Native Americans from different tribes in Scott County
You may have heard of Lovers Leaps where young lovers allegedly jump to their deaths but were you aware there are two legends in Virginia? The first Lovers Leap legend is one of 9 often told tales in the state. This location is at the highest peak above the Natural Tunnel, State Park in Scott County.
The name is said to have come from a legend where a young Shawnee brave and a Cherokee maiden fell in love.
They were forbidden to marry because they were from different tribes and decided to be together in the afterlife. In what has been described as a “Last of the Mohicans” style leap they jumped to their deaths from the peak into the gorge below. This tragedy may not have actually happened but it's a Romeo and Juliet-style romantic love story.
The white settler and the Native maiden in Patrick County
The second Lovers Leap is located at 8550 Jeb Stuart Highway in the Meadows of Dan and is considered the most scenic of several long-range views along Patrick County. This tale of a Lover's Leap is from the 1600s when white settlers began arriving in the area and clearing the land to use for farming. Conflict began between the Native Americans and the settlers and as in the first tale has a star-crossed lovers theme.
The legend says that the son of a settler fell in love with a Native Chief's daughter, who was named Morning Flower, and they began meeting secretly. When their romance came to light they were threatened and shunned for wanting to be together so they look the Lovers Leap to their deaths. Keep these tall tales in mind if you ever visit the Natural Tunnel State Park or the Meadows of Dan.