![]() Unlike the roadways scaling the giants of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the local South Mountains roads are less intimidating for those who are looking for beautiful mountain scenery with less altitude and fewer hairpin curves. If you are looking for a secluded vacation getaway, retirement or relocation in a more laid-back slow-pace destination, Golden Valley offers the ideal setting away from the pressures of the 21st century world. The decline and withdrawal of the gold rush prospectors and moon shine distillers have left behind in their wake a region rich in history returning the land to be an ideal mountain community filled with folks who wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Today, Golden Valley is peaceful and serene, unique in its presence, an out of the way piece of God's County unlike any other. This scenic by-way skims across the valley surface with mountains rising along either side of the roadway little has changed the valley scenery since its early days of settlement. The various mountain landscape and the meadow lands in Golden Valley are picture postcard beautiful. His Scot-Irish grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War likely passing on hiswhiskey distilling talents to his offspring, creating a way of life for generations of rural mountain folks. Owens was not only popular with the drinking crowd he was highly sought after by local revenuers and well known in all the local county courts. This powerful drink made from corn whiskey, crushed wild cherries and honey was in demand as far away as the Mississippi River country. This mountain range was originally called Flint Kill until a colorful character and moon-shiner named Amos Owens, born in 1821, began producing the popular Cherry Bounce drink. Here at the southern end of the South Mountains seen just south of the South Mountains Scenery By-Way is a horseshoe shaped mountain range called Cherry Mountain due to the abundance of wild cherry trees along its slopes. One in particular was a drink called Cherry Bounce. Moon shiners found this remote oasis of mountains, orchards and farmlands a great place to distill their illicit wares. After the gold rush days came the Civil War, after that came the liquor wars between illegal distillers and revenuers. This historic area saw a few skirmishes during the Revolutionary War between American Patriots and Tories loyal to the British Crown, though the population was low due to its isolation. So important was this gold strike that the Bechtler mint was established in Rutherford County to handle the precious minerals. Skilled eyes can still catch a glimpse of gold dust and nuggets in the South Mountains while most amateur prospectors just enjoy the profits of fresh air and good exercise. Today the old prospectors are pretty much gone although signs of their times and hobbyist prospectors still pan for gold locally as well as other regions of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Foothills. So many gold prospectors poured into the area when the strike first began that it required a branch post office to be established to serve the growing population. Though the main gold strike was short lived, some local gold mining was done well into the early 20th century. Golden Valley became a popular destination for opportunist when gold was discovered in the region in 1828. This scenic by-way passes through low rolling foothills, orchards and rich farmlands before entering into the southern end of the South Mountains region. The heart of the scenic drive travels through Rutherford County's Golden Valley in the southern regions of the South Mountains which formally gives the scenic by-way its name. Though the by-way begins or ends (depending on what direction your coming from) from the town of Marion in McDowell County, North Carolina from the north and Polkville Cleveland County, North Carolina from the south. ![]() The central section of this scenic by-way travels through the lower southwestern section of the South Mountains in the northeast corner of Rutherford County's "Golden Valley" region. It is a 33-mile scenic drive through the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The South Mountain Scenery By-Way begins on highway 226.
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