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

An idea from an early Director of the National Park Service more than fifty years ago has become a reality. Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was established June 11, 1940, to set apart as a public park for the benefit and inspiration of the public, certain lands, structures, and other property, including Cumberland Gap — a natural gap, or low point, on Cumberland Mountain — and a segment of the historic Wilderness Road which crosses Cumberland Mountain through the Gap. Today the park comprises over 24,000 acres of land located in the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Gap, along with the Wilderness Road that passes through it, is nationally significant, because it was the great doorway through the Appalachian Mountain barrier during the early years of American westward expansion. 

That idea was to restore the Cumberland Gap and Wilderness Road to its 1780-1810 appearance when Daniel Boone, frontiersman Simon Kenton and over 300,000 individuals traveled through the Gap on foot, horseback and wagon in search of a better life. The sound and sight of heavy equipment in the historic corridor during the spring of 2002 was the signal that a 50-year old dream would soon be a reality. That dream was to remove a US Highway from the central historic district of the national park, restore the landscape to reflect the historic period of 1780-1810, and enhance visitor understanding and appreciation of the rugged landscape seen by settlers over 220 years ago. 

This unprecedented opportunity became a reality beginning with legislation signed into law on August 13, 1973. Public Law 93-87 directed the National Park Service to construct tunnels through Cumberland Mountain to remove traffic from the historic corridor that US 25-E had traversed for over half-a-century. Two objectives were detailed in the legislation: The first was to restore the Gap and Wilderness Road to its historic appearance of 1780-1810. The second was to improve traffic safety for motorists. The ribbon of asphalt snaked its way through Cumberland Gap creating a dangerous section of highway that had been nicknamed “Massacre Mountain” due to a high number of fatalities. It is noteworthy that rehabilitation of the Gap and Wilderness Road was cited as the mitigation for construction of the tunnels in the Final Environmental Statement. 

In October 1996, the Cumberland Gap twin-bore tunnels opened to traffic allowing the dangerous section of 25-E to be closed to traffic, paving the way for removal of the intrusive highway that averaged 18,000 cars a day through the historic district. A multi-agency effort spanning over two decades to open the most modern tunnels in the world, and transform a landscape to reflect history over 220 years ago had been realized. Through a combined planning, design and construction effort led by the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration, the $265 million project included the rerouting of two U.S. highways and the construction of seven bridges and a major interchange. The 4600-foot tunnels today average over 11 million vehicles annually or approximately 32,000 cars daily. 

This daunting mitigation project was crucial to fully protect the National Historical Park. As construction of the tunnels was underway, the development concept plan for the partial rehabilitation of the Gap and Wilderness Road became a primary goal for Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. This area that had once been the major artery for thousands of vehicles daily would be the critical location for visitor use and enjoyment. To prepare the design work and complete the mitigation, extensive work would need to be accomplished identifying road routes and topographical land forms previously altered or destroyed during the construction of the Object Lesson Road in 1907, and the later improvements to US 25E through the Gap. Historical documentation regarding the significance and location of the Gap and the Wilderness Road was available from a study prepared by historian Jere L. Krakow in 1987.  

During the early 1990’s, artistic talents were employed in graphics-related activities at Cumberland Gap. Michael F. Hart, Visual Information Specialist (now retired), NPS, Denver Service Center was challenged with rediscovering the alignment of the Wilderness Road, as well as other significant resources including early trails and Civil War-era routes, as well as the approximate “historic” contours of the topography of the “saddle of the Gap.” Mr. Hart’s efforts combined with the previous work of Mr. Krakow would lead to a final set of construction plans to advertise for contract in the winter of 2001. The use of artistic skills, coupled with historical research, knowledge of photography, surveying, and cartography ultimately led to a package that would provide a contractor adequate detailed information to successfully rehabilitate the historic landscape at the Gap, and the adjacent three mile corridor.  

The methodology involved a combination of field work and research including an 1833 survey, 1862 map, re-creation of historic photographs by locating original camera positions, surveying from known reference points, aerial photographs, and extensive field study along the mountainside. The work of NPS historians has been supplemented and enhanced throughout this process. Specific coordinate points were determined for known points such as Cudjo Cave, Gap Creek and the Iron Furnace, resulting in delineation of key resources throughout the historic district. A complex exercise was undertaken by the National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration to merge four kinds of digital survey data into one composite survey database. Through the use of Auto-Cad the survey data was merged, resulting in a three-dimensional view of the historic landforms of the Gap and surrounding mountainside. The resulting grading plan enabled engineers and landscape architects to calculate the quantities of material needed to be moved to produce the historic features that had previously been lost to modern road building.  

Prior to the rehabilitation project the Gap was estimated to be 32 feet lower than it was 223 years ago. An estimated 215,000 cubic yards of fill dirt, much of which had been retained during tunnel construction, was used as fill material to return the Gap to contours that likely existed when the 300,000 pioneers passed through the Gap. 

In July 2001, a contract was awarded to Estes Brothers Construction Company of Jonesville, Virginia to rehabilitate the area. The first order of business included milling and removing approximately 13,000 tons of asphalt from the park. This was followed by deconstructing the former roadway, including uncovering areas that had previously been filled with dirt to produce a reasonable grade, as well as filling in areas that had been cut through with heavy equipment to produce the former highway. Following the recontouring of the landscape, that was completed just nine months after the contract was awarded, the area around the approximately 10-foot wide wilderness trace was planted with native grasses, shrubs and trees. This was made possible through a multi-year interagency agreement with the Natural Resource Conservation Service and the National Park Service. This agreement has resulted in thousands of native plants and trees being propagated from seeds collected at Cumberland Gap and replanted at the appropriate time. In the late spring of 2002, college students from the nearby Lincoln Memorial University planted 20,000 trees during one weekend, transforming a barren landscape into a virtual forest overnight. 

Today the topography looks much as it did in 1750 when Dr. Thomas Walker journeyed into the area and wrote in his journal “On the north side of the gap is a large Spring, which falls very fast, and just above the Spring is a small entrance to a large Cave, which the spring runs through, and there is a constant Stream of cool air issuing out.”

The modern highway is gone, replaced by twin tunnels, and the sounds of traffic have been replaced with deer, elk, turkey and thousands of tourists retracing the steps of Daniel Boone and the hundreds of thousands of others who have gone before.  

The final phase of this incredible project is complete and includes an outdoor interpretive center including a ranger station for cave tours, an interpretive pavilion, restrooms, several interpretive exhibits, and eight miles of trails connecting communities and parks in the tri-state region.  

Mark Woods is Superintendent of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.