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The Balsam Groves of the Grandfather Mountain

Authorities differing, or otherwise doubt of accuracy is followed by the "?"

Place	Elevation
Blowing Rock Village, highest town in the State	4,090
Green Park	4,300?
Boone	3,332
Valle Crucis, at Dutch Creek Crossing	2,732
Shulls Mills	2,917
Cooks Gap in Blue Ridge	3,349
Pineola	3,700?
Kelsey	4,500?.
Bull Ruffin	4,100
Aho	3,900?
Foscoe	3,100?
Dark Ridge	3000?
Sugar Grove	2,775?
Watauga Falls	2,630
Amantha	2,820
Howard's Knob, overlooking Boone	4,451
Bald of Rich Mountain	5,300
Sugarloaf	4,705
Snake Mountain	5,594
Elk Knob	5,555.
Flat-Top, on Cone Estate	4,537
Mountain City, across Tennessee Line	2,418

Place	Elevation
Newland, County Seat	3,695
Montezuma	3,882
Linville	3,800
Pineola	3,700?
Kawane, Harper's Creek	2,400?
Banner Elk	3,700
Elk Park	3,180
Cranberry	3,160
Heaton	3,130?
Hunters Chapel	2,855
Minneapolis	3,400
Plumtree	2,839
Ingalls	2,800
Pisgah Church	3,437
Crossnore	3,400
Frank	3,100
Beech Creek	2,630?
Spear	2,839
Senia	3,400?
Valley	4,000?
Dark Ridge	3000?
Whaley	3,450?
Gragg	2,890
Hughes	3,800?
Beech Mountain	5,522
Hanging Rock Mountain	5,522
Sugar Mountain	5,289
Blood Camp Mountain, about	4,400
Grandfather Mountain	5,964
Eighteen miles of the Yonahlossee Road from	4,200 to 4,500.
Linville Gap, head of Linville and Watauga Rivers	4,100
Dunveagan, sentinel of Linville Gap	4,924
Grandmother Mountain	4,686
Beacon Heights	4,650
McCandles Cabin Gap (Jim McCandles, father of Cob McCandles, had a hunting cabin here in about 1850)	4,285
Hump Mountain, rising from Elk Park	5,522
Big Yellow Mountain	5,500	Grassy Ridge Bald of Roan Mountain on line of Avery and Mitchell Counties	6,230
Humpback Mountain, Avery-McDowell	4,179

Though little visited it classes with Chimney Rock in its near views, but far outclasses it in its panorama. Detesting the name "Humpback" for such a beautiful place, this writer named it Sunnalee and wrote the following poem in 1898:

The grandest view in Ottaray,*
Mid woodlands wild and free,
That tree-haired brow above the clouds
Sun glinted Sunnalee.

*"Ottaray," the Indian name of old for the North Carolina mountains.
Sunnalee is the Cherokee word for morning, for a" the waves lash upon a lee-shore, so does the yellow glow of the rising sun floss the mountains.

Oh, Sunnalee, you woo the sun,
At morn to make a sally;
And glint a kiss upon your cheek,
While dawn is in the valley.

Rare Sunnalee, your breezes sweet,
At noon from heat distinguish,
While in yon field the sun does broil,
The grease from Jeahue English.

Ad own the cliffs a mile or so,
His fields in valleys lay;
You see him plough and hear the cock,
That crows him up for day.

You see him hiving of the bees
Or taking out their honey;
Or selling of his neighbor's corn,
And changing of their money.

Wife Laura picking of the geese,
Aunt Jenny grabling 'taters; 
Miss Hettie by the garden-walk,
A-gathering of tomatoes.

At dusky eve, when Jeahue takes
His horses to the barn,
Sweet Sunnalee still holds the sun,
Upon her rosy arm.

Then drops him in that glaring fan,
Of saffron and of gold,
That fans him to his sweet repose,
Then gathers in its folds.

Good night, good night, dear Sunnalee,
Night's bed shall give thee slumber
The rhododendrons in its folds,
Still bloom the darkness under.

Place	Elevation
Bakersville	2,471
Toecane	2,244
Huntdale	2,033
Altapass	2,830
Crabtree Mountain	4,100
Chalk Mountain	3,558
Clarissa, Postoffice	2,650
Cloudland, site of extinct hotel, top Roan Mountain	6,261
Indian Grave Gap	3,100
Iron Mountain Gap	3,725
Ivy Gap	3,150
Ledger	2,733
Magnetic City	2,800
Mica	2,657
Penland	2,500?
Phenoy	2,850 ?
Poplar	2,000?
Pumpkin Patch Mountain	4,263
Redhill, village	2,424
Relief, postoffice	2,026
Roan High Bluff	6,287
Roan High Knob	6,313
Spruce Pine	2,511
The Peak (Mountain)	2,866
Toecane	2,244
Unake Mountain	5,253
Yellow Mountain	5,330
Woods Knob	4,248
Little Switzerland-
Mitchell-McDowell (Entrance)	3,082
Switzerland Inn	3,470
Reservoir	3,630
Kilmichael Tower	4,000
Big Spring	3,582

Place	Elevation
Bridgewater	1,096
Brindletown	1,350
Burkernont	2,598
Connelly's Springs	1,194
Devil Shoal Ford	945
Glen Alpine	1,210
Glen Alpine Springs	1,480
Hawkbill Mountain	4,090
Hildebran	1,148
Joy	1,091
Morganton Courthouse	1,181
Parks Mountain	4,066
Piedmont Springs	1,217
Shortoff Mountain	3,127
Table Rock Mountain	3,918
Valdese	1,202
Walker Top Mountain	2,919
Windingstair Knob	3,437
Pilot Mountain	2050?
Linville Mountain, south end	3,766
Linville Falls, at Penland's	3,250
Linville Falls, top of falls	3,100
Linville Falls, bottom of falls	3.000

Place	Elevation
Marion Courthouse	1,437
Catawba River Bridge	1,018
Dysartville	1,262
Gillespie Gap, in the Blue Ridge	2,800
Glenwood	1,158
Greenlee	1,285
Nebo	1,297
Old Fort	1,437
Round Knob, railroad station	1,830
Woodlawn	1,394
Buck Creek Gap, on highway	3,200?

Place	Elevation
Lenoir	1,186
Devil Shoal Ford, crossing Catawba	945
Globe	1,325 ?
Granite Falls	1,211
Hartland	1,194
Hibriten Mountain	2,265
Hudson	1,272
Kings Creek	1,250
Lenoir courthouse	1,182
Lovelady	1,206 ?
Patterson	1,307
Pilot Mountain	1,486
Yadkin Valley	1,300 ?

Place	Elevation
Burnsville, at Otway Burns' Statue	2,840
Green Mountain	4,990
Bald Creek postoffice	2,555
Bee Log	2,400?
Big Bald, Tennessee line	5,840
Boonford	2,382
Cane River, postoffice	2,485
Egypt	2,780
Daybook	2,350
Ivy Gap	3,150
Jacks Creek (mouth)	2,332
Celo, village	2,735
Micaville, postoffice	2,504.
Paint Gap	3,000?
Pensacola at Baptist Church	2,858
Yates' Knob	6,001
Green Pond at Tom Wilson's highest	house 3,222
Tom Wilson's new house	3,110
Wheeler's, opposite Big Ivy Gap	2,942
Cat-tail Pork, junction with Caney River. 2,873
Mitchell's Peak, highest point in United States east of the Mississippi River	.	6,711
Clingman's Peak		6,611
Celo Mountain		6,351
Ogle Meadows Knob		5,315

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Place	Elevation
Jefferson Court-House	2,940
Sutherland	3,150?
Negro Mountain	4,597
Nigger Mountain	4,600
Mulatto Mountain	4,687
Three-Top Mountain	4,950
Ore Knob	3,150?
Paddy Mountain	4,300
Phoenix Mountain	4,673
Bluff Mountain	5,060
Peak Mountain	5,195
White-Top Mountain, across the Virginia line	5,530

Place	Elevation
Roaring Gap	2,914
Roaring Gap Village	1,400
Wilkesboro Court-House	950
Little Grandfather Mountain	3,783
Tompkins' Knob	4,055
Deep Gap of the Blue Ridge	3,105
Moravian falls	1,250

Place	Elevation
Bald Knob	3,653
Bullhead	3,800
Cherry Lane	2,810
Edwards Crossroads	2,800
Fender Knob	3,600
Ferny Knob	4,150
Helena	553
Hooker	2,600
Laurel Springs	2,850
Norman	2,500
Sparta	2,850
Stone Mountain	3,879
Whitehead	2,800 ?

Place	Elevation
Marshall Courthouse	1,645
Hot Springs	1,332
Bear Wallow Mountain	4,638
Paint Rock, State line	1,264
Mars Hill	3,300
Chestnut Mountain, highest in county	6,234

The following were grouped by State Geologist, W. C. Kerr in 1875 but heights revised by Gannett's dictionary of altitudes in 1907.

Place	Elevation
Junction of Flat Creek with Swannanoa Rivet	2,250
Joseph Stepp's house	2,368
Burnett's house	2,423
Lower Mountain house, Jesse Stepp's floor of piazza	2,770
W. Patton's cabins, end of carriage road.	3,244
Resting Place, brook behind last log-cabin.	3,955
Upper Mountain, house	5,246
Ascending to Toe River Gap, passage, main branch above Stepp's	3,902

Place	Elevation
Toe River Gap, between Potato Top and High Pinnacle	5,188
High Pinnacle, of Blue Ridge	5,690		Rocky Knob's south peak	5,306		Big Spring, on Rocky Knob	5,080		Gray Beard	5,448

Place	Elevation
Big Craggy	6,068
Bull Head	5,958
Craggy Pinnacle	5,945

Potato Knob6,419 Clingman's Peak6,611 Mt. Gibbs6,519 Stepp's Gap, the cabin6,103 Mt. Hall back6,403 Mitchell's Peak6,711 Dome Gap ..6,352 Balsam Cone6,645 Hairy Bear6,681 Bear Gap6,234 Black Brothers (N. Bro.)6,620 Black Brothers (S. Bro.)6,690 Cat-tail Peak 6,609 Potato Hill 6,487 Rocky Trail Peak 6,488 Celo Mt 6,351 Bowlen's Pyramid 4,962

Place	Elevation
Blackstock's Knob	6,386
Yeates' Knob	5,975

Place	Elevation
Green Ponds, at Tom Wilson's highest house	3,222
Tom Wilson's new house	3,110
Wheeler's, opposite Big Ivy Gap	2,942
Cat-tail Fork, junction with Caney River	2,873
Sandofor Gap, or Low Gap, summit of road	3,176
Burnsville, Court-House Square	2,840
Green Mountain, near Burnsville, highest point	4,990

Little Yellow Mount, highest

Place	Elevation
Summit of the road from Burnsville to Toe River	3,139
Toe River Ford, on the road from Burnsville to Roan Mountain	2,131
Baily's farm	2,379
Brigg's house, foot of the Roan Mountain, valley of Little Rock Creek	2,.757
Yellow Spot, above Brigg's	5,158
Big Yellow	5,500
5,196
The Cold Spring, summit of Roan	6,132
Grassy Ridge Bald, northeast continuation of Roan Mountain	6,230
Roan High Bluff	6287
Roan High Knob	6,313

Place	Elevation
Sampson's Gap	4,130
Egypt Cove, at Proflit's	3,320
Wolf's Camp Gap	4,359
Bald Mountain, summit	5,550

Place	Elevation
Dillingham's house, below Yeates' Knob, or Big Butte	2,568
Junction of the three forks	2,276
Solomon Carter's house	2,215
Stocksville, at Black Stock's	2,216
Mouth of Ivy River, by railroad survey	1,684

Place	Elevation
Asheville Court-House	1,985
Sulphur Springs, the spring	2,092
Hominy Cove, at Solomon Davies	2,542
Little West Pisgah	4,724
Great Pisgah	5,713
Biltmore estate	1,993

Place	Elevation
Forks of Pigeon, at Colonel Cathey's . .	2,701
East fork of Pigeon, at Captain T. Lenoir's	2,855
Waynesville Court-House	2,635
Sulphur Spring, Richland Valley, at James R.G. Love's	2,716
Mr. Hill's farm, on Crab Tree Creek	2,714
Crab Tree Creek, below Hill's	2,524
Cold Mountain	4,627

Richland, between Richland Creek and the west fork of Pigeon Creek, and at E. Medford's2,938 E. Medford's farm, foot of Lickston's Mountain3,000 Lickston Mountain5,707 Deep Pigeon Gap4,907 Cold Spring Mountain5,915 Double Spring Mountain6,380 Richland Balsam, or Caney Fork Balsam Divide6,370 Chimney Top4,606 Spruce Ridge Top6,076 Lone Balsam5,898 Old Bald5,786

Place	Elevation
Western Bald, north peak	5,414
Pinnacle	5,692

Place	Elevation
Enos Plott's farm, north foot of chain	3,002
Old Field Mountain	5,100
Huckleberry Knob	5,484
Enos Plott's Balsam, first Balsam, north end	6,097
Jones' Balsam, north point	6,223
South end	6,055
Rock Stand Knob	6,002
Brother Plott	6,246
Amos Plott's Balsam, or Great Divide	6,278
Rocky Face	6,031
White Rock Ridge	5,528
Black Rock	5,815
Panther Knob	4,376
Perry Knob	5,026

Place	Elevation
Love's saw-mill	2,911
Maclure's farm	3,285
Road Gap, head of Scott's Creek	3,357
John Brown's farm	3,049
Bryson's farm	2,173
John Love's farm	2,226
Webster Court-House	1,979
Sylva, New Court-House	2,063

Place	Elevation
Tuckaseege River, mill, below Webster, near the road to Quallatown	2,004
Junction of Savannah Creek	2,001
Junction of Scott's Creek	1,977
Quallatown, main store	1,979
Soco River, ford to Oconaluftee	1,990
Soco Gap, road summit	4,341
Amos Plott's farm, on Pigeon	3,084
Oconaluftee River, junction, Bradley Fork	2,203
Robert Collins's highest house	2,500
Junction of Raven's and Straight Fork	2,476
Junction of Bunch's Creek	2,379

Place	Elevation
The Pillar, head of Straight Fork of Oconaluftee River	6,255
Thermometer Knob	6,157
Raven's Knob	6,230
Tricorner Knob	6,188
Mt. Guyot, so named by Mr. Buckley, in common	6,636
Mt. Henry	6,373
Mt. Alexander	6,299
South Peak	6,299
The True Brother, highest or central peak	5,907
Thunder Knob	5,682
Laurel Peak	5,922
Reinhardt Gap	5,220
Top of Richland Ridge	5,492
Indian Gap	5,317
Peck's Peak	6,232
Mt. Ocoana	6,135
Righthand, or New Gap	5,096
Mt. Mingus	5,694

Place	Elevation
Road Gap	5,271
Mt. Collins	6,188
Collins' Gap	5,720
Mt. Love	6,443
Clingman's Dome	6,619
Mt. Buckley	6,599
Chimney Knob	5,588
Big Stone Mountain	5,614
Big Cherry Gap	4,838
Corner Knob	5,246
Forney Ridge Peak	5,087
Snaky Mountain	5,195
Thunderhead Mountain	5,520
Eagle Top	5,433
Spence Cabin	4,910
Turkey Knob	4,740
Opossum Gap	3,840
North Bald	4,711
The Great Bald's central peak	4,922
South Peak	4,708
Tennessee River, at Hardin's	899
Mt. Kephart, 3.4 miles from Newfound Gap	6,150
Newfound Gap	5,045
Hill House Mountain, summit road to Montvale Springs	2,452
Montvale Springs, Tennessee	1,293

Place	Elevation
Franklin Court-House, Macon County	2,099
Burning Town Bald,	5,103
Rocky Bald,	5,822
Toketah,	5,373
Wayah,	5,492
Albert,	5,254
Picken's Nose,	4,822
Hendersonville Court-House, Henderson Co.	2,128
Bear Wallow Mountain,	4,233
Bear Wallow Gap,	3,465
Bald Mountain, (or Pinnacle),	3,834
Miller Mountain	3,889
Sugarloaf Mountain,	3,978

Columbus Court House1,145 Tyron Mountain3,249 Tyron Station1,090 Brevard Court House2,228 Hymen's Knob6,084 Devil's Court-House6,049 Caesar's Head, South Carolina3,223 Pinnacle5,436 Hayesville Court House1,1893 Tusquitta Bald5,314 Medlock Bald5,258 Standing Indian Mountain5,495 Chunky Gal4,985 Robinsville Court House2,150 Joanna Bald4,743 McDaniel Bald4,653 Tatham's Gap3,639 Cheowah maximum4,996 Murphy Court House1,580 Winfrey Gap3,493 Peak3,937 Konahetah Mountain4,498

Among the peaks jointly possessed by Western North Carolina and East Tennessee there are twenty- three which surpass Mount Washington in height. In addition to these, there are twenty-three other mountains which exceed six thousand feet, but fall short of Mount Washington; and there are still seventy-nine others which exceed five thousand many of them closely approximating six thousand.

Area of North Carolina, 52,286 square miles.
Land surface, 48,666 square miles.
Water surface, 3,620 square miles.