Each small town has a unique history of events, stories, songs, and other customs. These snippets of the past allow us to look through the eyes of history, allowing historians to understand how our ancestors lived and shaped the world we live in today. Wilkes County, officially established in 1777, was first settled by Scots-Irish and German immigrants. (NC Online Historical Encyclopedia, nd). Located in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains; the verdant landscape is home to a rich agricultural community, centered on tobacco, poultry, soybeans, and other cash crops. Wilkes County citizens have a deep connection to nature; therefore, home gardening is widely practiced throughout the community. Also noteworthy is the role played by its citizens during the Prohibition era; Once nicknamed the "Moonlight Capital of America," Wilkes County was home to some of the most creative and daring smugglers of the era. Drivers such as Junior Johnson, who gained his fame competing in NASCAR races, began their legacy on the winding roads of my hometown. For all its charms, the plight of the population has made national headlines. The opioid epidemic in Wilkes County was among the worst in the country, and although it was thwarted by the efforts of some extraordinary citizens; lives are lost every year due to accidental overdoses (Project Lazarus Results, 2015). Our elders have such wise wisdom, a vast resource of life experience and knowledge; too often they ignored their stories, losing them to time. I have always tried my best to stay in touch with my grandmother, as her stories about her youth have always fascinated me; for this reason, I chose her to interview for this essay. She lived through a very transformative time in Wilkes County, and her wealth of knowledge about its history was extremely helpful in writing this article. Wilkes County is the 13th largest county in the state, but the population density is very low, creating a sleepy, rural atmosphere that gives this place its vibe. My hometown's history is not as relevant as some, but it is nonetheless rich in detail and extensive documentation of the past. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Wilkes County, as mentioned earlier, was established in 1777 and was named after John Wilkes, an English journalist and politician (Mazzocchi, 2006). The land was perfect for agricultural purposes, aided of course by the felling of forests. Logging was a booming industry in Wilkes County for some time; the largest logging canal in North Carolina that runs through it has found its home there (Starnes, 2006). Logging flumes were essentially wooden troughs filled with running water and used to transport logs to a sawmill. This particular structure, built by Giant Lumber Company in 1907; served as a conduit beginning in the peaks of the Blue Ridge and extending 19 miles to the Western NC Railroad in North Wilkesboro (Starnes, 2006). The ascent of the Blue Ridge Mountains is particularly steep, their average height being 3,700 feet. This intense change in altitude and pressure creates the rainy weather often found in the mountains. According to the US Climate Data website; Boone, North Carolina, a mountain town located 20 miles west of Wilkesbororeceives an average of 53 inches of rain and 34 inches of snow each year, with the highest peaks receiving much more (US Climate Data, 2017). All that water has to go somewhere, and in 1916 a flood destroyed the Blue Ridge Log Flume. Being in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, these natural disasters are unfortunately common in parts of Wilkes County. This became evident in August 1940, when four days of constant rain resulted in what is still considered one of the most destructive events to rock the region. On the morning of August 13, 1940, locomotive Old Number 9 was wrecked, preparing to venture into the flooded mountains. After wading through 2 feet of water, they spotted Grandfather Mountain, the second highest peak in the Appalachian Mountains; which takes its name from the outline formed by its steep peaks. As they approached, the captain later said that Grandfather Mountain had transformed into a raging waterfall. This would be the engine's final journey, as the flooding damaged the railway in both directions. (Osmond, 2015) The 'Floods of 1940', as locals call it, had a devastating impact on the county, with torrential rains causing streams, rivers and lakes to flood their banks. This has been particularly severe in Ashe County, home to both the North and South Forks of the New River, as well as countless small creeks and creeks. Water began rushing down the mountainside, causing massive landslides; there was a recording of a 200-foot-wide mudslide that rolled down miles of mountainside, destroying several homes and two gas stations in its path of destruction (Osmond, 2006). The flood swept away bridges, livestock, farm equipment, homes, cars and railroad tracks; all this was necessary to earn a living. Damage was worth millions in Wilkes County alone; throughout the High Country they were incalculable; the loss of life was even more worrying. With the help of the state and federal government, citizens were able to begin to rebuild and restore normal lives, now aware of the destructive force to which they were subject. During the Prohibition era, bootleggers were the individuals who concocted and transported corn alcohol, better known as "moonshine" or "white lightning" (the driving force behind their illegal activities was not was not simply drunkenness; rather, they constituted a stable and often substantial source of income provided you were willing to take the risk of hurtling down the switchbacks, the blind turns and the single-track paths crisscrossing the mountains. Obviously, every effort was made to outwit the police, which led to some very clever modifications. In Wilkes County, the most popular vehicle for running alcohol was the Ford Coupe. powerful V8 engine and its massive trunk, the car was the perfect model and perfectly suited the needs of the moonshiner. Strengthening the suspension, boring the engine, adding hidden compartments and countless other tricks helped to increase. the performance of the car. storage capacity (Scott, 2012). In their free time, usually on Sunday afternoons after church, the smugglers would meet up and race their cars on a dirt road. This ultimately led to the opening of Wilkesboro Motor Speedway, the track responsible for sparking the NASCAR automobile phenomenon. The first race held as part of the NASCAR Cup took place in 1949 on a dirt track; and for the next 40 years it would house engines.