Transportation through mountainous regions has always presented unique challenges. The Blue Ridge region, with its distinctive ridge and valley topography, profoundly shaped the routes, methods, and history of transportation in America. From the earliest trails to modern parkways, the story of this region is intrinsically linked to overcoming its challenging landscape.
Long before the advent of engineered roads, the natural contours of the land dictated the paths of travel. Mountain passes, or “gaps,” and low-lying swags were crucial for navigating the imposing ridges. These natural breaks in the mountain ranges offered the most practical routes for both animals and humans. Deer and buffalo first carved trails through these gaps, which were then adopted by Native Americans. As European settlers arrived seeking passage across the Blue Ridge, these pre-existing routes became the obvious choices for their burgeoning transportation needs.
The westward expansion of America after 1790 heavily relied on these natural pathways. As families sought new opportunities and cheaper land in the west, a network of roads began to emerge, following the lines of least resistance through the valleys and over the ridges. In the Blue Ridge region, key routes such as the Shenandoah Valley route, and paths across North Carolina, became vital arteries of westward movement. These early roads were rudimentary, often no more than widened trails, but they served as the essential “interstate system” of their time, facilitating the migration of thousands towards Kentucky, Tennessee, and the expanding frontier.
Recognizing the importance of infrastructure, the “internal improvements” movement gained traction in the 1830s and 1840s. In the mountainous western regions of Virginia and North Carolina, this led to the rise of turnpike companies. These companies focused on creating localized road networks, often connecting to the major thoroughfares, to improve Ridge And Valley Transportation. The Shenandoah Valley in Virginia witnessed a particularly active turnpike movement, with over a dozen turnpikes constructed between 1830 and 1840, reflecting the critical need for better transportation in this ridge and valley landscape.
However, travel through the southern mountains remained inherently difficult. The basic transportation system consisted of a matrix of trails and dirt roads linking isolated mountain communities to larger markets located beyond the ridges and valleys. This network, though basic, was crucial for facilitating a regional market system. As turnpike companies improved and expanded roads, a steady flow of traffic, both east and west, connected mountain communities to national markets. Asheville, North Carolina, despite being a small community in the 19th century, became a significant hub due to this ridge and valley transportation network, witnessing annual droves of hundreds of thousands of hogs from Tennessee and Kentucky en route to markets in South Carolina and Georgia.
The economic benefits of improved ridge and valley transportation were immediately apparent. Those living near turnpikes gained a distinct advantage. They could sell surplus livestock and produce to travelers and drovers, leading to thriving businesses like stockades, taverns, and country stores along these routes. An 1856 letter from Sherando, VA, illustrates this point vividly. Jane Lewis recounted her family’s move to a location along the Howardsville Turnpike, driven by her husband’s business acumen and the economic opportunities afforded by proximity to this vital transportation artery crossing the ridge and valley terrain near Humpback Mountain.
The Howardsville Turnpike exemplifies the 19th-century drive to improve east-west connections across the Blue Ridge. Authorized in 1847, this turnpike aimed to link Howardsville, VA, on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge, with regions to the west, facilitating the transportation of goods like clover seed, gypsum, lime, and iron ore across the challenging terrain. The Howardsville and Rockfish Turnpike Company emphasized that their route offered an easier grade than any other road crossing the Blue Ridge, a significant selling point for ridge and valley transportation. Upon completion, the turnpike became a bustling route, with daily caravans of wagons carrying iron, whiskey, flour, and corn from the Shenandoah Valley, traversing the ridges and valleys to reach Howardsville and onward to coastal markets via the James River. By 1850, the company employed a full-time crew to maintain the road, ensuring its usability for consistent ridge and valley transportation throughout the year.
The rise of railroads in the late 1850s marked a turning point, eventually leading to the decline of the turnpike movement, particularly those crossing the mountains. Railroads offered faster and more reliable transportation, less susceptible to weather disruptions. With legislative focus and investment shifting towards rail, the era of turnpikes as the primary solution for ridge and valley transportation began to wane.
Despite the railroad revolution, many of these 19th-century turnpikes that navigated the ridges and valleys still exist today, often under different names or simply as numbered roads. As you explore the back roads of rural mountain counties or consult state gazetteers, you might encounter remnants of these historic turnpikes and stock roads. While less sophisticated than modern highways and parkways, these early routes played an indispensable role in shaping the development of mountain communities and the rich heritage of the Blue Ridge region, demonstrating the enduring impact of ridge and valley transportation on American history.
