A ridge that begins at Ringgold Gap in Catoosa County, Georgia, as the continuation of Taylor Ridge, and runs north-northeast past Collegedale and Ooltewah along the Hamilton–Bradley line to end near Georgetown, Tennessee.

White Oak Mountain is Taylor Ridge under another name. The ridge that runs forty miles up from Chattooga County breaks at Ringgold Gap, where Interstate 75, US 41 and the railroad squeeze through, and on the north side of the gap it takes the new name and keeps going into Tennessee. It averages 1,368 feet along its crest and is highest at Ooltewah Lookout, 1,495 feet.

Its story is mostly roads. Going north, State Route 320 crosses near East Brainerd, then Standifer Gap Road, then State Route 317 near Collegedale, then US 11 and 64 at Dead Man’s Gap by Ooltewah. North of Ooltewah the Hamilton and Bradley county line follows it. Southwest of Cleveland, Interstate 75 goes through a cut made for it, State Route 312 crosses at Mahan Gap, and the ridge gives out just south of Georgetown.

Ringgold Gap is where it made history. In November 1863 Patrick Cleburne posted his men across the gap, kept them out of sight, and held fire until the Union columns were within a hundred yards. The Union lost about 500 men there, the Federal advance toward Atlanta was delayed, and Cleburne came away called the Stonewall of the West.

White Oak Mountain

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