The Great Valley of Virginia
Is the belt of limestone land west of the Blue Ridge, and between it and
the numerous interrupted ranges of mountains, with various local names,
that run parallel to it on the west at an average distance of some twenty
miles, that collectively are called the Kitatinny or North Mountains.
This valley extends in West Virginia and Virginia for more than 330 miles
from the Potomac to the Tennessee line, and 305 miles of this splendid
country are within the limits of Virginia. The county lines generally
extend from the top of the Blue Ridge to the top of the second or third
mountain range beyond the Valley proper, so that the political Valley is
somewhat larger than the natural one, which has an area of about 6,000
square miles, while the former has 7,550, and a population of twenty-six
to the square mile. The latitude of the Valley is from 36° 35′ N. to 39°
26′; its longitude is from 77° 50′ to 80° 16′ W.
While this is one continuous valley clearly defined by its bounding
mountains, it is not the valley of one river, or of one system of rivers, but
of five; so that it has four water-sheds and four river troughs in its length
along the Valley from the Potomac to the Tennessee line. These valleys
and their length in the Great Valley, are from the northeast—
| 1st. |
The Shenandoah Valley |
136 |
miles |
| 2d. |
The James River Valley |
50 |
miles |
| 3d. |
The Roanoke River Valley |
38 |
miles |
| 4th. |
The Kanawha or New River Valley |
54 |
miles |
| 5th. |
The Valley of the Holston or Tennessee |
52 |
miles |
|
|
330 |
miles |
As a whole, the Valley rises to the southwest, being 242 feet above the
tide where the Shenandoah enters the Potomac and the united rivers
break through the Blue Ridge at Harper's Ferry, and 1,687 feet where the
waters of the Holston leave the State and pass into Tennessee. The entire
Valley appears then as a series of ascending and descending planes, sloping
to the northeast or the southwest. That of the Shenandoah rises from
242 to 1,863 feet along the line of its main stream, in 136 miles, looking
northeast; those of the James slope both ways, from the Shenandoah summit
to the southwest, and from the Roanoke summit to the northeast, and
so on. This arrangement gives this seventh great step a variety of elevations
above the sea from 242 to 2,594 feet, or even 3,000, in a great enclosed
valley, subdivided into very many minor valleys, giving "facings" in all
directions; for the whole Valley has a very decided southeastern inclination,
to be considered in this connection, its western side being from 500
to 1,000 feet in surface elevation above its eastern, presenting its mass to
the sun, giving its streams a tendency to flow across it toward the east, as
the result of its combined slopes, and making the main drainage way hug
the western base of the Blue Ridge. A moment's reflection will show that
this is a well-watered country, having a wealth of water-power and drainage
and irrigation resources almost beyond estimate.
The aspect of this region is exceedingly pleasant. The great width of
the Valley; the singular coloring, and wavy, but bold outline of the Blue
Ridge; the long, uniform lines of the Alleghany Mountains, and the high
knobs that rise up behind them in the distance; the detached ranges that
often extend for many miles in the midst of the Valley like huge lines of
fortification—all these for the outline, filled up with park-like forests,
well-cultivated farms, well-built towns, and threaded by bright and
abounding rivers, make this a charming and inviting region.
