In the early days of the National Road, Keyser’s Ridge was notorious for fierce winds and winter conditions that often buried this stretch under snow drifts up to twenty feet deep, stopping stagecoaches and freight wagons for days at a time and sometimes forcing travelers onto nearby skirting glades when the roadbeds were blocked. Topping a bald, bleak range as the last of three mountains west of Cumberland that are nearly 3,000 feet high, it was known for extreme weather, including dense fog, howling winds, and deep snow. Despite the treacherous winter conditions, numerous inns stood along the mountain’s eastern slope and welcomed hardy travelers throughout the seasons since the early nineteenth century.