There were few all-year residents. The Mountain’s main use was light recreational, primarily summer use. Why, then, was Skyline Boulevard built in 1924 if there was no one here to demand it? Amazingly, the first urgings came from the military. The thinking ran like this: “With a good road down the ridge, we can quickly place heavy armorments anywhere best suited to stop a Pacific Coast invasion.”  They thought invaders would have difficulty fighting uphill against well positioned artillery.  They called it the “Sky-Line.”

They Called it the “Sky-Line” [Kings Mountain Online]