Linville Gorge Wilderness Area (Images of America)

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.