Allegheny Mountains

The Allegheny Mountain Range—also spelled Alleghany or Allegany, and sometimes called the Alleghenies—is a part of the big Appalachian Mountain Range in the Eastern United States and Canada. These mountains run for about 300 miles (480 km) from north-central Pennsylvania down through western Maryland and eastern West Virginia. They have been an important natural feature for many years.

The Alleghenies make up the rugged western-central part of the Appalachians. The highest point in this area reaches up to 4,862 feet (1,482 m) in northeastern West Virginia. On the eastern side, there is a steep slope called the Allegheny Front, while on the western side, the land gently slopes down into the Allegheny Plateau, which stretches into Ohio and Kentucky.

Some of the main towns in the Alleghenies include Altoona, State College, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania, as well as Cumberland, Maryland. According to the United States Geological Survey, the Allegheny Mountains are part of the Appalachian Plateau province within the larger Appalachian Highlands area.

Etymology

The name Allegheny Mountains comes from the Allegheny River, which flows through a part of these mountains in Pennsylvania. The word comes from the Lenape people, also known as the Delaware Native Americans. Its meaning is not completely known, but it is often translated as "fine river".

Long ago, people used the word "Allegheny" to talk about all of what we now call the Appalachian Mountains. Famous writers and scientists used different spellings and names, but today we usually call them the Appalachian Mountains. It wasn't until the late 1800s that people agreed on the name "Appalachians" for this big mountain range.

Geography

See also: List of mountains of the Alleghenies

The Allegheny Mountains stretch about 300 miles (480 km) from northeast to southwest. At their widest, they span about 100 miles (160 km). Together with nearby areas, they extend for 400 miles (640 km).

The Allegheny Mountains are part of the larger Appalachian Plateau. They are bordered to the south by the Allegheny Front and to the east by the Susquehanna River valley. To the west, they gently slope down into the Allegheny Plateau. Key ridges include the Laurel Highlands and Chestnut Ridge in Pennsylvania, and Laurel Mountain and Rich Mountain in West Virginia.

The highest point in the Allegheny Mountains is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m) in West Virginia. Other tall peaks include Thorny Flat on Cheat Mountain, Bald Knob on Back Allegheny Mountain, and Mount Porte Crayon, also in West Virginia. Dans Mountain in Maryland and Mount Davis in Pennsylvania are also notable heights.

The region has few large cities, with Altoona, State College, Johnstown, and Cumberland being the largest. Highway systems, such as Interstates 80, Interstate 64, and others, help connect the area, although some parts remain hard to reach due to rough terrain.

Protected areas in the Alleghenies include parts of the Monongahela, George Washington, and Jefferson National Forests, along with wild areas like the Dolly Sods Wilderness. The Allegheny Trail runs through West Virginia, from the Mason–Dixon line to the West Virginia-Virginia border on Peters Mountain.

Geology

The Alleghenies are made mostly of tough rocks like sandstone and quartzite, which don’t break down easily. Some places have special rocks called conglomerate that turn into white gravel when they weather. These rock layers formed long ago during a big change called the Appalachian orogeny.

In the higher parts of the Alleghenies, the ground often has lots of broken sandstone with spaces in between because of cold and warm weather changes. One place, the Allegheny Front, has tall cliffs where you can see the rocks clearly. Long ago, natural mineral springs in these mountains drew Native Americans and settlers, and some famous resorts like The Greenbrier and The Homestead grew up around them.

Ecology

The Allegheny Mountains are home to many types of forests. You can find trees like red spruce, balsam fir, and mountain ash, which are usually seen much farther north. Other trees include yellow birch, sugar and red maple, eastern hemlock, and black cherry. These forests have grown back after older trees were removed a long time ago.

The animals living in these mountains include whitetail deer, chipmunks, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, opossums, weasels, field mice, flying squirrels, cottontail rabbits, gray and red foxes, gray and red squirrels, bobcats, snowshoe hares, wild boars, black bears, coyotes, mink, and beavers. The area also has many birds, such as hermit thrushes, wood thrushes, ospreys, eagles, hawks, and owls. Rivers and streams are home to many fish, amphibians like hellbenders and lungless salamanders, and many invertebrates including cave crayfish.

History

Pre-contact Native Americans

The first people to live in the Allegheny Mountains were part of ancient cultures, including the Adena and Eastern Woodland peoples. Later, the Hopewellian culture also influenced the area. These groups, known as the Montaine culture, lived in the region from around AD 500 to 1000. Their neighbors, the Buck Garden culture, lived in the western valleys. The Montaine people spread from the upper Potomac River area down to the New River tributaries. They were also influenced by the Armstrong culture and Virginia Woodland people.

In 1669, John Lederer and his group became the first Europeans to see the Shenandoah Valley and the Allegheny Mountains.

Native Americans in the 17th century

Early records show that different Native American groups lived in the Alleghenies. The Mehetan Indians, of mixed "Cherokee-Iroquois" heritage, were found on the New River tributaries. Other groups, like the Messawomeake or "Mincquas," occupied the northern Alleghenies, while the Shatteras lived in the Ouasioto Mountains. The Canaraguy or Canawest were associated with trade and travel in the southern Alleghenies.

Trading posts and other settlements

Before Europeans arrived, Native American trails crossed the Alleghenies for trade, hunting, and warfare. Indian trader Charles Poke operated a trading post in 1731. The first European settlers west of the Alleghenies were Jacob Marlin and Stephen Sewell, who arrived in the Greenbrier Valley in 1749.

First surveys

Early explorers and surveyors were among the first whites to enter the Allegheny Mountains. They were trying to settle disputes over land owned by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, or the English Privy Council. In 1736, John Savage located the source of the North Branch Potomac River. In 1742, John Howard explored southwest Virginia. In 1746, Peter Jefferson and Thomas Lewis placed the "Fairfax Stone" to mark a boundary line.

Proclamation Line of 1763

The Royal Proclamation of 1763, issued by King George III of Great Britain, set a limit on new settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains. This line followed the Eastern Continental Divide and divided lands where rivers flowed into the Atlantic from those flowing into the Mississippi. The Proclamation aimed to prevent conflicts with Native Americans by restricting settlement on their lands. It also required future land purchases to be made publicly by Crown officials.

First roads

Travel across the Alleghenies improved with the creation of Braddock Road in 1751, which connected Cumberland, Maryland, to the Ohio River forks. Later, the Cumberland Road, or National Road, was built beginning in 1811, reaching Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) by 1818. The Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike was completed in 1848, providing a route from the Shenandoah Valley to the Ohio River.

First railroads and canals

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad began construction in 1828 and changed the Alleghenies forever. It reached Martinsburg, Virginia, by 1842, and Cumberland, Maryland, by 1842. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, also started in 1828, competed with the railroad. The Main Line of Public Works in Pennsylvania, built between 1826 and 1834, included railroads and canals to transport freight and people.

Civil War

The Alleghenies were deeply affected by the American Civil War (1861–1865). Early battles were fought for control of the Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike and access to the B&O Railroad. The Battle of Rich Mountain in 1861 gave the Federals control of the area. The rugged terrain led to mostly guerrilla warfare for the rest of the conflict.

Coal and timber industries

The growth of railroads in the late 1800s and early 1900s brought new towns and industries to the Alleghenies. Lumbering and coal mining brought prosperity, but wealth often left the mountains for eastern cities. This led to lasting poverty and environmental damage in the region.

20th century

In the 1920s and 1930s, highways in the Alleghenies were paved for automobiles. During the Great Depression, the settlement of Arthurdale, West Virginia, was created to help unemployed miners and farmers. From the 1950s to 1992, a secret government program was held at The Greenbrier hotel in West Virginia.

21st century

The Flight 93 National Memorial is located near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, honoring the passengers and crew of Flight 93, which was hijacked during the September 11 attacks in 2001. The memorial stands at the crash site, about 2 miles north of Shanksville.

Photo gallery

[North Fork Mountain](/wiki/North_Fork_Mountain) in [West Virginia](/wiki/West_Virginia), looking south

Blue Knob, the most northern 3,000 footer in the Allegheny Mountains

[The Homestead](/wiki/The_Homestead_\(Hot_Springs,_Virginia\)), [Hot Springs, Virginia](/wiki/Hot_Springs,_Virginia), has catered to spa enthusiasts since 1766.

[Shenandoah Mountain](/wiki/Shenandoah_Mountain), at the easternmost limit of the Alleghenies

[Laurel Mountain, West Virginia](/wiki/Laurel_Mountain_\(West_Virginia\)), at the westernmost limit of the Alleghenies

[Allegheny Mountain Tunnel](/wiki/Allegheny_Mountain_Tunnel), through Allegheny Mountain, services [Interstate 76](/wiki/Interstate_76_\(east\)) in Pennsylvania

[New River Gorge](/wiki/New_River_Gorge), section of the cliff at Endless Wall cliff

[Germany Valley](/wiki/Germany_Valley), a scenic upland valley of eastern West Virginia

The grand hotel at [The Greenbrier](/wiki/The_Greenbrier), [White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia](/wiki/White_Sulphur_Springs,_West_Virginia), built in 1858

The [Blackwater Canyon](/wiki/Blackwater_Canyon), a rugged gorge in eastern West Virginia

A [Norfolk Southern](/wiki/Norfolk_Southern) train at [Horseshoe Curve](/wiki/Horseshoe_Curve_\(Pennsylvania\)) near [Altoona, Pennsylvania](/wiki/Altoona,_Pennsylvania)

[Cheat Canyon](/wiki/Cheat_Canyon), in [Coopers Rock State Forest](/wiki/Coopers_Rock_State_Forest), northeastern West Virginia

[Dolly Sods Wilderness](/wiki/Dolly_Sods_Wilderness) in West Virginia, seen from atop Breathed Mountain

Eastern entrance to the [Paw Paw Tunnel](/wiki/Paw_Paw_Tunnel) on the [Chesapeake and Ohio Canal](/wiki/Chesapeake_and_Ohio_Canal) towpath in [Maryland](/wiki/Maryland)

[Altoona, Pennsylvania](/wiki/Altoona,_Pennsylvania), viewed from atop [Brush Mountain](/wiki/Brush_Mountain_\(Blair_County,_Pennsylvania\))