Moccasin Gap
| Moccasin Gap | |
|---|---|
| Location |  Virginia United States |
| Range | Clinch Mountain |
| Coordinates | 36°37′59″N 82°33′08″W / 36.6331557°N 82.5520975°W |
| Topo map | USGS Gate City |
  The pass is located in the southeastern United States | |
Moccasin Gap, also known as Big Moccasin Gap, is a pass in Clinch Mountain, a long ridge within the Appalachian Mountains, at Gate City, Virginia. This gap has a long history as a passageway through the mountain. It was used by the Cherokee and Shawnee, and was the first gap through which the Daniel Boone Wilderness Road passed on its way to the better-known Cumberland Gap and Kentucky. Today it serves as a primary commercial route for industry, retail, and tourism businesses.[2]
Geography
Moccasin Gap is the more dramatic of only two true, natural gaps in the Clinch Mountain ridge. It is located in the present day state of Virginia, in Scott County. It lies between two cities; Weber City is built into the south side of the gap and Gate City is to the northwest.[2]
The area surrounding Moccasin Gap is
The climate in Scott County is classified as continental or warm-to-temperate consisting of four seasons. Average temperatures reach 77 °F (25 °C) in the summer months and drop to 36.5 °F (2.5 °C) in the wintertime. The greatest mean of rainfall is also during these times while the least precipitation occurs in the fall.[2]
History
The gap served as a vital route through the mountains for the Cherokee and Shawnee to claimed hunting grounds south of the Clinch River. Later it would also be utilized as an attacking point against settlers in the valleys, a strategy also adopted by military soldiers during both the Revolutionary and Civil wars.[3]
In 1775, Daniel Boone and thirty ax-men built the Indian path into a road, part of the Wilderness Road between the
The establishment of the Wilderness Road through the gap also brought pioneer settlers and tradesmen looking for passage to Kentucky and west. Scott County and the surrounding area praise the gap for its development as it became a significant route in commercial trade to the Ohio River Valley.[4]
Moccasin gap is a level gap which made construction of the railway seamless.[3] In 1886 the Southern Railway began traversing the gap to connect the Appalachia and Holston Valley divisions.[4]
In 2006 the
See also
References
- ^ "Moccasin Gap". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Scott County Planning Commission (May 2011), Scott County, Virginia Comprehensive Plan: 2011 (PDF), retrieved July 31, 2014
- ^ a b c "Scott County". Wilderness Road: Virginia's Heritage Migration Route. Virginia.org. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-0932807670.
- ^ Waters, Brenda (June 6, 2006), "Moccasin Gap Project: Background Information", Virginia Department of Transportation, retrieved July 31, 2014
- ^ Earl, Michelle (July 3, 2008), "VDOT Bristol's Highway Safety Challenge Traffic Alert: July 7-13, 2008" (PDF), Virginia Department of Transportation, retrieved July 31, 2014