SHENANDOAH VALLEY

part of the Great Appalachian Valley, chiefly in Virginia, U.S. It extends southwest from the vicinity of Harpers Ferry, W.Va., on the Potomac River and lies between the Blue Ridge Mountains (east) and the Alleghenies (west). Drained by the Shenandoah River, it embraces nine countiesBerkeley and Jefferson in West Virginia and Frederick, Clarke, Shenandoah, Warren, Rockingham, Page, and Augusta in Virginia. The valley is often considered to extend to the James River and to include Rockbridge County. It is approximately 150 mi (241 km) long and 25 mi (40 km) wide. Massanutten Mountain extends from a point east of Harrisonburg northeast for 50 mi, rising to 3,000 ft (914 m) and dividing the north and south forks of the Shenandoah River. Historic passes through the Blue Ridge include Swift Run Gap and Rockfish Gap. The famous Valley Pike, now a U.S. interstate highway, was early used by Tuscarora and Shawnee Indians, later becoming a main artery for westward expansion. The lower valley was explored (1707) by Louis Michelle, and in 1716 Gov. Alexander Spotswood led an expedition over the Blue Ridge to the Shenandoah River. White settlement began about 1730. During the Civil War, Confederate general Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson won immortality during his Valley Campaign. Tourists are attracted by the George Washington National Forest, Shenandoah National Park, the Natural Bridge near Lexington, and many limestone caverns. Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway, running along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, bound the valley on the east.