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The Digital Heritage Project is a part of The Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University
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Land Archive
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Little Switzerland
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsThe Grassy Mountain area of Mitchell and McDowell counties was long a traditional settlement of Scotch-Irish families. In the summer of 1909, Charlotte lawyer Heriot Clarkson discovered the Alpine-like setting and laid plans for a resort colony. -
Mount Mitchell
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsOf the ten highest mountains in the eastern United States, six are in the Black Mountain Range of western North Carolina. The most famous of these is Mount Mitchell, which at 6684 feet is the tallest peak east of the Mississippi River. -
Mountain Balds
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsThe Southern Appalachian Mountains are not high enough to have a natural tree line or Alpine zone, yet the region has hundreds of treeless areas called balds. Their origins- whether or man-made or the product of climatic changes- still remain a mystery. -
Old Growth Forests
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsOld-Growth forests conjures up visions of the great forests that once covered most of eastern north America, and of towering trees undisturbed by logging and human settlement. They provide a vital link to our environmental past and are the preferred and sometime only habitat of a number of species. -
Outdoor Recreation
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsIn the fall of 2006, students in PRM 433, Outdoor Recreation, researched recreational opportunities in western North Carolina. They were asked to explore an aspect of outdoor recreation in western North Carolina. They divided into four groups and off they went, exploring the regions fine recreational opportunities. -
Pisgah National Forest
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsPisgah National Forest, founded in 1916, covers much of North Carolina’s northwestern mountains. Pisgah was the first national forest created from purchased land rather than from the public domain. Many of its half-million acres were purchased from the widow of the Biltmore Estate’s creator, George W. Vanderbilt. -
Place Names
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsPeople like to name natural features. In Appalachia, place names often stand out because of the wide variety of ethnic groups that have settled the region. Many places, like Cullowhee and Nantahala, retain their Cherokee names. -
Wetlands
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsSouthern Appalachian wetlands are gaining attention for the wealth of rare and unique life forms they support. In North Carolina alone, mountain bogs and fens provide habitats for nearly 90 species of plants and animals that are considered rare, threatened or endangered.