By Robert L. Williams, 10/2003
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Gorge Grows Popular for Movie-Making
- 3: From Murder to Lost Gold: Legends of the Gorge
- 4: Visiting the Gorge Today
- Download the full article
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When the first inhabitants of Hickory Nut Gorge arrived centuries ago, they found a virtual paradise: beautiful mountains, wildflowers, magnificent trees, an amazing variety of animal life, streams and rivers teeming with aquatic life, and a nearly perfect climate. Today visitors can find that beauty and fascination intact.
The early settlers found gold, tso-lungh (a magical, legendary tobacco), legends of talking animals, the mysterious “Little People” who lived among the craggy peaks of the gorge, and an awesome mountain from which came ominous and sometimes terrifying sounds.
In time, small towns like Bat Cave, Gerton, Chimney Rock, and Lake Lure appeared, and stagecoach runs from Charlotte to Asheville became common. Historic inns like the Esmeralda Inn, the Sherrill Inn, and the Logan House sprang up along the narrow, bumpy and rutted roads.
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