Federal forces built Cheat Summit Fort to control the strategic Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, which ran from Virginia to Parkersburg, (West) Virginia. When finished, the turnpike opened the first continuous route between Richmond and the Ohio River. The road was originally chartered in 1817 but was not completed until 1847. Today U.S. 250 and WV Route 47 roughly follow its path. Further east along the turnpike, Confederates constructed Camps Bartow and Allegheny in hopes of denying the Union easy access to the Shenandoah Valley. On clear days, soldiers at Cheat Summit could see the campfire smoke of the enemy over twenty miles away on Allegheny Mountain.