Hidden History of the Toe River Valley

Tales from North Carolina's high country. The Toe River winds its way past the peaks of Mount Mitchell and into the valley that bears its name. Mineral mines go back to the earliest days of Yancey County and encouraged some of the first settlers to come to the region. Mitchell County's Bakersville experienced violent unrest, with a riot and a lynching, in 1892--but did it actually happen? The section of the Blue Ridge Parkway that runs through Avery County was left incomplete for years because of a property dispute with the owner of Grandfather Mountain. Take a journey along forgotten rail lines, through abandoned communities and past sites whose histories have shaped this valley's story just as the river has shaped its landscape. /North Carolina historian and author Michael C. Hardy explores the hidden historical gems of the region.

Michael C. Hardy has a passion for North Carolina history. He's written about battles, pirates and mountains in books, blog posts and articles. His ancestors lived in Surry and Wilkes Counties, marching with Colonel Benjamin Cleveland to fight at the Battle of Kings Mountain. Since 1995, Michael has called the High Country home. He is a former board member of both the Yancey History Association and the Avery County Historical Museum and in 2010 was named the North Carolina Historian of the Year. When not researching and writing, he volunteers as an interpreter at historic sites.