Famed as the Grand Canyon of the East, the Linville Gorge Wilderness
Area is a rugged tract of more than 12,000 acres located in the Blue
Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. Native Americans once
referred to the Linville River as Eeseeoh, or River of Cliffs, a name
that accurately describes the river as it twists its way through the
gorge under sheer rock faces and distinctive craggy peaks. Since the
Native American ambush of the William Linville hunting party in 1766,
the gorge has continued to make headlines with everything from movie
filming to fatal accidents and forest fires. Today visitors flock to the
natural attraction and enjoy a seemingly pristine, unexplored forest
canyon. But the Linville Gorge has much more to offer than just
breathtaking scenery. Its rich history has been documented by
photographers since the 1870s, and it is through these old photographs
that adventure seekers of the past are linked with nature enthusiasts of
the present.