The Blue Ridge Parkway - Mile 190.0

The Blue Ridge Parkway - Mile 190.0 - Puckett Cabin

Throughout the Blue Ridge Parkway, there are countless stories of past inhabitants of the mountains. And at Mile 190 in Southern Virginia, the Parkway tells the tale of one truly remarkable woman. Puckett's Cabin is the former home of Orlena Hawks Puckett, whose story of strength and goodwill has survived generations.

"Aunt Orlene" was born in 1837 and her story to many is a perfect strength of Appalachian women in the 1800 and the early 1900's. For over seven decades, Mrs. Puckett served as a midwife, and assisted in the birth of over 1000 babies. She was well known throughout the mountains of Southern Virginia and continued to serve as a midwife until her death in 1939 at the age of 102. What makes the seventy plus years as a midwife in the rural mountains remarkable is the tragedy of the loss of 24 of her own children between 1862 and 1881. Many of her children were stillborn and none of her children survived infancy.

Puckett's Cabin

Today, Orlena Puckett's story continues to be told. Phyllis Smith performs "They Call Me Aunt Orlene" at the Parkway's cabin site a few times each year. Smith wrote the one-woman play in 2003. Also, Puckett's story is told by Karen Cecil Smith's book, "Orlean Puckett: The Life of a Mountain Midwife."

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/p/the-blue-ridge-parkway-drive.html

Navigation:

North - Mile 172.2 - Mabry Mill
South - Mile 232.0 - Stone Mountain Overlook

Comments

Tulare Lake returns

During the winter of 2023 California experienced one of the wettest seasons in recent decades. Enough snow and water were deposited into the Sierra Nevada Mountains that the runoff was enough to partially reform Tulare Lake within San Joaquin Valley. Tulare Lake was once the largest lake west of the Mississippi River by surface area. Tulare Lake has been largely dried for the past century due to irrigation divisions and upstream impoundments. This blog will examine the history of Tulare Lake and its recent return. Pictured as the blog cover is Tulare Lake from 19th Avenue in Kings County during early May 2023. Tulare Lake can be seen near its maximum extent below on the 1876 P.Y. Baker Map of Tulare County . Part 1; the history of Tulare Lake Tulare Lake is the largest remnant of Lake Corcoran. Lake Corcoran once covered much of the entire Central Valley due to being it being located at a in natural low point from where mountain run-off would accumulate. Lake Corcoran is thou

Former US Route 101 through Sargent

Sargent is a ghost town and siding of the Southern Pacific Railroad located in southern Santa Clara County. The original alignment of US Route 101 was aligned through Sargent via what is now known as Old Monterey Road. Sargent was bypassed gradually due to shifts of the alignment of US Route 101 which occurred during 1941 and 1950. Pictured as the blog cover is a view on Old Monterey Road which is now no longer accessible to the general public. Below is a scan of the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Santa Clara County which depicts the original alignment US Route 101 through Sargent. Part 1; the history of US Route 101 in Sargent Sargent lies on land which was once part of Rancho Juristac. During 1856 James P. Sargent purchased Rancho Juristac and plotted what was known as Sargent Ranch. By 1869 the Southern Pacific Railroad coast line reached the relocated town site of Gilroy. The Southern Pacific Railroad coast line would be constructed through Chittenden Pass by 1871 whic

California State Route 60/Former US Route 60/70 through the Moreno Valley Badlands west to Riverside

This past month I drove California State Route 60 through the Moreno Valley Badlands westward towards the City of Riverside. CA 60 through the Moreno Valley Badlands was once part of the corridors of US Route 60 and US Route 70. The present route of CA 60 is a 70 mile (76 counting multiplex) slice of former US 60 between downtown Los Angeles east to I-10 near Beaumont. The vast majority of CA 60 aside from a small section in the Moreno Valley Badlands is presently a freeway grade. For me CA 60 holds some personal history as it was the route I used most frequently accessing work sites in the Inland Empire circa 2011-2013. Despite what many others probably would say I always really enjoyed the Moreno Valley Badlands portion of CA 60. Considering I frequently worked on US 60 through Arizona and New Mexico the route holds even more appeal. I even have a CA 60 shield hanging up in my garage. Part 1; History of Roadways in the Moreno Valley Badlands CA 60 between B

Gribblenation

Search This Blog