Editing Roan Mountain, Tennessee (section)

==History==

In September 1780, the [[Overmountain Men]]&mdash; a group of American soldiers from the trans-Appalachian frontier who fought during the American Revolution&mdash; passed through Roan Mountain en route to North Carolina, where they would engage and defeat a group of [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|loyalists]] at the [[Battle of Kings Mountain]].  On the night of September 26, this force camped at Shelving Rock, between what is now the Roan Mountain CDP and Roan Mountain State Park, where a rocky outcropping provided a convenient place for the soldiers to store their weapons and gunpowder.  The site is now part of the [[Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail]], and the field where the soldiers camped is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>Thomas Burleson, {{NRHP url|id=09000533|title=National Register of Historic Places inventory form for Shelving Rock Encampment}}, February 23, 2009.</ref>

During the 1870s, [[John T. Wilder]], an industrialist and former Union general, began purchasing large tracts of [[iron ore]]-rich lands in the Roan Mountain area, and established several mining operations in the region.  In the early 1880s, he established the Roan Mountain community, originally known as Roan Mountain Station, as a stop along the  [[East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad|East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad ("Tweetsie")]].  He laid out streets, planted trees, and built a hotel, the Roan Mountain Inn, as well as a [[John T. Wilder House|house for his family]] (the house still stands at the corner of Main and Stratton).  In 1885, he established a resort atop the mountain, the Cloudland Hotel, which catered to people seeking relief from [[Allergic rhinitis|hay fever]] and other seasonal allergies.<ref>Carolyn Sakowski, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=rLBrUbj02IcC&dq= Touring the East Tennessee Backroads]'' (John F. Blair, 2007), p. 50.</ref><ref>Fanslow, Mary F., "[http://dc.etsu.edu/etd/961 Resorts in Southern Appalachia: A Microcosm of American Resorts in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth centuries]." (2004), pp. 200-206. East Tennessee State University, ''Electronic Theses and Dissertations''. Paper 961.</ref>
In 1998, Roan Mountain was victim of massive flooding due to a devastating winter storm which caused widespread damage. The flood killed 7 people, and 200 mobile homes and 15 houses were destroyed. Bridges and cars were swept away by the flood water.