Blue Ridge Country March/April 2024 - 28

INSIDER'S GUIDE
TO THE
SMOKY
Great
MOUNTAINS
NATIONAL
PARK
T
he formation of the Appalachian
range in which the
Great Smoky Mountains
lie
dates back 200-300
million years. Evidence of
pre-Columbian cultures also reach hundreds
of millions of years into the past.
Fast forward to the late 1700s CE when
European settlers arrived and launched
dramatic changes that would shape the
mountains and its people into the future.
During the 1800s, white
settlers
moved into the mountains. And, at the
dawn of the 20th century, logging companies
and railroad ventures were changing
the contours of the land. During this
time, the fits and starts of political and
conservation efforts began. In 1890, a
park bill in North Carolina failed; and,
the first attempt to purchase park lands
in Tennessee met the same fate.
Ultimately, President Calvin Coolidge
signed a bill in 1926 establishing the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park,
but progress was slow. Within this bill was
the proviso that the federal Department
of the Interior would assume administrative
and protective responsibilities
once 150,000 acres could be purchased.
Funds had to be raised, over 5,600
people had to leave their homes, and
timber and paper companies still had
interests in the mountains. Eight more
years passed. The first superintendent
of the park had arrived and the Civilian
Conservation Corps had begun building
roads, bridges, structures, campgrounds
and trails.
Then, in 1934, Tennessee and North
Carolina donated 300,000 acres for the
national park and 150,000 acres were
purchased from homeowners-officially
" establishing " the new park.
The dedication of " the largest federally
protected upland landmass east of
the Mississippi River " was subsequently
officiated by President Franklin Roosevelt
at Newfound Gap in 1940.
Happy 90th birthday, Great Smoky
Mountains National Park!
BEST PLACE TO LEARN ABOUT
THE PARK
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.
Join a community science and research
project for hands-on experiences across
TREMONT INSTITUTE FACEBOOK
28 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
more than 500,000 acres of wilderness.
This nonprofit environmental education
center located within the park offers
opportunities to study and learn about
birds, butterflies, amphibians, otters, lichens,
the weather, air quality and even
phenology (life cycle events in nature).
Take a photography workshop, go on
guided hikes, train for emergency medical
situations in the wilderness or earn
a Naturalist Certification. Spend the day
or inquire about residential programs
where participants get to stay on site in
the dorm or tent village, eat in the dining
hall, enjoy outdoor classrooms and learn
in the science lab. No experience necessary
and all ages welcome.
BEST HISTORICAL PLACE
Elkmont. Documented archeological discoveries
of human habitation date back
8,000 years at this location. In more recent
eras, this area has been a logging
community with a railroad, vacation
resort village with cottages and a grand
hotel and subsequently a ghost town succumbing
to the ravages of time when
leases expired in 1992. The good news:
Visitors can now see what community
life looked like here over a century ago.
Sixteen
historic structures, including
cabins, churches and more, have been
rehabilitated and are open to the public.
Read informational signage and notice
period furniture and tools to get a sense
of the place and learn about future preservation
plans.
ANGELA MINOR
http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country March/April 2024
