Crowders Mountain is one of two main peaks within Crowders Mountain State Park, the other peak being The Pinnacle. The park is located in the Western Piedmont of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

between the cities of Kings Mountain and Gastonia or about west of Charlotte. Crowders Mountain abruptly rises nearly above the surrounding terrain, and has an elevation of 1,625 feet (495 m) above sea level. The monadnock is named for Crowders Creek, which originates near its base. The original namesake of Crowders Creek is unknown, but mostly likely lived farther south along Crowders Creek. Crowders Mountain and The Pinnacle, located to the southwest, once served as markers to separate the hunting grounds of the Catawba and

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

peoples. In the early 1970s, a mining company began doing exploratory sampling of areas along what is now the Backside Trail with the intent of purchasing the minerals rights to excavate the mountain for kyanite, barite, and

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

. This led local concerned citizens, educational institutions, and local governments to join together and convince state government pursue the creation of a state park in order to protect the area. In 1973 the State of

created Crowders Mountain State Park. It opened to the public in 1974. Crowders Mountain proper was added to the new park in 1978. The Pinnacle was added in 1987. In the year 2000, 2000+ acres were purchased. This purchase brought the entire ridge line of Kings Mountain into the park and took park boundaries to the North Carolina/South Carolina state line. Both monadnocks present sheer rock cliffs which are in height. The cliffs of Crowders Mountain are popular among rock climbers. Rock climbing is no longer permitted on The Pinnacle. Hiking trails lead to both summits, from which it is possible to view the skyscrapers of nearby

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, on a clear day.

Communications center

One of the first

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...

stations in North Carolina, Gastonia's WGNC-FM, erected a transmission tower on Crowders Mountain in the late 1940s. Today three radio towers are located on the mountain. The transmitters are located within a plot of land on the summit that remains privately owned. In addition to commercial radio, the towers relay signals for wireless phone companies, railroads and local emergency services. On June 19, 2007, the Gastonia City Council denied a request to add to a communications tower on Crowders Mountain. Crown Castle International had requested the change to allow the signal of a Spanish-language radio station in Gaffney, South Carolina, to reach Charlotte. The council cited concerns that the taller tower would damage views of the mountain and that construction equipment would harm the mountain's environment. The tallest tower on the mountain is owned by CBS Communications and rises .

References

* Walter C Biggs and James F. Parnell (1989). ''State Parks of North Carolina''. John F. Blair, Publisher. * George, Jefferson. (2007, June 18)
"Tower struggle: Antenna request latest battle for those fighting to minimize park intrusions".
'' The Charlotte Observer''. * George, Jefferson. (2007, June 20)
"Taller tower atop Crowders Mtn. axed: Council votes against extension, says it wants to protect state park".
'' The Charlotte Observer''.

External links

Crowders Mountain State Park website
{{Mountains of North Carolina Protected areas of Gaston County, North Carolina Mountains of North Carolina Inselbergs of Piedmont (United States) Landforms of Gaston County, North Carolina