Gillespie Gap

Gillespie Gap
NC 226/NC 226A intersect at Gillespie Gap
Elevation	2,805 ft (855 m)[1]
Traversed by	NC 226 / NC 226A Blue Ridge Parkway
Location	North Carolina  United States
Range	Blue Ridge Mountains
Coordinates	35°51′09″N 82°03′03″W / 35.8526233°N 82.0509476°WCoordinates: 35°51′09″N 82°03′03″W / 35.8526233°N 82.0509476°W
Topo map	USGS Little Switzerland
The pass is between McDowell and Mitchell counties

Gillespie Gap (el. 2,805 ft (855 m)), also known as Etchoe Pass, is a mountain pass along the Blue Ridge Mountains. Historically, two event occurred at the pass. The first was in 1761 when thirty men, under the command of Francis Marion, were sent to dislodge an encampment of Cherokee warriors at the pass; ambushed, Marion lost twenty-one men. The second was in 1780 when the Overmountain Men crossed the pass on there way to Kings Mountain.^[2]

NC 226 traverses through the gap, which connects Marion and Spruce Pine. Intersecting at the gap is NC 226A, which goes to nearby Little Switzerland. The Blue Ridge Parkway also passes through the gap, providing scenic views along the adjacent ridge lines. The gap is also along the Eastern Continental Divide and the McDowell–Mitchell county line.

References

1. "Gillespie Gap". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
2. Rozema, Vicki (2007). Footsteps of the Cherokees (Second ed.). John F. Blair. ISBN 978-0-89587-346-0.