TALLADEGA MOUNTAINS

low-lying segment of the Appalachian Mountains, along the border of Clay and Talladega counties in east central Alabama, U.S. Rising to Mt. Cheaha (2,407 ft ), the highest point in Alabama, the pine- and hardwood-covered mountains are mainly within the eastern division of the Talladega National Forest. In August 1540 the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto led his expedition through the region, which in 1847 was briefly a focus for gold-mining activities.