Crowder's Mountain
Encyclopedia
Crowders Mountain is one of two main peaks within Crowders Mountain State Park
Crowders Mountain State Park
Crowders Mountain State Park is a 5126 acre North Carolina state park in Gaston County, North Carolina in the United States. It is near Kings Mountain, North Carolina and on the outskirts of Gastonia, North Carolina, it includes the peaks of Crowder's Mountain and King's Pinnacle. Crowders...

, the other peak being King's Pinnacle
King's Pinnacle
King's Pinnacle is one of the two main peaks located within Crowder's Mountain State Park. The other peak is Crowder's Mountain. The park is located in the western Piedmont of North Carolina between the cities of Kings Mountain and Gastonia....

. The park is located in the western Piedmont of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 between the cities of King's Mountain
Kings Mountain, North Carolina
Kings Mountain is a small suburban city of Gastonia and Charlotte in Cleveland and Gaston counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 9,693 at the 2000 census....

 and Gastonia
Gastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is also the third largest suburb of the Charlotte Area, behind Concord and Rock Hill. The population was 71,226 as of Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina,...

 or about 25 miles (40.2 km) west of Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...

. Crowders Mountain abruptly rises nearly 800 feet (243.8 m) above the surrounding terrain, and has an elevation of 1,625 feet (495 m) above sea level.

Although stated as true on some sites, the mountain was not named after Ulrich Crowder [Krauter], a German merchant and farmer. In 1789, Ulrich purchased land much farther north of the mountain before moving west. The mountain is named for Crowders Creek, which originates near the base of the mountain. 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
Catawba (tribe)
The Catawba are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans, known as the Catawba Indian Nation. They live in the Southeast United States, along the border between North and South Carolina near the city of Rock Hill...

 and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...

 Indians.

In the early 1970s plans were made to develop and excavate the mountain for kyanite
Kyanite
Kyanite, whose name derives from the Greek word kuanos sometimes referred to as "kyanos", meaning deep blue, is a typically blue silicate mineral, commonly found in aluminium-rich metamorphic pegmatites and/or sedimentary rock. Kyanite in metamorphic rocks generally indicates pressures higher than...

, a mineral used to make porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...

. This led the city council of Gastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is also the third largest suburb of the Charlotte Area, behind Concord and Rock Hill. The population was 71,226 as of Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina,...

 and other concerned citizens to purchase the mountain from developers and give it to the state government.

In 1974 the State of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 created Crowders Mountain State Park
Crowders Mountain State Park
Crowders Mountain State Park is a 5126 acre North Carolina state park in Gaston County, North Carolina in the United States. It is near Kings Mountain, North Carolina and on the outskirts of Gastonia, North Carolina, it includes the peaks of Crowder's Mountain and King's Pinnacle. Crowders...

. The mountain presents sheer rock cliffs which are 100 - 150 feet (45.7 m) in height, and which are popular among rock climbers. Several hiking trails lead to the mountain's summit, from which it is possible to view the skyscrapers of nearby Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

 on a clear day.

Communications center

One of the first FM radio
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...

 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 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²) 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 107 feet (32.6 m) to a 143 feet (43.6 m) 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
Gaffney, South Carolina
Gaffney is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is also sometimes referred to as the Peach capital of South Carolina. The population was 12,414 at the 2010 census...

, 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 268 feet (81.7 m).

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