Factors Leading to Mountaintop Grazing in the Southern Appalachians

FACTORS LEADING TO MOUNTAINTOP GRAZING IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS Phil Gersmehr INTRODUCTION. Near the summits of many of the southern Appalachian mountains are treeless areas known as "balds". (1 ) The early settlers in the region used these mountaintop grasslands as summer pastures for large herds of livestock. The balds have been described as natural prairies, although decades ofstudy have failed to produce a fully acceptable natural explanation for their treelessness. (2) As a part of a larger study ofthese grassy balds, this paper seeks to answer a key question: Must the balds be considered as natural grasslands, whose prior treelessness led to mountaintop grazing, or are there other factors which might have induced early settlers to clear them for upland pastures? To answer this question, it is necessary to reconstruct the conditions under which the early settlers made their land-use decisions. This reconstruction was accomplished by library study ofregional histories and first-hand descriptions ofthe landscape over the last two centuries, and by supplementary field observation and interviews. THE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE. When the first settlers entered the mountains of western North Carolina, the physiography was much as it appears today: maturely dissected uplands marked by a great deal of sloping land; a few broad, fairly level plains along the major rivers; numerous smaller levels in coves above stream nickpoints; and fairly even ridgetops which occasionally broaden into larger, dome-like expanses. (3 ) Bears, other game, and Indians had carved a network of trails through the forest. Many of these trails followed ridgetops; (4) these were reached by a short strenuous climb, but in the long run were frequently the most advantageous routes between points. (5) The underbrush here was less dense, there were fewer rivers to cross, and it was easier to sight game and enemies. (6 ) The names that the settlers gave to landscape features illustrate another key factor, the availability of water near the ridgeline. One range alone (Balsam Range, south of Waynesville, N.C.) has ten ridgetop features with names like Double Spring Gap or South Spring Top; there are good springs near almost every bald. (7) On the higher elevations in this region, the annual precipitation averages some 60 to 90 inches, well distributed through the year. (8) When coupled with a soil of good retentive capacity, this means that these upland springs seldom run dry. Although the mountaintops may experience frost during any month, temperatures are generally favorable for grazing from March or April through October. When the early settlers saw it, the forest itself was gener- *Mr. Gersmehl is a doctoral candidate in geography at the University of Georgia, Athens. The paper was accepted for publication in January 1970. Southeastern Geographer ally open, almost parklike; many early naturalists attributed this to frequent firing of the woods by the Indians. (9) Elisha Mitchell, the renowned early scientist, even lamented the deterioration of the range for grazing purposes which had occurred since the Cherokee Removal and the resultant cessation of annual burning. (10) Thus, even if the question ofprior baldness of the summits is left open, the physical features of the mountain tops were permissive of grazing. The uplands were accessible, relatively flat land was common along the crests, and both water and forage were available. THE CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC BACKGROUND. In most ofthe western Carolina mountain districts, permanent European settlement began in the closing decades of the eighteenth century. (11) Though it was hardly their sole activity, cattle raising was important to the early settlers. To sustain them on the Kings Mountain expedition during the Revolutionary War, the Wataugans attempted to drive a herd with them across the mountains. (12) Buncombe County, North Carolina, had a cattle-brand registration procedure by the early 1790's. (13) Livestock depredations were among the most common incidents marking the strained relations between the settlers and the Indians. Turning stockraising from a subsistence activity into a commercial one only requires an accessible market. The seaboard towns furnished a demand, and by the early 1800's large herds of cattle were being driven along the Buncombe turnpike through the mountains. (14) Asheville, located on this road in the heart of the North Carolina mountains, became a major cattle center...