Roan Mountain's name

I hope you enjoyed the photograph from Roan Mountain.

Just where did Roan Mountain get its name?

No one knows for sure. One story is that Andre Michaux named it in 1794 after the Rhone River in his native France.

Another account is this: Daniel Boone was a frequent visitor to the area and the Mountain was named for one of his roan-colored horses.

Yet other legends say that the mountain was named for its roan-colored appearance in June and July, when the Catawba rhododendron are in bloom. Or, maybe due to the number of ash trees, which used to be called rowan trees.

So, will we ever know? No, probably not. It seems that the origin of the name has died with the past.