Centennial Spotlight: ‘To get to Avery County, you had to go through Tennessee’
Michael Hardy / (news@averyjournal.com)
D. D. Dougherty, the founder of what is known today as Appalachian State University, is recorded as saying upon the arrival of the train in Boone: “The only way to get to Boone was to be born there.” In a recent conversation, someone from “off the mountain,” but familiar with the area, added that in the early days of Avery County history, to get to Avery County, a person had to go through Tennessee.
Prior to the arrival of the railroad, the only way to access the area was via a footpath or a wagon path. The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina railroad arrived in Elk Park in June 1882, and in Cranberry a month later. Cranberry was a company-owned town, and Elk Park soon emerged as a local commercial leader. New local roads soon spread out to different communities, taking farm goods out to market and bringing in manufactured goods.
Even with limited access, Western North Carolina was becoming a haven for tourists. Many rode the train to Lenoir in Caldwell County and traveled the well-groomed turnpike to Blowing Rock. The train could take visitors to Cloudland on Roan Mountain or the hotels in Cranberry or Elk Park. The investors in Linville were anxious to cash in on the burgeoning tourism trade.
In 1890, work began on a road to connect Blowing Rock with Linville. The road was called Yonahlossee, meaning, "passing bear" or "bear trail." There was a crew of 100 who dug, blasted and leveled the new road. It took until the spring of 1891 to finish the road. In 1895, Raleigh News and Observer advertised a special ticket on the Seaboard Air Line Railroad that would take passengers to "Blowing Rock and to Linville, over the famous Yonahlossee road ..." Kevin Adams, in “Backroads of North Carolina,” considers the old Yonahlossee Road “among the first roads in the East built solely for tourism.”
The advent of the automobile brought new prospects, and the area needed roads to exploit those opportunities. In 1906, North Carolina state geologist Joseph H. Pratt advanced the idea of a scenic toll road. The Crest of the Blue Ridge Highway was planned to follow the mountains from Marion, Va., to Tallulah, Ga. The route was surveyed in 1911 and construction began soon thereafter. The Charlotte Observer reported in May 1913 that "Seven and a half miles ... have now been graded between Altapass and Linville Valley." The completion of just four more miles would connect Altapass with Blowing Rock, using the Yonahlossee Road. While the Yonahlossee Road was a toll road (meaning people paid money to use it), the Avery County section of the Crest of the Blue Ridge Highway was a public road, as it was paid for by the state.
"The construction of this highway," continued Charlotte Observer, “will probably do more towards increasing the tourist trade into the Southern Appalachian mountain region than any other thing that has been attempted ... " The road was to be 24-feet wide and covered with sand or gravel. Portions of this old road can still be found running alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway in Mitchell County, before one reaches Gillespie Gap.
Yet another scenic highway was the Black Bear Trail. Hugh McRae of the Linville Improvement Company, the same group that had constructed the Yonahlossee Road, proposed a motor road that ran from Quebec, Canada, through New York and Pennsylvania and into Virginia. In North Carolina, the road passed through Sparta, Jefferson, Boone and Blowing Rock. From Blowing Rock, the trail moved down along the Yonahlossee Road, passing Grandfather Mountain and then into Altamont and Linville. Eventually, the Black Bear Trail entered Florida, ending in Miami. McRae worked tirelessly promoting the road. Tampa Tribune reported his meeting with boosters in Deland, Fla., in April 1926.
At the same time, another motor route for the High Country was in the works. Davie County native J. Hampton Rich, a Wake Forest graduate, founded the Boone Trail Highway and Memorial Association in 1913. The purpose of the association was to construct an "arterial highway to reclaim the counties of the northwestern part of the state ..." Rich went to Washington, D. C., and there met with an artist to design a plaque of Daniel Boone to be attached to each monument. When the national leaders heard of the plans, Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered that 400 pounds of metal from the sunken battleship USS Maine he sent for the project. The metal from the famous warship was smelted and added to other metals when the plaques were cast. Each of the plaques had a picture of Boone, with words on the bottom "Metal From Battleship Maine in Tablet."
The first marker went up in Wilkesboro in 1917. Soon thereafter, they were appearing all over the region. All of the money for each monument was obtained from local donations. Rich was in Avery County in 1927, talking with local leaders. The first monument in our area was erected in Linville, and sat near the famous Grandfather Mountain sign at the intersection of highways 221 and 105. This monument was apparently dedicated in September 1927. This monument was arrow shaped, and stood in place until the mid-1980s. The plaque still exists, albeit in a private collection. Much of the base has fallen to the elements, but it can be found if one knows where to look.
There were two other monuments in Avery County. One of these sat on the lawn in front of Grace Hospital in Banner Elk. Details are unknown about when this monument was erected, and about what became of it.
A third marker was installed in front of the Avery County Courthouse. Martha Guy remembers her father donating Native American points (arrow heads) for the marker - a common practice. Just when this marker was erected, and when it passed to nothing but a memory, are also unknown.
None of the markers in Avery County are still standing. If one journeys to neighboring Watauga County, one might found a couple of the seven erected there still standing.
It was a struggle to get new roads into Avery County in the early days. Roads were vital, bringing trade and tourism, while at the same time, providing outlets for mountain-grown and produced products. Thanks to early pioneers, like Hugh McRae, who designed the "famous Yonahlossee Road," those avenues to a larger world were open, and it became possible to get to Avery County from someplace beside Tennessee.
Author's note: Research into the Daniel Boone Trail is an ongoing process. If you have more information on Daniel Boone Trail markers in Linville, Banner Elk and Newland, contact Michael Hardy at (mchardy@michaelchardy.com)
Prior to the arrival of the railroad, the only way to access the area was via a footpath or a wagon path. The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina railroad arrived in Elk Park in June 1882, and in Cranberry a month later. Cranberry was a company-owned town, and Elk Park soon emerged as a local commercial leader. New local roads soon spread out to different communities, taking farm goods out to market and bringing in manufactured goods.
Even with limited access, Western North Carolina was becoming a haven for tourists. Many rode the train to Lenoir in Caldwell County and traveled the well-groomed turnpike to Blowing Rock. The train could take visitors to Cloudland on Roan Mountain or the hotels in Cranberry or Elk Park. The investors in Linville were anxious to cash in on the burgeoning tourism trade.
In 1890, work began on a road to connect Blowing Rock with Linville. The road was called Yonahlossee, meaning, "passing bear" or "bear trail." There was a crew of 100 who dug, blasted and leveled the new road. It took until the spring of 1891 to finish the road. In 1895, Raleigh News and Observer advertised a special ticket on the Seaboard Air Line Railroad that would take passengers to "Blowing Rock and to Linville, over the famous Yonahlossee road ..." Kevin Adams, in “Backroads of North Carolina,” considers the old Yonahlossee Road “among the first roads in the East built solely for tourism.”
The advent of the automobile brought new prospects, and the area needed roads to exploit those opportunities. In 1906, North Carolina state geologist Joseph H. Pratt advanced the idea of a scenic toll road. The Crest of the Blue Ridge Highway was planned to follow the mountains from Marion, Va., to Tallulah, Ga. The route was surveyed in 1911 and construction began soon thereafter. The Charlotte Observer reported in May 1913 that "Seven and a half miles ... have now been graded between Altapass and Linville Valley." The completion of just four more miles would connect Altapass with Blowing Rock, using the Yonahlossee Road. While the Yonahlossee Road was a toll road (meaning people paid money to use it), the Avery County section of the Crest of the Blue Ridge Highway was a public road, as it was paid for by the state.
"The construction of this highway," continued Charlotte Observer, “will probably do more towards increasing the tourist trade into the Southern Appalachian mountain region than any other thing that has been attempted ... " The road was to be 24-feet wide and covered with sand or gravel. Portions of this old road can still be found running alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway in Mitchell County, before one reaches Gillespie Gap.
Yet another scenic highway was the Black Bear Trail. Hugh McRae of the Linville Improvement Company, the same group that had constructed the Yonahlossee Road, proposed a motor road that ran from Quebec, Canada, through New York and Pennsylvania and into Virginia. In North Carolina, the road passed through Sparta, Jefferson, Boone and Blowing Rock. From Blowing Rock, the trail moved down along the Yonahlossee Road, passing Grandfather Mountain and then into Altamont and Linville. Eventually, the Black Bear Trail entered Florida, ending in Miami. McRae worked tirelessly promoting the road. Tampa Tribune reported his meeting with boosters in Deland, Fla., in April 1926.
At the same time, another motor route for the High Country was in the works. Davie County native J. Hampton Rich, a Wake Forest graduate, founded the Boone Trail Highway and Memorial Association in 1913. The purpose of the association was to construct an "arterial highway to reclaim the counties of the northwestern part of the state ..." Rich went to Washington, D. C., and there met with an artist to design a plaque of Daniel Boone to be attached to each monument. When the national leaders heard of the plans, Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered that 400 pounds of metal from the sunken battleship USS Maine he sent for the project. The metal from the famous warship was smelted and added to other metals when the plaques were cast. Each of the plaques had a picture of Boone, with words on the bottom "Metal From Battleship Maine in Tablet."
The first marker went up in Wilkesboro in 1917. Soon thereafter, they were appearing all over the region. All of the money for each monument was obtained from local donations. Rich was in Avery County in 1927, talking with local leaders. The first monument in our area was erected in Linville, and sat near the famous Grandfather Mountain sign at the intersection of highways 221 and 105. This monument was apparently dedicated in September 1927. This monument was arrow shaped, and stood in place until the mid-1980s. The plaque still exists, albeit in a private collection. Much of the base has fallen to the elements, but it can be found if one knows where to look.
There were two other monuments in Avery County. One of these sat on the lawn in front of Grace Hospital in Banner Elk. Details are unknown about when this monument was erected, and about what became of it.
A third marker was installed in front of the Avery County Courthouse. Martha Guy remembers her father donating Native American points (arrow heads) for the marker - a common practice. Just when this marker was erected, and when it passed to nothing but a memory, are also unknown.
None of the markers in Avery County are still standing. If one journeys to neighboring Watauga County, one might found a couple of the seven erected there still standing.
It was a struggle to get new roads into Avery County in the early days. Roads were vital, bringing trade and tourism, while at the same time, providing outlets for mountain-grown and produced products. Thanks to early pioneers, like Hugh McRae, who designed the "famous Yonahlossee Road," those avenues to a larger world were open, and it became possible to get to Avery County from someplace beside Tennessee.
Author's note: Research into the Daniel Boone Trail is an ongoing process. If you have more information on Daniel Boone Trail markers in Linville, Banner Elk and Newland, contact Michael Hardy at (mchardy@michaelchardy.com)
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