Soco Gap (el. 4,340 ft (1,320 m)) is a mountain pass between the Plott Balsams to the south and the Great Balsam Mountains to the north. The gap is the eastern point of the Qualla Boundary, which marks the territory held as a land trust for the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The gap separates Haywood and Jackson counties and separates the river basins to the French Broad River and the Little Tennessee River.
| Soco Gap | |
|---|---|
| ᎠᎭᎷᏄn'Ᏹ Ahalunun'yi, meaning "Ambush Place" | |
 Various boundaries marked at Soco Gap | |
| Elevation | 4,340 ft (1,323 m)[1][2] |
| Traversed by |  US 19 / Blue Ridge Pkwy |
| Location |  North Carolina United States |
| Range | Great Balsam Mountains |
| Coordinates | 35°29′43″N 83°09′23″W / 35.4953793°N 83.1562552°W |
| Topo map | USGS Sylva North |
  | |
In Cherokee, the pass is known as Ahalunun'yi (ᎠᎭᎷᏄn'Ᏹ), meaning "Ambush Place" or Uni'halu'na (ᎤᏂ'ᎭᎷ'Ꮎ), meaning "where they ambushed;" named after the occasion, probably in the mid-18th century, when the Cherokees ambushed a party of invading Shawnees, all of which were killed except for one, who was sent back (without his ears) to tell his people of the Cherokee victory.[3]
U.S. Route 19 (Soco Road) traverses through the gap, which connects Cherokee and Maggie Valley. The Blue Ridge Parkway also passes through the gap, providing scenic views along the adjacent ridge lines.
References
edit- ^ General Highway Map, Jackson County, North Carolina (PDF) (Map). North Carolina Department of Transportation. July 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
- ^ "Soco Gap". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
- ^ Rozema, Vicki (2007). Footsteps of the Cherokees (Second ed.). John F. Blair. ISBN 978-0-89587-346-0.
External links
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Media related to Soco Gap at Wikimedia Commons
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