Editor’s note: This is the second article in a series about Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its dedication this year.

On June 11, 1940, Congress authorized the protection of an area to be “established, dedicated, and set apart as a public park for the benefit and inspiration of the people and shall be known as Cumberland Gap National Historical Park…” This act of Congress enabling the park also included a list of areas that should be part of this new National Historical Park, with some of these particular features including Cumberland Gap itself and Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Road. Through the hard work and dedication of many local individuals, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was dedicated on July 4th, 1959. As a result of their foresight, today over 24,000 acres have been “set apart as a public park for the benefit and inspiration of the people.”

Being a historical park, there are numerous features and stories that can be told to reflect the history of this place. Although this park was designated as a historical park, there are just as many natural features and stories; some of which we will cover in this article. First, one thing to note is the number of natural features that were included in the enabling legislation that Congress passed in 1940, including Cumberland Gap, the Pinnacle, Soldiers and King Solomon’s Cave (otherwise known as Cudjo’s or Gap Cave), Devil’s Garden, Sand Cave, and White Rocks. All of these natural features are now protected within the boundaries of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

Not long after the dedication of the park, park service employees and researchers in the area began keeping a log of natural history observations, unique sightings of animals and plants. Looking back at these records it is interesting to see what was noted at that time. The following is a sample of some of those observations.

In 1959, some of the observations included:

2 fox squirrels and 2 gray squirrels

1 gray fox, a mink, and 2 muskrat

1 American coot, 2 quail, 6 grouse, and a screech owl

1 copperhead, 1 black snake, and 1 rattlesnake

In the 1960’s, some of the observations included:

1 albino squirrel, 1 flying squirrel, and a woodrat

Many rabbits, groundhogs, deer, and a spotted skunk

1 Bald Eagle, a pair of bluebirds, many quail and grouse

A couple green salamanders and a couple red salamanders

A milk snake, a 24” copperhead, 2 rattlesnakes, and 2 worm snakes

On June 4, 1963 it was noted that a 4 feet long black snake was inhabiting the outhouse at the ranger cabin. Guess it was a good idea to check the outhouse before you entered at that time!

Fast forward to the 1970’s for the next natural story. In 1973, the NPS cooperated with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to complete a wild turkey reintroduction within the park. The wild turkeys were live trapped from Gathright Wildlife Management Area in upper VA and flown to Middlesboro Airport. Between October 10-24, 1973, on three different days, a total of 19 wild turkeys were released at two different places within the park. There were two adult males, 3 adult females, 6 juvenile males, and 8 juvenile females. The hope was that they would breed and eventually repopulate the entire tri-state area. It is obvious today that this reintroduction was quite a success. It is very common to see turkey throughout the park. A maintenance employee reported just a few weeks ago of seeing a turkey hen near the Hensley Settlement area with more than a dozen chicks.

In 1974, there were a few interesting observations including the emergence of the 17-year locust, a brown feral goat observed near the Sand Cave trail, and a Guinea fowl observed on the Ridge trail near Gibson Gap.

In May of 1990, the NPS began planning efforts for the revegetation of the construction areas associated with the tunnel construction project and the restoration of the Wilderness Road. The NPS entered into an agreement with the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Plant Materials Center in Beltsville, MD. The SCS agreed to collect seed from native plants already located within the park boundaries and provide those plant materials back to the park in the form of either transplantable trees, shrubs, or plants or seeds for seeding bare banks after the restoration of the Wilderness Road. An agreement to provide native plant materials for revegetation similar to this was maintained with the SCS from 1990-2005. This ensured that only native plants, which are better for the native insects, birds, and other wildlife, were replanted in these large construction areas.

The next natural story takes us underground. In June of 1992, the park purchased the rights to Gap (or Cudjo’s) Cave from Lincoln Memorial University. Today, the cave is open for tours on the established tour route. Visitors can experience the majestic stalagmites and stalactites, enter the music room, and possibly catch a glimpse of some bats or cave salamanders. A number of dedicated volunteers associated with the Cave Research Foundation (CRF) have cooperated with the NPS since 2000 mapping the cave. In recent years, the CRF volunteers have discovered some sections of cave that no one has ever been in before (virgin cave passages). As they discover these virgin cave passages, Gap Cave becomes a sort of expanding frontier underground!

One of the large mammals that the park now protects are the black bears. Black bears were thought to be extirpated from Kentucky by the early 1900’s. Beginning in the late 1980’s black bears would occasionally be found in eastern Kentucky. It appears that these bears were expanding into this area from surrounding states (West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee). Today it is not uncommon to observe a black bear within the park. During the winter of 2003/04 Dave Unger, a University of Kentucky pHD student, first documented reproduction of black bear within park boundaries. He found a den occupied by a female and her three cubs! A few weeks ago, a park visitor reported seeing a female bear with three cubs along the Ridge trail in the park. It is exciting to see the continued success and reproduction of this majestic species in the park.

One final natural history story relates to the awe-inspiring cliff face within the park known as White Rocks. This cliff face has been protected for decades and can be considered a pristine cliff face. During 2005/06, researchers from Appalachian State University in North Carolina conducted a vegetation survey of the cliff face at White Rocks. They discovered a few rare state-listed plant species located within the cliff face area. However, the most exciting part of this story are the lichens that they found on the cliff face. Lichens are fungi that partner with algae to survive and thrive. The researchers documented a great diversity of lichens on White Rocks (over 45 different species), greater than other cliff faces that have been surveyed in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Some of the lichen species they discovered are also normally found in arctic regions or the Rocky Mountains. This was quite an exciting find! These tiny lichens represent only one of the many natural resources that the park was formed to protect 50 years ago!

These stories you have read today are only a few of the many natural history stories that are being written everyday at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. You also can come to the park and be a part of these stories by driving to the Pinnacle and looking out over the Fern Lake watershed that is now part of the park, or hiking on a trail along a mountain stream under a canopy of mature hemlock trees, or taking a cave tour and experiencing the beauty and grandeur of the underground world, or finally by walking through the Gap where bears and hawks can once again walk or fly through the Gap as they once did thousands of years ago. All of this is made possible by the hard work and dedication of many individuals with the vision to protect this area now known as Cumberland Gap National Historical Park for the benefit and inspiration of the public.

Jenny Beeler is the biologist for Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Material for this article was gathered from the park archives and from personal interviews.