The mountain region of North Carolina possesses an uncommon grace and beauty, a landscape full of breathtaking peaks, lush forests, and winding rivers and creeks. Within this picturesque scenery, pioneering spirits settled in Ashe County and established communities in an environment both enchanting and perilous. Officially formed in 1799, Ashe County stands as one of the High Country's oldest and most intriguing areas. In this volume, containing over 200 black-and-white images, readers will journey into the Ashe County of yesteryear, a time dominated by horse and buggies, dirt roads, and early farms. Starting in the 1870s and stretching into the twentieth century, this stunning visual history allows today's reader to meet the resilient and rugged families that carved towns and communities into this mountainscape, to ride the Virginia Creeper railroad as it carries lumber and other goods to waiting markets, and to stroll along the banks of the historic New River, now recognized as a national Heritage River.