The Loudoun Valley is a small, but historically significant valley located in Loudoun County in northwestern Virginia in the United States. In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is Loudoun County (ˈlaʊdən "LOUD-un" is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
Geography
The lush and fertile valley lies between Catoctin Mountain and the Bull Run Mountains to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. Catoctin Mountain is the easternmost mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are in turn a part of the Appalachian Mountain Range The Bull Run Mountains are a mountain range of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia in the United States. The Blue Ridge, or Blue Ridge Mountains, is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division To the north it is bound by the Potomac River and to the south by the Broken Hills of Fauquier. The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid- Atlantic coast of the United States. Fauquier (fɔˈkiːɹ is a county located in the United States commonwealth/state of Virginia. The small portion of the valley residing in Fauquier County is known as Upper Fauquier. It varies between 8 and 12 miles in width. The northern section of the valley is bisected by the Short Hill Mountain. Short Hill Mountain is a Mountain Ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Loudoun County, Virginia. The area west of the Short Hill is known as Between the Hills, while the area to the east is known as the Catoctin Valley. Between the Hills is a sub-valley of the greater Loudoun Valley in Loudoun County Virginia.
Major watercourses include Goose Creek, Catoctin Creek, Panther Skin Run, and the Little River. Goose Creek is a meandering watercourse in Northern Virginia. For Catoctin Creek in Frederick County, Maryland, see Catoctin Creek (Maryland. Little River may refer to In Australia Little River Victoria, a township Little River Earth Sanctuary
The three major highways across the valley are; U.S. Route 50, which runs from Aldie on the east to Ashby's Gap on the west; Route 7, which runs from Clarks Gap west of Leesburg to Snickers Gap west of Bluemont; and Route 9, which diverges from Route 7 at Clarks Gap and runs west to Keyes Gap on the West Virginia border. US Route 50 is a major east-west route of the US Highway system, stretching just over 3000 miles (4800 km from Ocean City Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean Aldie is an unincorporated village located on the John Mosby Highway ( U Ashby Gap, more commonly known as Ashby's Gap is a Wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Clarke County and Fauquier County State Route 7 is a major primary State highway and busy commuter route in Northern Virginia, United States. Clarks Gap also known as Clarke's Gap, is a gap in the Catoctin Mountain west of Leesburg Virginia, it has an elevation of 650ft (198m Leesburg is a historic town in and County seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America Snickers Gap, originally William's Gap, is a Wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Loudoun County and Clarke County Bluemont is an unincorporated Village in Loudoun County in the Virginia located at the base of Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge State Route 9 is a major east-west primary State highway in the Loudoun Valley of Loudoun County Virginia, United States. Keyes Gap or Keye's Gap is a Wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Loudoun County Virginia and Jefferson County West West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by
The terrain is rolling, with numerous ridges and hills. Elevation of the valley ranges between 350 to 730 feet above sea level. The region is temperate, with an annual rainfall of 40 to 50 inches and a mean average temperate of 50 to 55 °F.
The soil is formed from gneiss, clay / slate, hornblend, greenstone, and quartz particles, a fertile and durable soil, containing alumina, silex, potash, lime, and other natural fertilizing minerals. Gneiss (ˈnaɪs is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from preexisting formations that were originally Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and Slate is a fine-grained foliated homogeneous, Metamorphic rock derived from an original Shale -type Sedimentary rock composed of Clay Hornblende is a complex inosilicate series of Minerals Hornblende is not a recognized mineral in its own right but the name is used as a general or field term to Quartz (from German) is the most abundant Mineral in the Earth 's Continental crust (although Feldspar is more common in in modern usage refers to a finely ground nearly pure form of Silica or Silicate. Potash (or carbonate of potash) is an impure form of Potassium carbonate ( K 2 CO3) Lime is a general term for various naturally occurring Minerals and materials derived from them in which Carbonates Oxides and Hydroxides of
History
Following the 1722 Treaty of Albany, which kept the American Indian nations west of the Blue Ridge Mountain, settlers began slowly to move into the Loudoun Valley. The area became a leading center of agriculture, particularly wheat, oats, rye, and corn. Many of the early residents were immigrants from southern Pennsylvania — Quakers, Scots-Irish, and Germans interested in starting small farms. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Quakers had significant influence in the central Loudoun Valley, settling in and around such communities as Waterford, Hillsboro, Goose Creek (now Lincoln), and Unison. Waterford is an unincorporated village in Loudoun County, Virginia located along Catoctin Creek. Hillsboro may refer to a number of places in Virginia: Hillsboro King and Queen County Virginia Hillsboro Loudoun County Virginia Lincoln is an unincorporated village in the Loudoun Valley of Loudoun County, Virginia. Unison is an unincorporated village in Loudoun County, Virginia. Their stone buildings are a major feature of the Loudoun landscape. Germans settled in the northern end of the Loudoun Valley, especially in the area around Lovettsville, leaving a number of log structures as their architectural legacy. Lovettsville is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. Unlike the settlers to the east of the valley, neither of these groups believed in slavery, thus inaugurating a division that would be important in the years leading up to the American Civil War. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South
During the Civil War, the Loudoun Valley saw considerable fighting, particularly in 1862 and 1863. During the Gettysburg Campaign, a series of cavalry clashes between J.E.B. Stuart and Alfred Pleasonton occurred in the valley at Aldie, Middleburg, Goose Creek, and Upperville. The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863 during the American Civil War. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart ( February 6, 1833 &ndash May 12, 1864) was an American soldier from Virginia and a Alfred Pleasonton (July 7 1824 &ndash February 17 1897 was a United States Army officer and General of Union Cavalry during the American The Battle of Aldie took place on June 17, 1863, in Loudoun County Virginia, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil The Battle of Middleburg took place from June 17 to June 19, 1863, in Loudoun County Virginia, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign Goose Creek is a meandering watercourse in Northern Virginia. The Battle of Upperville took place in Loudoun County Virginia on June 21 1863 during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil Stuart successfully kept the Federal forces from entering the adjacent Shenandoah Valley and discovering Robert E. Lee's main army. The Shenandoah Valley region of western Virginia and West Virginia is bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Robert Edward Lee (January 19 1807 &ndash October 12 1870 was a career United States Army officer, an Engineer, and among the most celebrated
Following the war, the region continued to be a major source of agricultural products. Farming remained a main occupation for several generations. Today, parts of the scenic valley are threatened by urban growth.
Sources
- Loudoun Museum website
- Head, James W. , History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County Virginia, Parkview Press, 1908.
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