Blue Ridge. Courtesy N.C. Department of Commerce.
Our state contains many natural gifts. From its pearl necklace of barrier islands known as the Outer Banks to the hazy peaks of the Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina is full of beauty. It is no wonder that in 1935 ground was broken for the Blue Ridge Parkway. This 469-mile road follows the mountains from Virginia through a large portion of North Carolina.
The parkway is a ribbon of road slicing through rock and forest. Its history is full of engineering feats, inspired vision, and some nasty political fights.
So, what is the Blue Ridge Parkway and how did it come to be? A parkway is a road that crosses an area of natural beauty and is wider than a regular street. It does not allow billboards or have many intersections so travelers can drive leisurely and appreciate the scenery. The speed limit is moderate.
How the parkway came to be is much more complicated. It began in 1933 when a group of southern politicians had the idea that a road crossing the Appalachians would bring many fine gifts to many good people. The first gift would be to bring new transportation access to people living in the mountains, allowing them to improve their economic conditions. The second gift would be to share the loveliness of the Appalachians with all Americans. The third gift would be to employ many people on the construction project. The 1930s was the time of the Great Depression and hundreds of thousands of people were without work.
This idea was not easy to do, however, because people from Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee couldn't agree on the path of the parkway, its cost, and how to build it. Many government officials, businessmen, and even President Franklin D. Roosevelt had different ideas on the best way to provide for the residents of the mountains and Americans needing jobs.
The argument lasted for fifteen years. North Carolina and Tennessee both felt the parkway should cut through their "neck of the mountains." The solution of that disagreement gave most of the Blue Ridge Parkway to North Carolina, much to the distress of Tennessee.
Today, when we drive the parkway in its autumn glory or stop at a pullout to look at a beautiful, ta l l waterfa l l , we don’t have to think of such political matters. We only have to open our eyes, take in the grandeur of the highlands, and thank those politicians back in the 1930s for their vision of cutting a parkway through solid rock!
What makes a waterfall?Waterfalls are one of the most beautiful sights of the mountain region of North Carolina. Most people love to watch the water rushing over the edge of a cliff. But did you ever wonder how these waterfalls formed?
A waterfall is a steep drop of water from a river or stream, which results from shelves that form as water erodes less resistant rock under more resistant rock. Water is always wearing away the rocks beneath it, however some types of rocks are tougher and stronger and do not erode as quickly. The different levels of the shelf break away little by little, causing the waterfall to begin further upstream. This is how waterfalls have slowly grown to the towering heights that we see now.
The rock behind the waterfall will sometimes erode out as well, called undercutting, which forms a cave-like structure called a rock shelter. At the base of a waterfall there typically is a deep pool, which forms from the speed and force of the water rushing over the edge and hitting the bottom.
To the untrained eye most waterfalls look the same. Yet there are in fact eight different types of falls, some with entertaining names such as “horsetail,” “punchbowl” and “cataract.” One of the most common types is a “cascade,” which means that the water moves downward along a set of rock steps. Whitewater Falls is an example of a “segmented-cascading” falls. It is the highest waterfall in North Carolina, as well as on the entire East Coast, measuring in at 411 feet tall!
The NC Museum of Natural Sciences is home to a more modest indoor waterfall. On the second floor, in the Mountains to the Sea exhibit, you can take an up-close look at a 20-foot waterfall modeled on Linville Falls.
With more than 500 waterfalls throughout the state, many of which are protected innational and state parks, there areplenty of beautiful sights to see. Inaddition, due to their relative seclusionin the mountains, the land isfull of plant and animal life.Wildflowers, fungi, trees and mossflourish, while amphibians (especiallysalamanders) abound in themoist land surrounding waterfalls.
Many waterfalls have trails near by for visitors to hike along and explore. So get outside with your family and experience the wonderful water falls of the North Carolina Mountains mountains!
Activities - As you read about the building of the Blue Ridge Parkway, you learned that in building the Blue Ridge Parkway, the government was able to create many new jobs. Look in the news for information about how the government may be doing something similar in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
- You also read that Tennessee and North Carolina disagreed about where the parkway should be built. Why did both want more of the parkway to come through their state? How would they have benefitted at the time? How would they have benefitted long-term? Look in the news for other stories about states or cities arguing over project, shared resources, highway routes, and more? Why are they arguing? What do you think the best solution is and why?
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