2017 CURIOS Gone But Not Forgotten The sad tale of 10-year-old Vannie Cook and her disappearance in the mountains lives on in the Smokies. by Arthur McDade T he Vannie Cook story takes place back in the spring of 1910, before the national park was established. Ten-year old Vannie and her sister were urgently employed by their father in "spotting" a raging fire on their mountain farm. Local tradition has it that Vannie's father Sam Cook had an argument with a neighbor that rapidly escalated into an arson fire being set on Cook's prop24 BlueRidgeCountry.com erty. When the fire was discovered, Vannie's father and some other adults raced to try to slow its progress. Before racing off, Vannie's father stationed his two daughters on a flank of the fire, up a rise of land, to act as lookouts on the spread of the blaze. It was late March and the full "green-up" of spring vegetation hadn't occurred. To add to the fire danger, afternoon Morehttp://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com