At Cumberland Gap, the first great gateway to the west, follow the buffalo, the Native American, the longhunter, the pioneer... all traveled this route through the mountains into the wilderness of Kentucky. Long used by Native American nations, the Cumberland Gap was brought to the attention of settlers in 1750 by Thomas Walker, a Virginia physician and explorer. Numerous buildings, structures, and programs provide opportunities to experience the past. Up until 1810, the Cumberland Gap was known as “the way West.” Between the 18th and 19th centuries, it served as a travel corridor for over 200,000 migrants. Nestled at the corner of Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky is a small gap in the wall that is the Cumberland Mountains. Visitors can enjoy a view of the town and tri-state area from 1,200 feet at a nearby mountain peak called Pinnacle Overlook. Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Boone first ventured through the Cumberland Gap on a hunting expedition in 1767. The park is a natural beauty and well worth visiting for the wildlife watching and the wonders of the geology. The mountain pass was formed by geological processes over eons of time. In 1750, physician and explorer Thomas Walker encountered this Appalachian wonder. On his arrival, Boone discovered that Martin had already arrived in Powell Valley, where Martin and his men were clearing land for their own settlement – the westernmost settlement in English colonial America at the time. Roughly 100 million years later, North America collided with Africa, causing the young pliable rock to fold and uplift. We’ll show you around. [3], Because it is centrally located in the United States, the region around Cumberland Gap experiences all four seasons. The passage through the gap was originally created by herds of woodland buffalo that traveled across it over thousands of years, drawn by the abundance of salt in the region. In 1980, engineers began a seventeen-year feat at the Cumberland Gap. They can trace the experiences of early explorers through hiking trails, scenic vistas, guided tours, and cave expeditions. Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Cumberland Gap is a crack in Cumberland Mountain. There are unique craft and antique shops, restoring the spirit of colonial America. [5], Without the Rocky Face Fault, it would have been difficult for pack-horses to navigate this gap and the gap in Pine Mountain near Pineville, and it would be improbable that wagon roads would have been constructed at an early date. [2] It lies within Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and is located on the border of present-day Kentucky and Virginia, approximately 0.25 miles (0.40 km) northeast of the tri-state marker with Tennessee. The summers are typically sunny, warm, and humid with average high temperatures in the mid to upper 80s F (29-32C). [2] One of three astroblemes in the state, it is a 3.7-mile (6.0 km) diameter meteorite impact crater[5] with the city of Middlesboro, Kentucky, built entirely inside it. Its population was 494 at the 2010 census, and estimated to be 490 in 2019. Cumberland Gap, TN, TN 37724. The path was used by a team of frontiersmen led by Daniel Boone, making it accessible to pioneers who used it to journey into the western frontiers of Kentucky and Tennessee. Oral Histories. It is located near the point where Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee meet between Middlesboro, Kentucky, and the town of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. https://www.thoughtco.com/cumberland-gap-geography-1435717 (accessed April 25, 2021). It is famous in American colonial history for its role as a key passageway through the lower central Appalachians. [9] The explorer Thomas Walker gave the name to the Cumberland River in 1750, and the name soon spread to many other features in the region, such as the Cumberland Gap. [6] Detailed mapping by geologists in the 1960s led many to interpret the geological features of the area to be the site of an ancient impact. Cumberland Gap History / Info Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Appalachian highlands near the border of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. This shaped the passage and allowed water to flow through, helping carve the Cumberland Gap into what it is today. 2. A recent theory belonging to historical geographer Barry Vann suggests a more complex narrative: running water did indeed have a role in forming the gap, but science indicates its creation was aided by an impact from outer space. The Cumberland Gap National Historic Park runs along the borders of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. (2020, September 24). Lying south of the Middlesboro Basin in Kentucky, geologists have found evidence of an ancient meteor crater adjacent to the Cumberland Gap. [7], The passage created by Cumberland Gap was well traveled by Native Americans long before the arrival of European-American settlers. Regional flora and fauna include nearly 60 rare plant species, an abundance of kudzu, wild turkey, and black bear, among an assortment of others. cgtghg.org. The original trail was then restored. In the park, you can hike more than 85 miles of trails, and explore groves of hemlock, fields of wildflowers, and meadows of rhododendron and fiddle ferns. Cumberland Gap. Further constriction to the northwest of Cumberland Mountain developed into a fault trending north-to-south called the Rocky Face Fault, which eventually cut through Cumberland Mountain. The name Cumberland Gapis known to have been in use in this sense at least as early as 1997, two years before it became the only gap on the route. From an issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Almanac. It was explored and named by Dr. Thomas Walker and Daniel Boone blazed the Wilderness Road through the Gap into Kentucky. In the winter months, January through March, temperatures range in the 30s to 40s F (0s C) and are generally mild with rain and few periods of snow.[4]. Cumberland Gap & Heights, Tennessee, Cumberland Gap & Heights, Tennessee, early to mid 1860s. [16] Over 120 species of birds have been logged in the park on the website eBird. Modern day explorers and travelers stand in awe at this great gateway and the many miles of trails and scenic features found in the park. Today, the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park acts as a preserve for this historic gateway. [13], The gap and associated historic resources were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district on May 28, 1980. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 300,000 European-American settlers passed through the gap on their way into Kentucky and the Ohio Valley before 1810. According to one visitor, “Cumberland Gap is kinda like walking into a Norman Rockwell Painting.” From the national park and historic town, to the geologic and technological splendor that is Cumberland Gap, this region is certainly worth a second glance. Cumberland Gap is a town in Claiborne County, Tennessee, United States. Although the Gap exists at the intersection of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia, the tunnel itself just misses the state of Virginia by 1,000 feet. In June 1862, Union Army General George W. Morgan captured the gap for the Union. Several American Civil War engagements occurred in and around the Cumberland Gap and are known as the Battle of the Cumberland Gap. Get Directions. In September of that year, Confederate States Army forces under Edmund Kirby Smith occupied the gap during General Braxton Bragg's Kentucky Invasion. CUMBERLAND GAP. It was an important part of the Wilderness Road and is now part of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. [17], Narrow pass through the Cumberland Mountains, This article is about a mountain pass in the United States. Between 1760 and 1850, almost 300,000 people walked, rode, or were carried through the Cumberland Gap. To the south, the ridge rises 600 feet (180 m) above the pass, while to the north the Pinnacle Overlook towers 900 feet (270 m) above (elevation 2,505 feet (764 m)). Resistance on the fault from the opposing Cumberland Mountain to Pine Mountain caused the U-shaped structure of the Middlesboro Syncline. Aided by continental shifts, a meteorite impact, and flowing water, the Cumberland Gap region has become a visual marvel and a timeless asset to human and animal migration. The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park celebrated the bicentennial in 2016. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of … To do all this and more we need your help. The Cumberland Gap National Historic Park is a pristine environment that is maintained and regulated by the Federal government. After exploring a nearby cavern, he referred to it as “Cave Gap.” He came upon a river just north of the gap and named it “Cumberland” after the Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II. He fought in the French and Indian War, and later served two terms in the Virginia General Assembly. Cumberland Gap, natural pass (elevation 1,640 feet [500 metres]) that was cut through the Cumberland Plateau in the eastern United States by former stream activity. The bottom of the gap, at 1600 feet in elevation, is 400 feet lower than the ridge top to the south, including the summit of Tri-State Peak The town is located below the Cumberland Gap, a historic mountain pass for which is the town's namesake, and inside of the boundaries of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Historic Town of Cumberland Gap: Address, Phone Number, Historic Town of Cumberland Gap Reviews: 4.5/5 "Cumberland Gap." The Cumberland Gap is a V-shaped passage through the Appalachian Mountains at the intersection of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. Middlesboro is the only place in the world where coal is mined inside an astrobleme. Previously known as “Massacre Mountain,” the U.S. 25E followed the historic wagon trail and the dangerous curves of the primitive passage. The Cumberland Gap passage was named after Walker’s Cumberland River. The Cumberland Gap National Historic Park extends for 20 miles and ranges between one and four miles in width. Less than 300 million years ago a meteorite, "approximately the size of a football field", struck the earth, creating the Middlesboro Crater. The passage through the gap was originally created by herds of woodland buffalo that traveled across it over thousands of years, drawn by the abundance of salt in the region. The town is quaint, and has merely three humble lodging establishments. +678 522 4838. The following year, in a bloodless engagement in September 1863, Union Army troops under General Ambrose Burnside forced the surrender of 2,300 Confederates defending the gap, gaining Union control of the gap for the remainder of the war. It was, therefore, the path generations of Native Americans and early pioneers took. Due to the fall and rise of shallow seas, the carbonate mineral, sand, gravel, mud and … But Martin and his men were chased out of the area by Native Americans, and Martin did not return until 1775.[10]. Mahaney, Erin. Facts about Cumberland Gap 4: the region around Cumberland Gap National Historical Park You can spot sedimentary rock located around Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. The trail became an asset to Indigenous groups as well, assisting them during times of war and westward migration. First known as the “Gateway to the West”, then as the strong hold during the Civil War, Cumberland Gap is now known for everything from its specialty shops to the National Historical Park. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/cumberland-gap-geography-1435717. This path between the Cumberland Gap and central Kentucky became known, through the Transylvania Company's publicity, as the Wilderness Road. Born in Pennsylvania in 1734, Daniel Boone moved with his family to the North Carolina frontier as a youth. During the last ice age, herds of animals in search of food and warmth used this passage to migrate south. The original Cumberland Gap is Daniel Boone was an American frontiersman who became legendary for his role in leading settlers from the eastern states through a gap in the Appalachian Mountain range to Kentucky. The History of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. A hub for travelers for centuries, Cumberland now greets thousands of trail tourists every year. The Cumberland Gap is a mountain pass in Claiborne County, northeastern Tennessee near the intersection with Kentucky and North Carolina.A natural low spot in the Cumberland Plateau range of the Appalachian Mountains, the gap rises only to 1,650 feet (500 meters).The gap was first discovered by European Americans in 1750 when land speculator and explorer Thomas Walker … Cumberland Gap Tennessee Genealogy and History Group, Inc., A.K.A. The pass is located in the southeastern United States. The east entrance is in Tennessee, and the west entrance is in Kentucky. There are 15 various vegetation communities throughout the park, with some of them in special locations, such as mountain bogs, low-elevation wetlands, and rocky bluffs. Nonprofit Organization. [8], The gap was named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II of Great Britain, who had many places named for him in the American colonies after the Battle of Culloden. The park features many hiking trails. 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