Henry pointed out the areas on the
Potomac where River Riders provides rafts,
tubes, kayaks, canoes, and stand up paddle
boards for guided and unguided tours.
The town of Harpers Ferry, visible in the
distance, was built around the power of
this historical river. The Potomac was the
only river mighty enough to cut through
the towering Blue Ridge mountains, leaving the only deep water gap in the range.
When Thomas Jefferson viewed this passage
in 1783 from a rock now named for him, he
called it “perhaps one of the most stupendous
scenes in nature.” Two years later, George
Washington proposed Harpers Ferry as the
site for a U.S. arsenal and armory.
When established, the arsenal and armory
turned this remote town into an industrial
hub, producing hundreds of thousands of
weapons. Private industry—paper mills, cotton mills, a sawmill, and an iron foundry—
followed, all taking advantage of the power
the two colliding rivers provided. Industry
brought transportation, and a few railroads
converged in this center of economic growth.
After our impressive last zip of 725 feet, River
Riders bussed us back to our starting point at
their headquarters outside town. From there,
Hungry from our day in the trees, we head-
ed to our room to clean up for dinner. Our
destination was Grandale, a farm-to-fork
restaurant in Neersville, Virginia, just about
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, at a Glance
; POPULATION (City Limits): 286 (2010 Census).
; GEOGRAPHY: The town of Harpers Ferry is located in a low-lying flood
plain at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers where
West Virginia meets Maryland and Virginia. The rivers form the Potomac
Water Gap at the lowest crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
; ACTIVITIES: White-water rafting, fishing, kayaking, camping, mountain
biking, tubing, canoeing, hiking, zip lining, rock climbing.
; CONTACT:
River Riders www.riverriders.com
Stonehouse www.hfstonehouse.com
Grandale Restaurant www.grandalefarm.com
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park www.nps.gov/hafe
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LUCIDITY INFORMATION DESIGN
Stonehouse
John Brown
Museum
John Brown’s
Fort
Harpers Ferry
National Historical Park
Information Center
Harpers Ferry
Lower Town
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