanya Hall is preparing, among other things, a self-guided trail and a possible time capsule to honor the CCC’s work. The future looks even brighter with the possibility of new exhibits, trails, a passionate Friends of Hungry Mother group and the Virginia Service Conservation Corps, which continues the legacy of the CCC in its work in state parks across the Commonwealth. “Folks in Virginia love their state parks,” Clark said. Taking in the view from the top of Molly’s Knob or basking on the beach, well, who can blame them? §
Make your home
John D. Lincoln Hometown: Marion Occupation: Landowner, entrepreneur Significant contribution: Donated 1,881 acres of land to the state park project, shipped sand from Virginia Beach to the park
Hungry Mother State Park and Beach Where: Marion, Virginia Admission fee: $2-$4 swimming fees, $3-$4 admission (according to Virginia State Park Pricing Guide) Ownership: State of Virginia To get there: Take Exit 47 from Interstate 81. Travel approximately one mile on Route 11 toward Marion. Turn right on Route 16 north and travel four miles to the park Register at the Discovery Center. Key natural features: 3,334 acres of land with a 108 acre lake, Molly’s Knob (tallest peak), 108 acre lake, beach, assorted trails. Historical significance: Hungry Mother State Park was one of Virginia’s first six CCC state parks and was the site of the inauguration of the Parks System in 1936.
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Hungry Mother
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
ABOVE AND LEFT: Paddle boating and kayaking are very popular activities at Hungry Mother. EARL NEIKIRK/BHC BHC FILE PHOTO
A spectacular view of the 108-acre lake and rolling hills during the fall season.
EARL NEIKIRK/BHC
The Marion Rotary Club Plywood Boat Derby is fun for the whole family.
People take advantage of the warm fall temperatures to walk across the arch bridge over Hungry Mother Lake at Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, Virginia. EARL NEIKIRK/BHC
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Steele Creek Park
Unusable property becomes one of Bristol’s most used recreation areas
1938 TVA published the scenic resources of the Tennessee Valley, which identifies the Steele Creek Tract, a 2,800 acre site, as a future site of a state park in Bristol.
Splash pad and more renovations on tap Park Service (a part of the going to turn it into a state U.S. Department of the park.” teele Creek Park is Interior) began the process Between 1939 and 1942, now the fourth-largest to develop the tract as a rec- the state appropriated municipally owned reation demonstration area. $50,000 to purchase land for park in Tennessee, but in the To make that happen the the project. There was about beginning it was earmarked city had to condemn 2,500 600 acres in the Steele Creek as Watauga State Park. acres of the area so it could tract that couldn’t be used The first time city leaders be used as park. for the project, because it were formally approached “They basically declared could be used for farming about the land known as the property unusable,” but the state had the option the Steele Creek tract was Napier, said. “Most of the of purchasing the usable in 1936, when the federal acreage was hillsides that tract so it set aside the funds government’s Recreation couldn’t be used for much of to do so later. Until at least Demonstration Area Proanything else. So they were 1949, the state leased 1,800 gram broached the possibility of putting a state park there. The demonstration program was a National Park Service project active during the 1930s and early 40s. During that time, the agency built 46 public parks in 24 states on 137,000 acres near urban areas in the country. “The program basically had three goals,” said Terry Napier, Bristol Virginia’s Parks and Recreations director. “To develop land as parks, to provide employment, which was the big thing, and to create parks near urban areas. Bristol was really starting to grow during this time and that’s why the program identified the Steele Creek tract as a prime area for a state park.” In 1938, the Tennessee Valley Authority published the scenic resources of the Tennessee Valley, which identified the Steele Creek tract, a 2,800 acre site, as a ANDRE TEAGUE/BHC future site of a state park At Steele Creek Park one can reflect on their past, present and future. in Bristol and the National BY TAMMY CHILDRESS
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1938 The National Park Service begins the process of developing the tract as a “recreation demonstration area.”
1939 The Civilian Conservation Corps Company #420 arrives at Steele Creek to aid in the construction of the dam for the proposed 86 acre lake.
1942 Work was halted on the park due to the termination of the CCC during World War II.
1946 Tennessee decides the park was too close to the Virginia state line. TVA offeres up another piece of land which would become Warrior’s Path State Park.
BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 39
1953 City of Bristol, Tennessee begins making plans to develop the Steele Creek area themselves.
1961 First Parks Commission was established in Bristol.
1962 Commission approves a bond resolution for $120,000 for parks and playgrounds.
1964 Steele Creek Park opens to the public.
1973 Steele Creek Park was renamed Stacy Grayson Park at Steele Creek.
Today Steele Creek Park is now the fourth largest municipally owned park in the state with over 22,000 acres.
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acres of the land land in Kingsport for to farmer Russell the park, which met Harr. all the new criteria. So Once all of Warrior’s Path State the land was Park became the far acquired it was east Tennessee State deeded to the Park.” U.S. Department A year later, Bristol of Interior, and city leaders sent a in November resolution to the state 1939 the Civilian expressing their disapConservation pointment. They sent Corps Co. 420a new resolution each Camp Tennessee year through 1950. arrived at Steele That’s when the state Creek to aide in relented and leased the construction 400 acres of land for of a dam that the city of Bristol to would create an build a park. The land 86 acre lake for was near where the Watauga State golf course is today. DAVID CRIGGER/BHC Park. Napier said the state One of Steele Creek’s most unusual features is its 24 “They [the completely washed guage replica of a real steam engine. The train and Civilian Conserits hands of Watauga track were completely renovated in 2007-08 and runs vation Corps] State Park in 1953, and daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day. came by train divided the remainbut it’s what makes sense.” from a project ing 1,400 acres among A little over a year into they had just completed other state agencies. their work, in 1942, the at Look Out Mountain in For the next two years Chattanooga,” Napier said. Civilian Conservation the city studied options for “Their goal was to work on Corps was terminated due the 400 acres it was leasing, to World War II and work on with an eye toward finding the dam and then additional plans were drawn for the park stopped. During a use that would best bena 400 acre rec area centered that time, building state efit the whole community. parks was not on the fedaround the dam. The rest In 1955, city leaders took eral government’s short list recommendations from was earmarked to be a forso the state parks project est and wildlife preserve, residents, and several came fell to the wayside. So the which remains today.” forward with ideas. Steele Creek property was Napier said he his “One group wanted to deeded over to the state research reveals that the lease 200 acres for a shootof Tennessee and became camp was located at the ing preserve,” Napier said. known as the Steele Creek north side of Broad Street “In 1956, Mr. E.C. King near the townhouses there. Demonstration Area. represented a group that References calling the He said one of the concrete wanted a skeet range for area Watauga State Park pads from the buildings public use at the site. That can’t be found after 1944, still exists. was unanimously apaccording to Napier, who It was in 1940 that a proved. Also in that same said that by 1946, the may- year, Mr. Roby Combs representative from the ors and commissioners in Chamber of Commerce requested that an 18-hole Bristol were expressing dis- golf course be retained in and an engineer with the satisfaction at the abrupt Tennessee conservation the proposal for the develhalt of the park’s developdepartment asked the city opment of the land.” to provide water to the site. ment, and the state’s posiIn 1956, the city acquired tion on the project. “The site was outside a map that had been pre“After the war a lot of of the city limits,” Napier pared by the state, showing things were changing at the some options for developsaid. “So the city agreed to state level,” Napier said. supply a four-inch main, ing the Steele Creek tract. A “The state took a new look a meter and check valve. year later, the Bristol board at where state parks should and commission approved My guess is that main was to supply the conservation be located and Bristol was the general plans of what too close to the Virginia corps camp with water. I they still called Watauga state line. … TVA offered up Park. don’t know that for sure,
into the city in 1962. Grave’s Engineering was hired to finalize the plans for the park and “$55,000 to $60,000” was allocated for C.B. Kearfott and Associates to begin building the dam that same year. Darrell Winslow was hired as the first paid recreation director in 1963. There was a barn for 16 horse stables built in the area of the recycling dumpsters and riding trails were opened to the public. The commission also approved $650 to build the VFW Shelter, which is still standing. Napier said it would cost about $15,000 to build the same structure today. In March 1964, the city announced its plans to open Steele Creek Park. The gates were opened to the public June 6. At one time there were plans to incorporate a petting zoo. Instead the rock wall at the beach was built. The Steele Creek Park Lodge was named in 1965 and the committee was formed to start plans for the miniature train. “The Kiwanis Club won the commission over, and the train was purchased from Chance Manufacturing,” Napier DAVID CRIGGER/BHC said. “It’s my understanding that the KiSteele Creek’s Nature Center is scheduled to undergo massive renovations in the near future. wanians were to get a portion of the funds “The city moved forward with plans railroad. The commission empowered they donated back, but instead they gifted for the park,” Napier said. “The map had Charlie Worley to secure “the maxithe money right back to the park.” the tract titled Watauga Park in the min- mum number of years possible,” for the The golf pro shop was completed in utes. In one place the city refers to land lease on the 400 acre tract. Napier said 1965 and most of the picnic shelters as the Steele Creek tract and in another that was because the city was pouring were built that year. Napier said there an it’s Watauga. But my guess is they are finances into the park and felt it was in Aquatic Carnival and the Bristol Beauty using Watauga because of the drawing the city’s best interest to have a binding Pageant were held at the park in the they have from the state, but it was still contract with the state concerning the 1960s. very much the Steele Creek Tract.” land. “In March of ’66 the final touches were He added that there’s not much on Worley was successful and secured a put on the train,” he said. “We’ve since record concerning the park from 1957 to 99 year lease. rebuilt the train and re-laid all the track 1961. The city made plans to annex the park with modern tools. They really did some “It just kind of went quiet,” hard work in the 60s to build all he said. “But in 1961, Stacy that.” Steele Creek Park Grayson, the then mayor, anThe city then hired Noah Barr, Where: Bristol, Tennessee nounced plans for the park at owner of the Bristol Amusement Getting there: From I-26: Head east on TN-126 E Steele Creek.” Co., to install small amusement toward Anderson Rd. (5.3 mi.),turn right onto Rock In July of that same year a rides. The rides were added where Rd. (174 ft.) turn left onto Old Stage Dr. (0.5 mi.), turn park commission was apthe Shelter B playground area is right onto Steele Creek Park Rd. (0.2 mi.), turn right pointed to build the park at today. Napier said the amuseonto Little Ln. (0.2 mi.), Little Ln turns slightly left and Steele Creek. The commission ments were basically a little carnibecomes Lakeshore Dr. hired its first employee in 1961 val with a merry-go-round, a small FROM -81: Get on I-81 N (1.2 mi), continue on I-81 and in 1962 approved a bond N to Bristol (7.2 mi), continue on TN-126 W. Drive to Ferris wheel, and a few other rides. Lakeshore Dr. resolution for $120,000 to be The golf course opened in 1967 Amenities: 20 picnic tables throughout the park; a used to build facilities and and the city approved the sale 52 acre lake; a large multi-use field with soccer goals; playgrounds in Bristol. of golf course memberships. It 9-hole disc golf course; exercise trails and stations; Also during the same time also sold 20-day beach privilege playground; swing set; horse-shoe pit; Nature Center; period, two representatives passes. Steele Creek Express; paddle boat rentals; and walking, of the local Kiwanis Club “A little known fact is, in 1967, hiking and biking trails. proposed that the park comBristol Amusement purchased a Web: www.bristoltn.org/166/Steele-Creek-Park mission build a miniature stern wheel paddle boat,” Napier BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 41
said. “Mr. Barr received a five-year lease option to provide the amusements after that purchase. I would sure like to know where that paddle wheeler is. I’ve found that very few people even know about it.” The stables lasted only four years. They were removed in 1967 to make way for a small camping area, which also didn’t last long. In 1971, an additional 1,212 acres was deeded to the city by the U.S. Forestry Service and in 1973 Steele Creek Park was renamed the Stacy Grayson Memorial at Steele Creek Park. “That’s still the official name of the park,” Napier said. “Unfortunately, the name didn’t catch on, everybody knew it as Steele Creek Park. We maintain the memorial and the sign, but few people ever use its official name. Mr. Grayson was pivotal in making the park happen and very deserving; it just didn’t catch.” In 1973, another 963 acres was deeded to the city from the state, bringing the total acreage to 2,163. The swimming area was closed in 1975 due to water contamination. In 1999, another 60 acres was deeded to the city, Napier said.
“It was just weird because those two Lane off the Parkway. tracts were right in the middle of the After the museum closed, no major woods; it was a patch that looks like the work was completed at Steele Creek state of Texas,” Napier said of the 1999 Park, but Napier said that’s changing. addition. “They just missed it in the “This year we’re adding the Splash original deed, so they fixed it.” Pad, the new shelter and the millionA little known fact is that the city’s dollar renovations have begun at the original country music museum was Nature Center,” he said. “Steele Creek inside Steele Creek Park. Park is very, very much a regional park. “There was actually a pretty-goodThe city owns it but on any given day sized log cabin that had been puryou can find people from Kingsport, chased and place at the park,” Napier Johnson City and Southwest Virginia said. “That was the country music enjoying any part of the park. It’s open museum. A couple nights a week there to everyone and thousands visit it each was country music on the beach at year.” § Steele Creek Park. That was kind of its thing; the music was there and the museum was there.” Sometime prior 14438 Lee Hwy • Bristol, VA 24202 to 2003, the mu276-644-1530 seum closed and the music stopped www.Boulderlook.com playing. The log cabin was eventually moved outside the park, and now sits on Gentry
417 Scott Street • Bristol, VA 24201 Office: (276) 466-4663 • Fax: (276) 466-2789
Serving Southwest VA and East TN www.BartLongAuctions.com
The Natural Approach
Creeper Trail
Walking, biking, hiking or just chilling, there’s nothing better than ‘The Creeper’
1900 Virginia-Carolina Railway constructed between Abingdon and Damascus.
One of the longest rail trails in Virginia
G
BY JOE TENNIS
REEN COVE, Va. — When Lawrence Dye was a baby in the early 1930s, the Virginia Creeper Trail was a railroad, rambling over trestles and slipping just above the tristate corner of Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Today, Dye has become “Lawrence the Legend” on this rails-to-trail project, one of the longest rail trails in Virginia. At 34 miles, from Abingdon to the North Carolina border, this trail preserves virtually the entire Virginia portion of the old Abingdon Branch of the Norfolk and
Western Railway. The 84-year-old Dye, in turn, knows virtually every turn, trestle, rock, tree and root along its path. He must, after all. The retired schoolteacher from Bristol, Virginia, has been cycling “The Creeper” since 1990. And he’s amassed more than 189,000 miles along its way. Born on Dec. 15, 1931, Dye arrived just after a few months after a 1930 flood had shut down the Abingdon Branch’s rail traffic for six months. At that time, a branch to Konnarock also had just been abandoned due to that 1930 flood. Floods continually posed threats to this track, once
using more than 100 bridges and trestles on its entire, 76mile length between Abingdon and Elkland, North Carolina, a village that has since been renamed Todd. It was a mountain-climbing route, for sure. Trains made a steady ascension from Green Cove to Whitetop Station in Virginia, reaching an elevation of 3,576 feet above sea level. There, Whitetop Station was one of the highest-altitude points reached by a regular passenger route east of the Mississippi River. Trains ran as early as 1900 on this line, constructed in the late 1890s between Abingdon and Damascus
1912 Green Cove Depot constructed.
1930 Flood stops railroad for six months; Konnarock Branch abandoned.
1956 Photographer O. Winston Link shoots “Maud Bows to the Virginia Creeper” at Green Cove during last era of steam trains.
1977 Trains stop running the route on March 31, 1977.
1978 U.S. Forest Service buys right-of-way between Damascus and Green Cove. ANDRE TEAGUE/BHC
In 2014 The Virginia Creeper Trail was added to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Hall of Fame. BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 43
1980s Development of the trail begins on the old rail line.
1987 Virginia Creeper Trail is officially dedicated at Damascus.
1989
ANDRE TEAGUE/BHC
Virginia Creeper Trail Club is formed.
1997 “The Virginia Creeper Companion” is published by authors Ed Morgan and Ed Davis.
2005 Avid bicycle rider Lawrence Dye reaches 100,000 miles of cycling the Virginia Creeper Trail.
2016 Virginia Creeper Trail Welcome Center opens at trailhead in Abingdon; Lawrence Dye reaches 189,000 miles on Virginia Creeper Trail.
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Lawrence “The Legend” Dye, has logged over 189,000 miles on the Virginia Creeper Trail. by a businessman, Wilton Egerton Mingea. When it first steamed into operation, the run was known as the Virginia-Carolina Railway, long before it ever reached the Tarheel State. Yet, even then, the V-C Railway became best known as the “Virginia Creeper,” either for how slowly the trains crept up the mountain or for the Virginia Creeper vines that grow along the route. The train pulled tons and tons of timber in the early 1900s, helping Damascus grow. Later, as the years passed on and the timber ran out, various branches began to fall off the Abingdon Branch. Heading south to Tennessee, the Laurel Railway slipped away, no longer leaving the tracks at Laureldale and going to Laurel Bloomery. Also to be gone, prior to 1930, was the Beaver Dam Railroad, which rolled to Shady Valley, Tennessee, though a tiny tunnel called Back-
bone Rock. In the 1950s, steam clouds rose above the trains with such gusts that you could hardly see a locomotive’s headlights. But steam train runs would end that same decade, just as a New York photographer, O. Winston Link, traveled along the rails and snapped images of scenes that would soon vanish. By the early 1960s, the train had less than 10 daily riders. And it no longer went to Elkland; the run shortened, going only between Abingdon and West Jefferson, North Carolina. Ultimately, all trains stopped running on March 31, 1977, and the railroad simply sat in disrepair. Communities along the way grew slow and quiet. “And nobody wanted to go to Green Cove,” remembered Gary Greer. “It was back in the sticks.” Yet in Green Cove, as a kid, Greer would watch trains roll by, chugging up the tracks of the Abingdon Branch.
During the 1980s, about 34 miles of the old railroad grade of the Abingdon Branch was converted into a multi-use passage called the Virginia Creeper Trail, largely thanks to the persistence of David Brillhart and French Moore Jr., as well as dozens of other volunteers, government officials and the staff of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Yet not everyone believed it would work. “When I heard they were going to turn it into a bike trail,” Greer said, “I thought it was the stupidest idea I had ever heard in my life.” Greer is now certainly glad for the trail’s existence. Today, Greer operates two bike shops on the trail, with one location at Whitetop, the other at Damascus. He sells bikes, rents bikes and shuttles passengers. “When you open up a shuttle service, you’re naturally going to have tons of tourists who want to do that — shuttle up and ride
one of the managers at Sundog Outfitters, a Virginia Creeper Trail shuttle service in DaWhere: Washington County and Grayson County mascus. Size: 34-mile-long trail, from Abingdon trailhead to The western half of the North Carolina border trail rolls from DamasAdmission: Free cus to Abingdon, passing Owner: Eastern half owned by Mount Rogers National through Alvarado and Recreation Area; western half owned by the towns of Watauga. That portion is Abingdon and Damascus. overseen by the towns of Web: www.vacreepertrail.org Damascus and Abingdon. Key natural features: Trail passes through farms On the east, most and forests, and overlooks the Middle Fork of the of the trail lies in the Holston River, as well as the South Fork of the Holston Mount Rogers National River. It also passes by rock cuts and the 10-foot-high Recreation Area, which Whitetop Laurel Falls. oversees that section. Here, too, the trail interHistorical significance: Trail was originally the Virsects, and, at one point, ginia-Carolina Railway and later became known as the overlaps the AppalaAbingdon Branch of the Norfolk and Western Railway. chian Trail. Dubbed the “AT” for down,” Greer said. short, the Appalachian Trail spans more Today, about a dozen shuttle services than 2,175 miles, stretching from Georoperate along the Virginia Creeper Trail. gia to Maine. And the trail attracts as many as 250,000 Many shuttle-users at Sundog are not visitors a year, largely running the path regular bike riders, Butcher said. between Whitetop Station and Damascus. “This is the only time they’re going to That 17-mile stretch, by the way, runs ride a bike all year,” Butcher said. “And consistently downhill to Damascus. some of them? 30 years.” “And it just has a reputation of being a A rare few do ride uphill from Damasdownhill trail,” Greer said. “So that atcus to Whitetop. tracts people with kids.” Among them: Lawrence Dye, a man Routinely, shuttle services drop off once known for riding 66 miles a day, bicycle riders at the replica of the White- five days a week, tracing the trail from top Station. Then they just roll free. its start in Abingdon to Whitetop Sta“Anybody who comes here, they go tion. back home and tell other people to Today, Dye has slowed down — some. come here,” said Christopher Butcher, “Lawrence used to do 10,000 miles per
year but has slacked off to 7,500 or so since he turned 80,” said Wayne Miller, a member of the Virginia Creeper Trail Club. Still, a typical ride for Dye does span about 40 miles, roundtrip. Along the path, too, Dye has become known as a “Creeper Keeper,” a man who looks out for others on the trail, and reports when a log has fallen or some particular point needs maintenance. Sometimes, too, you’ll simply find Dye at one of the stations on the trail. Two station replicas, at Alvarado and Whitetop, have been built. But the old station at Green Cove, three miles down from Whitetop, remains as a relic from the railroad era. Erected in 1914, Green Cove’s depot once served as a station for loading lumber and other freight. It housed a telegraph office, post office, general store and polling place. Community members gathered here to share news, swap stories, catch trains and pick up their mail. Today, it’s a communal gathering ground on the Virginia Creeper Trail. Take a peek inside, and you’ll hear how hundreds pass through each day at this depot, the site of a souvenir shop selling books, magnets, postcards, soft drinks, bottled water, candy and snacks. The shop also is full of vintage items, left behind by the late William Buchanan, the station manager, who operated a general store in this building in the mid1900s, when the trains regularly passed on the old Abingdon Branch. §
Whitetop Laurel Falls
BY JOE TENNIS
C
hances are, you’ll cycle right past this beauty of a waterfall and maybe only hear the waters. There’s no grand overlook, just a creek-side view. But, oh, what a view the lovely Whitetop Laurel Falls provides. East of Damascus, Virginia, this 10-foot drop did not go unnoticed a century ago, when it was simply a
rail-side attraction on the Abingdon Branch of the Norfolk and Western Railway, earlier known as the Virginia-Carolina Railway. About 1905, Wilton Egerton Mingea, the builder of the Virginia-Carolina Railway came here with other businessmen, posing at this waterfall for a photographer. The wonder of Washington County, Virginia, was known, perhaps earliest
as “White Top Falls, near Abingdon, Va.” when it was featured on a postcard in the early 1900s. On that postcard, too, you can see train tracks, built with wooden supports and spanning across a tiny bridge. In later years, it became known as Big Rock Falls, largely to kayakers or canoeists. Then, at some point after 2000, it became almost universally known as Whitetop Laurel Falls. §
Whitetop Laurel Falls Getting There: From the Damascus Town Park, follow U.S. Highway 58 east for 4.6 miles to the Straight Branch parking lot of the Virginia Creeper Trail. Then turn right on the trail and go about one mile to see the waterfall, on the right, about 20 yards below Trestle No. 21.
BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 45
The Creeper EARL NEIKIRK/BHC
LEFT: A cyclist follows the Virginia Creeper Trail. ABOVE: Alvarado is a community that lies between Abingdon and Damascus on the trail. ANDRE TEAGUE/BHC
JOE TENNIS/BHC
Green Cove Station and the plaque made from the photo, “Maud Bows To The Virginia Creeper” by O. Winston Link.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
This vintage photo shows Whitetop Laurel Falls in the early 1900s.
A train passes Creek Junction in the early 1900s on what is now the Virginia Creeper Trail. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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High Knob
More than just a observation tower, it’s a gathering spot for friends and family
1938 Civilian Conservation Corps builds first fire tower on High Knob.
On a clear day four states can be seen BY ROBERT SORRELL
A
n iconic stone and concrete structure sits atop the land at the highest point in the Cumberland Mountains. Barely a few years old, the manmade structure opens the view to the natural beauty of the region. The observation tower is a modern replacement for a much older wooden structure that once topped High Knob, the peak of Stone Mountain, in Wise County, Virginia. Whether wooden or concrete, the tower offers value to the region, evidenced by the
hundreds of guests who woke early to drive to the top amid heavy morning fog one day in August 2014, for the new structure’s dedication. The High Knob Enhancement Corporation organized for the project, raising the money and managed the rebuilding of the tower after it was destroyed by arsonists on Halloween 2007. “The first time I came up here on top of the knob and saw that magnificent view, I was duly impressed,” said Lu Ellsworth, a member of the corporation. He said High Knob,
situated in a remote area above Norton, Virginia, is the gathering point for residents throughout the area and has a long history. Parties, picnics, festivals and even secret rendezvous have been held at the spot for decades. Because of the view, overlooking vast forests, a wildfire detection facility was first built on High Knob in the 1930s. That tower was a small, wooden, one-room structure. By 1978, the Flatwoods Job Corps had built a three-story wood and stone structure. That’s the one was set ablaze by arson-
1978 Job Corps builds new fire tower that is 3 times bigger than the last.
1994 High Knob Fire Tower was declared a National Historic Lookout.
2007 Fire tower is destroyed by arsonists on Halloween day.
2008 First of two defendants in arson case pleads guilty.
EARL NEIKIRK/BHC
The rebuilt tower on High Knob outside Norton Virginia. The last tower was destroyed by arsonists on Halloween 2007. BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 47
2008 High Knob Enhancement Corp., created with a purpose of raising money to replace the tower, signs an agreement on the project with the U.S. Forest Service.
2009 Second defendant in arson case pleads guilty. Both defendants in the arson case are sentenced to prison; one for 60 months and the other for 37 months. EARL NEIKIRK/BHC
On a clear day, four states — West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina — can be seen from the top of the lookout.
2009 Fundraising begins to replace the destroyed tower.
2012 U.S. Forest Service hosts a grand opening ceremony for the High Knob Trail, a 33-mile path that took four years to build.
2014 New fire tower dedicated.
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ists, who were eventually charged and convicted. “The first tower [built in the 1930s] lasted 40 years,” said Robert Robbins Jr., another corporation board member. “The tower that burned lasted for about 26 years.” He added that he hopes the new tower lasts much longer. Norton City Councilman Mark Caruso, an avid outdoorsman, said the city proudly stands as a gateway to High Knob. “It is more than just an observation tower,” he said. “This structure is the crown jewel of a series of natural and man-made assets in our region that are poised to change the economic outlook of Southwest Virginia.” High Knob is deep within the Jefferson National Forest and is primarily managed by government agencies. It forms part of the border between Wise and Scott counties, and rises to about 4,200 feet.
The High Knob is dissected by state Route 619, a rural road that connects Fort Blackmore and the city of Norton. A paved road on the Norton side and gravel once it passes the High Knob Tower access road, the route was recently designated a state scenic highway. A number of landmarks dot High Knob, including the tower, High Knob Recreation Area, High Knob Lake, Bark Camp Lake and the Devil’s Bathtub. The geography has a significant impact upon the
local climate. It is one of the wettest and snowiest locations in the southern Appalachian Mountains. High Knob also unofficially holds the record for the most snow ever measured in Virginia during a single season, in 1995-96, when it received 200 inches. During a typical year, the High Knob receives about 60-70 inches of total precipitation. But on a clear day, four states — West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina — can be seen from the top. §
High Knob Where: Norton, Virginia What: The High Knob is a large mountainous recreation area above Norton, Virginia, featuring trails, lakes, a fire tower and other natural attractions. Admission: Free Owner: U.S. Forest Service Historical significance: A fire tower was first built atop the High Knob in Wise County in the 1930s to alert people of a forest fire. It lasted for about 40 years, when another tower was constructed. The latest tower was dedicated in 2014.
The Channels
Providing recreation opportunities while preserving a large corridor for habitat
2.4 billion years ago The start of the Ice Age.
A geological wonderland of sandstone
J
BY ROBERT SORRELL
outcroppings. Geologists conclude that the Channels were likely formed while the high-elevation sandstone cap was under the influence of permafrost and ice wedging during the last ice age. These forces shattered and enlarged joints in the sandstone caprock. The Channels Natural Area Preserve encompasses 721 acres within the 4,836 acre Channels State Forest and is cooperatively managed by the Virginia Department of Forestry and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The Natural Area Preserve System protects examples of some of the rarest natural communities and rare species in Virginia. Other examples in Southwest
Virginia include The Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve along Big Cedar Creek and the Clinch River in Russell County and Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve in Floyd County. “The Channels is unique for a number of reasons,” said Claiborne Woodall, southwest regional supervisor and natural area preserves steward conservation department’s division of natural heritage. “The sandstone formations of the Channels are the only example of this type of geologic phenomena found in Virginia.” He added that there are a few sites in West Virginia and upstate New York. On a broader landscape scale, Woodall said, the
ack Kestner worked briefly in the 1960s from atop the Hayters Knob Fire Tower, but occasionally ventured into the Great Channels, a unique geologic wonderland in Southwest Virginia. He grew up nearby, in Hayters Gap, and recalled in his writings about visiting the Knob and the Channels, both located a short distance from the Washington and Russell county line. “I went next into the Great Channels, located just south of the tower,” Kestner wrote. “I doubt that many Washington County natives have even heard of this geological phenomenon, much less visited it. Imagine acres of sandstone, 15 to 25 feet high, sliced haphazardly into channels ranging in width from large cracks to chambers that you could drop a room into.” During breaks from working on the tower, Kestner said he partially explored the Channels, but was never sure how they’d been formed. Located at the crest of Clinch Mountain within a state Natural Area Preserve, the Channels are BHC FILE PHOTO impressive formations of 400-million- The Channels are formations of 400-million-year-old sandstone outcroppings. Geologists conclude that they were likely formed during the last ice age. year-old sandstone
11,500 years ago The ice that envelops the earth through the Ice Ages retreats.
1939 Fire tower built near the Channels
1989
Virginia Natural Area Preserves Act is adopted.
1990 North Landing River in Virginia Beach is the first to receive the state’s new natural area preserve designation.
1992 A Park and Recreational Facilities Bond approved by the state provides $11.5 million for natural area preserves.
BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 49
1994 Virginia Natural Heritage Program recognized by NatureServe as the outstanding natural heritage program in the western hemisphere; (award received again in 2006, and in April 2016)
2002 A second parks and recreation bond is approved by the state, providing $20 million.
2004 The Nature Conservancy purchases the Channels.
2008 The state of Virginia, Department of Forestry, purchases the Channels
2008 Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and Department of Forestry dedicate the Channels as the state’s 53rd natural area preserve.
2011 Virginia opens several handicapped accessible trails in state natural preserve ar-eas.
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Channels Natural Area Preserve and State Forest stitch together a significant portfolio of conservation lands along many miles of Clinch Mountain. Collectively, these lands form a very significant and nearly contiguous complex of native forests, providing recreation opportunities for the public while providing a large corridor of habitat for many species of wildlife. Woodall said the best way to access the Channels formations is from the public access parking area at the top of state Route 80. From there, it is a 2.5 mile hike to the Channels. Portions of the hike are steep and strenuous. For these reasons, it is important to be well prepared. “Make sure you allow yourself ample time to hike to the Channels and return before nightfall,” Woodall said. “I would suggest a bare minimum of four hours to hike to top, experience the Channels, and hike back down. Five or six hours is better. Wear sturdy footwear such as hiking boots and always carry extra food and water.” Changes in weather are often encountered at the 4,000-foot summit of Clinch Mountain, so it is a good idea to pack raingear and an extra layer or two, Woodall said. The state purchased what is now the Channels State Forest from The Nature Conservancy in early 2008. The purchase was made possible through funding from the Virginia Land Conservation Fund. The Nature Conservancy had purchased the property a few years earlier, in 2004, for the purpose of protecting and conserving this unique and valuable resource. The area is open from
BHC FILE PHOTO
Sandstones sit stacked like building blocks along one of the trails that wanders through the Channels. dawn to dusk and offers opportunities for hiking, wildlife watching, biking, horseback riding, hunt-
ing and picnicking. The fire tower at the top of the mountain is out of service. §
The Channels Nature Area Preserve Where: Near Washington and Russell county line in Virginia. What: A state-owned nature preserve featuring rare sandstone landforms Access: Public parking lot area atop State Route 80. Owner: Virginia Department of Forestry Key natural features: Located at the crest of Clinch Mountain, geologists believe the Channels were likely formed while the high-elevation sandstone cap was under the influence of permafrost and ice wedging during the last ice age. The forces shattered and enlarged in the sandstone caprock. Channels State Forest: The Channels Natural Area Preserve encompasses 721 acres within the 4,836 acre Channels State Forest near the Washington and Russell county line in Southwest Virginia.
The Blue Hole
A picture perfect waterfall and ice cold water make for a fun time on a hot day
1770s White settlers begin to arrive in the area.
People say it’s so cold it will turn you blue his childhood. fast of pork chops and fried “Some will swim, but it’s potatoes before heading back d Speer remembers also popular for drinking and down to the valley where he a time when the Blue partying on the weekends,” grew up and still lives today. Hole Falls were still a he said. “You can tell it is “Back then there were not mystery. heavily used. There’s a lot of as many people around,” The lifelong resident of foot traffic. You’ll see a lot of Speer said. “Now it gets kind Stoney Creek Valley in Tentrash on weekends. You might of crowded.” nessee remembers a quieter say it gets abused. The numtime before the mountain ber of people does affect the community became flooded surrounding area when it gets Part of the forest with tourists seeking a dip in loud and crowded.” The falls are situated in the the legendary Blue Hole. Along with diving down Watauga Ranger District of Legend has it the waters of into the frigid waters of the the Cherokee National Forest. the 70-foot falls, fed by two Blue Hole, once rumored Forest Service trail techniforks of Mill Creek flowing to be bottomless but today cian Rueben Potter grew down from the peaks of the known to go down just 10 feet up nearby, in Johnson City. Holston Mountain, are so at the deepest, Speer recalls Potter remembers myths of cold swimmers would dive camping nearby on the swimmers diving down into down and come back up liter- Holston Mountain. the numbing waters and popally turned blue. He would take Forest River ping up in the other side of “It’s been popular since Road up to the top of the the Holston Mountain ridge about the ‘70s; before that it mountain, sleeping under in South Holston Lake. was unknown,” Speer said. an abandoned fire tower on “There sure is some crazy It’s popular because of its Holston High Knob. Speer lore about it,” Potter said. accessibility. There are bigger said he would hike up the “When I first heard about it as falls and more beautiful falls mountain, awake to a breaka kid, they made it sound like in the forest, but Blue Hole is easy to get to. I’ve been there so many times I can’t remember.” The falls began to gain popularity while Speer was in high school during the 1970s. Increased development after the U.S. Forest Service acquired the area led to greater accessibility and increased usage. To access the falls, visitors take Tennessee 91 to Forest Road 56 into a parking area. Then a short hike up steep stairs brings them to their destination. BHC FILE PHOTO Speer said things have The Blue Hole Falls are a series of falls located in Elizabethton, Tennessee. changed at the falls since BY ADRIAN HEDDEN
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1838 Cherokees see their tribal lands and culture change dramatically after European contact. Diseases, wars, and cultural assimilation ravaged the Cherokees.
1880 Northern mining and timber companies moved into the region.
1897 Congress passes the Organic Act which improved and protected forests, secure favorable water flows and to furnish a continuous supply of timber for citizens of the United States.
1905 The Transfer Act of February 1, 1905 places the administration of the Nation’s forest reserves under the Department of Agriculture BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 51
1911 The Weeks Act gives the federal government the authority to purchase private land for the creation of national forests.
1912 The federal government purchases land that had been abused by the unregulated logging and mining industries.
1936
President Franklin D. Roosevelt combines the Tennessee sections of the Unaka, Cherokee, and Pisgah National Forests into its present form.
it was huge. I don’t know if it’s really all that blue even.” Potter said the land surrounding the falls was developed by the Forest Service in the 1980s, when a staircase to the falls was carved into the nearby rock face. He said while the short, one-tenth mile hike from the closest parking area is still dangerously steep, explorers looking to experience a scenic part of the forest or hoping to snap a beautiful photograph continue to brave the trail for a glimpse of the Blue Hole. “It really is pretty small, but the area is very scenic,” Potter said. “It’s surrounded by rock cliffs. It’s very popular for photography. Folks tend to get down there in the cold water.” The Forest Service plans to increase developments at Blue Hole, Potter said, aiming for even better accessibility and ease of access. “It’s a steep hike,” he said. “I think at some point we will try to improve the area to make it a little less challenging to get to.”
Regional beauty
1970 The Blue Hole Falls begin to gain in popularity.
Today Thousands of people each year visit the area to swim, picnic or hike.
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Following a dip in the icy waters of Blue Hole, Speer hopes visitors will continue to explore the natural beauty of the mountainous area. The lifelong resident of Stoney Creek Valley where the falls are located said Blue Hole is just one of the myriad natural locations to be experience and enjoyed in shadows of the Holston Mountain. “There are a lot of spots around here,” Speer said. “There are hundreds of natural locations in the area. Some are readily accessible,
George L. Carter (1857-1936) Hometown: Asheville, Virginia Occupation: Founder of the Clinchfield Railroad Historical contribution: Prominent in Bristol and Johnson City as a landowner, Carter founded the Clinchfield Railroad in the late 19th century. The railroad hauled coal from Kentucky, through Tennessee and Virginia, before ending in North Carolina. Of note: Clinchfield was the most expansive railroad in the U.S. at the time of its development, stimulating the early economy of northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia. Carter originally owned the land where East Tennessee State University was built.
Blue Hole Falls Where: Watauga Range District, Cherokee National Forest, Elizabethton, Tennessee Getting there: Take Highway 91 east (NE really) out of Elizabethton, TN for about 10 miles. Turn left onto Panhandle Rd at the big, brown national forest sign for “Blue Hole”. After the road turns to gravel look for a small parking area on the left side of the road. There is room for maybe 6 cars or so. Feature: 70-foot waterfall, 30-foot-wide swimming hole, quarter-mile trail from parking area Admission: Free Owner: U.S. Forest Service
others are not. (Blue Hole) is just one small waterfall.” The White Top Mountains, Speer said, are farther north into the Virginia side of the forest. He said the nearby Mount Rogers is less accessible but both serve a unique natural experience. The two highest peaks in the state of Virginia, Rogers and White Top host plant life typically unseen in southern regions of the U.S. “Because of the elevation, you’ll see vegetation you won’t see anywhere else until Canada,” Speer said. “There are magnificent views of Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina.” Another location for a breathtaking view is the Osborne Farm just about 30 minutes from Blue Hole. Visitors can experience a panoramic view of Virginia and Tennessee mountain ranges at the high elevation, along with 125 acres of open fields. A farm cabin in the area dates to the Civil War era. The
Forest Service still cuts hay and provides grazing land to maintain historical uses. “The farm is very scenic in nature,” said Matt Gilbert, special uses and agreements specialist at the Forest Service. “It provides a very unique experience.” Near the farm area, the 240-acre Osborne Tract provides the only handicapaccessible stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Gilbert said the low topography in the area makes the one-third to one-fourth mile tract accessible to visitors of all ages. “(Osborne Tract) gets almost daily use from people of all abilities,” he said. “Especially older folks. It’s graveled and even wide enough for a wheelchair.” Whether visitors tempt fate by going into the freezing water of the Blue Hole or go for a scenic hike amid the historic mountain ranges, the forest offers many experiences unique to Tennessee and southwest Virginia. §
Roan Mountain
At 6,285 feet, the mountain’s peak is one of the highest in the eastern U.S.
1870s John T. Wilder begins purchasing large tracts of land in the Roan Mountain Area.
Rhododendrons draw people from all over and every mountain hill and ridge and hollow is densely forested with so many kind of xplorer and botanist trees their mere names would John Muir was a bit fill this sheet and now they under the weather when he visited Roan Moun- are beginning to put on their purple and gold.” tain in 1898. Like every explorer before The trip in the Southern him and since, Muir was enAppalachian region was quite chanted by the Roan’s natural hard on him, as the miles of beauty. He also wrote about riding and jolting on trains the lack of trees on the Roan’s and wagons and eating food highest balds and the “glorimade him very sick. Yet before ous show” of rhododendron long, the high, clear air of the gardens. Roan healed him, as eviA scenic 6,285-foot peak, denced in his letter to his wife. Roan Mountain is one of the “We drove here from highest in the eastern United Cranberry [North Carolina] yesterday, a distance of about States, and located along the Tennessee-North Carolina 18 miles through the most border. Towering above quiet, beautiful deciduous forest I ever saw,” Muir wrote. “All the historical, rural communities, landscapes in every direction the Roan features the world’s are made up of mountains, a largest natural rhododendron billowing sea of them without gardens; the longest grassy bounds as far as one can look, balds in the eastern United BY ROBERT SORRELL
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States; thick, record-breaking fir tree forests; the highest shelter along the Appalachian Trail; and a natural biosphere second to none. Thousands of people, including Muir, have visited the Roan over the past two centuries, including European explorers, botanists, industrialists and tourists. “As explorers began moving west across the Appalachian Mountains in search of land in the 18th century, up until the present, the Roan has attracted people from all walks of life,” said Jennifer Bauer, a local resident and former Roan Mountain State Park ranger. Early botanists were intrigued by the new plant species they were finding along the highlands of the Roan and named many new species for
Early 1880s Wilder establishes Roan Mountain Station as a railroad stop.
1883 The East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad reaches Roan Mountain.
1885 The 166 room Cloudland Hotel is built on top of the mountain as a health resort.
1898 John Muir visits the Roan.
1910s Cloudland Hotel closes and by 1927 all that was left was a pile of rubble. ROBERT SORRELL/BHC
One of the best known features of Roan Mountain are the catawba rhododendron gardens. Their peak bloom time is normally during the third or fourth weekend in June. BRISTOL MAGAZINE | 53
1933 CCC constructs a fire tower and cabin at the summit of Roan High Knob.
1940s The fire tower proved ineffective and was removed.
1941 United States Forest Service purchases 7,000 acres on the Roan.
1949 First Rhododendron Festival held on top of the Roan
1972 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree comes from the Roan
Today Roan Mountain State Park features picnic shelters, a swimming pool, tennis courts, children’s play areas, and extensive hiking trails. During summer weekends events may be enjoyed in the park amphitheater. 54 | BRISTOL MAGAZINE
the botanist who first discovered it, Bauer said. Several European countries found themselves in a competition of sorts as they shipped examples of the flora of the Roan, and other sites, back across the Atlantic to their home lands for placement in botanical gardens. The highlands region of the Roan is a high-elevation island of diversity. The habitats above 5,000 feet to the High Knob at 6,285 feet support plant and animal species that are adapted to short cool summers and long cold winters. Often referred to as a Canadian Zone, a journey to the top of the Roan is much like a drive to Canada, evidenced by the variety of rare and endangered species that grow in the grass balds and beneath the trees in the Red Spruce and Frasier Fir forest. Bauer, who has extensively researched the history of the mountain, said depending on one’s interests, a trip to the top of the Roan has something for everyone. For the hiker, the Appalachian Trail corridor is a must, she said. Begin at Carver’s Gap and walk north across the balds or head south into the spruce/fir forest towards Roan High Knob. “Over the years, I have met many folks who have hiked the AT from Maine to Georgia, with most indicating that the hike across Roan Mountain’s grass balds is by far their favorite portion of the trail,” Bauer said. “From the top of each bald a complete 360 degree view is provided into Tennessee, North Carolina, and beyond.” Also at Carver’s Gap, visitors can make a right turn (for those driving from the town of Roan Mountain) and head up a three-mile U.S. Forest Service road to access the Rhododendron Gardens and the historic Cloudland Hotel site of the late 19th century.
Roan Mountain Where: Roan Mountain, Tennessee and Bakersville, North Carolina Visiting Roan Mountain: The mountain’s numerous attractions are accessible via State Route 143 from U.S. Highway 19E in the village of Roan Mountain, Tennessee. From Bakersville, North Carolina, the mountaintop is accessible via State Route 261. Key natural features: Roan Mountain features the world’s largest natural rhododendron gardens; the longest grassy balds in the eastern United States; and thick, record-breaking fir tree forests. The 6,285-foot High Knob is also one of the highest in the region. Historical significance: Cloudland Hotel: Civil War General John Wilder built the Cloudland Hotel atop Roan Mountain in the late 19th century. The hotel welcomed visitors seeking the clear mountaintop climate. It closed in the 1910s. The site is still marked within the national forest.
Pierce Julian, who operated a general store in town, delivered a speech in 1919 to the Traveler’s Protective Association in Bristol. In the speech, titled “Why I live in Roan Mountain,” Julian said, “Here lofty mountains lift their mighty peaks, ribbed with iron and granite, veined with coal and marble … covered with timbers rare in beauty and fine texture.” He continued: “Here it is the sun kissed the hilltops of sunny Tennessee, and here a thousand springs, clear as crystal and as cold as ice, burst from the earth and rivers are born. Deep down a thousand mossy glens, overshadowed with fir and hemlock, where the cataracts roar and splash, is found the fern and the galax, and the rhododendron and the leucothoe, while on a thousand hilltops the laurel and the azalea blush and blossom in wild profusion. I first saw the light of day in a rude log cabin beneath the shadows of the great Roan Mountain, more than six thousand feet above the level of the sea, upon whose summit I have stood when a barefoot boy and gazed out over an area of fifty thousand
square miles.” Local residents nicknamed Julian the “Sage of Roan Mountain,” as he was a noted communicator, advisor and leader. Many people came to his store for advice about various life events. No one knows the origin of the Roan’s name. Some say the reddish color, or “roan,” of the rhododendron might be the story behind the mountain’s name. Other locals, however, say it is named after Daniel Boone’s roan-colored horse. Boone and his horse were frequent visitors to the mountain. The truth behind the Roan’s name may never be known. The majestic Roan today is managed by two national forests, the Cherokee in Tennessee and the Pisgah in North Carolina. The federal government, which purchased the land in 1941, protects the mountain’s iconic landmarks, including the rhododendron gardens, which bloom in mid-to-late June, and the breathtaking view at the Roan High Knob. Farther down the mountain, at the foot, Tennessee purchased land in 1959 for a new state park, which is located along state Route 143. §
BELOW: The rhododendron gardens at the top of the Roan show off their brilliant colors around the end of June. ROBERT SORRELL/BHC
Roan Mountain
ROBERT SORRELL/BHC
Miles of trails stretch out across the Roan including the Appalachian Trail and the Cloudland Trail.
ROBERT SORRELL/BHC
Mountain peaks stretch as far as the eye can see from the Roan High Knob. 55 | BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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