Most visitors zip past the James River/Otter Creek area of The Blue Ridge Parkway in their cars headed to the higher elevations of the Peaks of Otter or Humpback Rocks. This is one of the few areas of the park that you will find straighter and flatter stretches of road that prompt people to speed by attempting to make time traveling north or south. The road here follows Otter Creek, one of the longest water courses within the park boundary and through the lowest elevations (649 feet) along the entire Blue Ridge Parkway. If a visitor would take the time to stop and get out of their vehicle, they would be rewarded by the nature and history that abounds between mile posts 60 to 64.
There are the obvious facilities in this section; the Otter Creek Campground with its new entrance bridge and Kiosk, the concession operated Otter Creek Restaurant, and the James River Visitor Center. But there is so much more.
The inquisitive visitor will discover the Otter Creek Trail. This 3.5 mile trail meanders along the creek and Parkway motor road from the campground to the visitor center. The trail is easy to walk and crosses the creek numerous times on stepping stones and pedestrian bridges. Sharp rock bluffs, mountain laurel, redbud, and bird life are abundant. At State Route 130 the trail travels through an underpass of the road. If you are observant you will see what appears to be a ditch that follows the edge of the trail. This is the remains of what was once a large mill operation that was obliterated when the present bridge for 130 was built.
The trail forks and makes a loop around Otter Lake. At the north end of the loop you will find the skeletal chimney and foundation of what was once the Nathaniel Sledd Cabin. This site is believed to have been the home of the first European settler in Amherst County, Virginia in the early 1700s. He was drawn to this location to trade with Native Americans for beaver pelts. Otter Creek was a heavily used travel route from the mountains above to the James River and above the threat of flood. Otter Lake did not exist at that time being built when the Blue Ridge Parkway came through in the late 1950s. Beaver still live in Otter Creek today. Hikers can see their handiwork in dams and the stumps and bases of trees that they have felled for food and construction materials. Trees around the trail have wire mesh around their base to protect them from the industrious rodents.
Beyond the James River Visitor Center you will find a remnant of our Country’s transportation history. On the opposite bank of the James River is a fully restored canal lock from the Kanawha Canal System that served as the main commercial transportation from the Shenandoah Valley to Richmond, Virginia before the Civil War. Looking up river you will be looking into the James River Water Gap, a geological feature left from a millennium of the river cutting its way through the Blue Ridge Mountains. This makes the James one of only two rivers that flow from west of the Blue Ridge toward the Atlantic Ocean.
So the next time you are driving through this area stop and get out of your vehicle and see what wonders await you.
Anne Mitchell Whisnant, author of “Super-Scenic Motorway: A Blue Ridge Parkway History“, will be speaking at Appalachian State University on Thursday July 8th, 2010. She will be discussing her book as well as addressing the impact of the Parkway, both regionally and nationally. She will also be sharing many facts about the construction of this national treasure.
Anne’s appearance is part of the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway and is sponsored by ASU’s Belk Library and Information Commons. It is also part of the library’s Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Lecture Series. Parking for this event is available on campus in the parking deck on College Street. For more information please contact Lynn Patterson at 828-262-2087. Read more »
When stories are told of the building and development of the Blue Ridge Parkway the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) is often cited for their contributions. Another group who also had a part in the construction and development of recreation areas throughout the park was Conscientious Objectors (also known as CO’s) during World War II. The draft laws of World War II allowed for “those by reason of religious training and belief” opposed the war to be exempt from military service.
During the war 25,000 CO’s served in non-combat roles in all branches of the military. Some worked in understaffed mental institutions. Another 20,000 fought forest fires and worked on conservation projects in rural areas through the Civilian Projects Service. This later group was placed in camps which had been previously used by the Civilian Conservation Corps that was disbanded in 1942 as most of the 18 to 24 year old men in that program were taken into the military.
The CCC participants were unskilled labor recruited from areas with low employment due to The Depression. The Conscientious Objectors were made up of men who were from a variety of backgrounds including successful farmers, craftsmen, and intellectuals. CO’s came with a variety of skills that were put to work on many rural improvement and park projects.
One CO Camp was located at Sherando Lake in Virginia. This was a former CCC Camp on US Forest Service property. Out of this camp men worked on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the area of Humpback Rocks on trails and construction of stone walls such as those found at the Humpback Rocks Parking Area (MP 6) and Reeds Gap (MP 13). The military started to accumulate prisoners of war from mainly naval engagements. They needed facilities to accommodate these growing populations and consequently the Sherando Camp was transferred to the military and the CO’s moved to Camp #121 in Bedford, Virginia. There the men began work in the Peaks of Otter area of the Parkway. Once again they constructed trails placing stone steps and what were called fire lanes to help contain forest fires. Stone work was also done on walls and around buildings. Today if you visit the Peaks of Otter Nature Center you will walk on a stone patio that goes across the front of the building, through the breezeway, and to the rear of the building where you will find picnic tables. At the front of the building there is a flat stone with the letters “CO” carved. This is one of the few signs left by this group of men who served their country in an alternative way during World War II.
Thanks to Dave Benavitch, USFS Ret. who first told me the story of the CO’ of WWII
Photos taken from Wikipedia
As I passed different entrances to Doughton Park, I realized how much there was to do. First were the restaurant, coffee house, and snack shop. Just down the road-a picnicking site, Bluffs Lodge, and campground.
Brinegar Cabin was about a mile past the Doughton Park entrance. I parked my car and walked towards the quaint cabin. The cabin was home to Martin and Caroline Brinegar in 1876 when they purchased the 125-acre property.
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After 34 years with the National Park Service, Phil Francis was appointed Superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway in November 2005. In his many years of service Phil has worked in the Shenandoah, Yosemite, and Great Smoky Mountains national parks.
Throughout his tenure with the NPS Phil has received numerous awards and recognitions including winning the Department of Interior’s Meritorious Award, being listed in the Congressional Record in 2006, and having a new species to science named after him by the Discover Life in America organization in appreciation for his support of their projects. Read more »
