Top stories
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
USINFO | 2013-08-12 15:53
One of the greatest natural treasures in the eastern United States is only short drive away for many. The U.S. Congress established the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934. Nearly ten million visitors every year make the trip to explore over 400,000 acres of picturesque mountains straddle the state line between eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. The mountains, named for the blue smoke-like haze first noted by the Cherokee, house one of the first national parks east of the Mississippi River. Years of dedication and hard work from people nationwide culminated in this historic founding.
History of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park's steep, unforgiving rocky soils hold deep roots to the past. European settlement in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park area first occurred in the 1700s. Cherokee settlement dates back nearly 800 years earlier. The earliest European settlers followed similar land use practices that the Cherokee had adopted. They cleared timber for use in buildings and fences, grazed livestock in the grassy valleys and practiced small-scale agriculture. Little changed for these close-knit communities for over a hundred years.
Large-scale commercial forestry vastly changed the landscape beginning in the 20th century. It was also during this time that several prominent families in east Tennessee began to contemplate founding a national park closer to their very own backyards. Their efforts paid off in 1926 when then President Calvin Coolidge signed a legislative bill that would eventually result in founding today's Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks.
Several barriers stood in the way of this, most notably the issues of funding and land ownership. Timber companies already owned and operated thousands of acres of prime forested land. Furthermore, several thousand farms already clung to the mountains and valleys, dependent on logging to help sustain their traditional way of life. Both voiced their opposition to founding a national park and would not give up their lands for such an effort. The state legislatures in both Tennessee and North Carolina appropriated funds to buy land along with assistance from John D. Rockefeller who donated his own money for the cause.
With money in the bank efforts began to force both business and private landowners off of their own land. The United States government invoked the use of eminent domain, forcing thousands of resentful farmers from the only area they knew as home. Chipping away at claiming land for a national park took time and it was several years before all 400,000 acres of the modern park had been acquired. Finally on June 15, 1934 the United States Congress authorized the park's full development.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Today
Today millions of visitors each year flock to the area to explore the park's rich offerings. Nearly a two-thirds of Americans live within a two day drive of the biologically and geologically-rich park.
Wildflower and botany enthusiasts can enjoy nearly 2,000 varieties of both flowering and non-flowering plants tucked among the mountainside forests and valleys. UNESCO, which designated the park as a World Heritage Site in 1983, notes that Earth's largest undisturbed block of red spruce is found here. The famed mountains themselves formed hundreds of millions of years ago during the Paleozoic Era. During this era the modern day Appalachians measured over 20,000 feet high due to tectonic plate collisions. Millions of years of weathering eroded the primarily sedimentary rock peaks to their current heights.
Outdoor enthusiasts can explore hundreds of miles of hiking trails, including part of the Appalachian Trail. Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the park and also one of the highest points along the famed trail offers an easy and fully accessible hike to the top with spectacular views from the observation tower at the summit. Visitors can also spend the night at ten designated campgrounds or fish from the local streams. Many more experience the scenery from their automobiles, via such routes as the Newfound Gap Road. This historic and scenic Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides something for every visitor.
History of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park's steep, unforgiving rocky soils hold deep roots to the past. European settlement in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park area first occurred in the 1700s. Cherokee settlement dates back nearly 800 years earlier. The earliest European settlers followed similar land use practices that the Cherokee had adopted. They cleared timber for use in buildings and fences, grazed livestock in the grassy valleys and practiced small-scale agriculture. Little changed for these close-knit communities for over a hundred years.
Large-scale commercial forestry vastly changed the landscape beginning in the 20th century. It was also during this time that several prominent families in east Tennessee began to contemplate founding a national park closer to their very own backyards. Their efforts paid off in 1926 when then President Calvin Coolidge signed a legislative bill that would eventually result in founding today's Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks.
Several barriers stood in the way of this, most notably the issues of funding and land ownership. Timber companies already owned and operated thousands of acres of prime forested land. Furthermore, several thousand farms already clung to the mountains and valleys, dependent on logging to help sustain their traditional way of life. Both voiced their opposition to founding a national park and would not give up their lands for such an effort. The state legislatures in both Tennessee and North Carolina appropriated funds to buy land along with assistance from John D. Rockefeller who donated his own money for the cause.
With money in the bank efforts began to force both business and private landowners off of their own land. The United States government invoked the use of eminent domain, forcing thousands of resentful farmers from the only area they knew as home. Chipping away at claiming land for a national park took time and it was several years before all 400,000 acres of the modern park had been acquired. Finally on June 15, 1934 the United States Congress authorized the park's full development.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Today
Today millions of visitors each year flock to the area to explore the park's rich offerings. Nearly a two-thirds of Americans live within a two day drive of the biologically and geologically-rich park.
Wildflower and botany enthusiasts can enjoy nearly 2,000 varieties of both flowering and non-flowering plants tucked among the mountainside forests and valleys. UNESCO, which designated the park as a World Heritage Site in 1983, notes that Earth's largest undisturbed block of red spruce is found here. The famed mountains themselves formed hundreds of millions of years ago during the Paleozoic Era. During this era the modern day Appalachians measured over 20,000 feet high due to tectonic plate collisions. Millions of years of weathering eroded the primarily sedimentary rock peaks to their current heights.
Outdoor enthusiasts can explore hundreds of miles of hiking trails, including part of the Appalachian Trail. Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the park and also one of the highest points along the famed trail offers an easy and fully accessible hike to the top with spectacular views from the observation tower at the summit. Visitors can also spend the night at ten designated campgrounds or fish from the local streams. Many more experience the scenery from their automobiles, via such routes as the Newfound Gap Road. This historic and scenic Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides something for every visitor.
