The Great Smoky Mountains
The Smoky Mountains are a range of mountains in the southern Appalachians. They begin where the Pigeon River cuts through the Appalachian System, and rise to their highest point at Clingman's Dome, at an elevation of 6,642 feet above sea level. They then gradually descend, forming a ridge to the southwest to the Little Tennessee River. They are part of the Unaka chain which is an off-shoot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but definable in the sense that they contain some of the highest peaks in the master chain of the Appalachian System, which traverses over 2,000 miles from Canada to Alabama.
The first human inhabitants of the Smoky Mountains were Native Americans. The Cherokee Indians traveled south to this region in about 1000 AD. They named this place Shaconage, "Place Of Blue Smoke." Even then, the mountains were wreathed in a blue-toned haze. To explain the mountains' majesty, Cherokee myth tells how Great Buzzard flew over the still-soft earth, dipping his wings in the mud. As his wings pushed the earth down, the mountains sprang up. By the time of European arrival, more than seven bands totaling 25,000 Cherokee occupied much of the southeast. Making their homes in log cabin villages throughout the mountains, the Cherokee lived a life based on agriculture, harvesting crops of corn, beans and melons. Each village was centered around a large, seven-sided Council House where public meetings and religious ceremonies were held.
In the mid to late 1800's, European settlers ventured into the mountains. Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto was truly the first European arrival in 1540. But, his expedition passed quickly through the region, searching for fabled Aztec and Incan riches. The first permanent settlers brought many of the traditions of their homelands to the Smokies, as they climbed the North Carolina Piedmont and passed into rich mountain valleys. Like the Cherokee before them, these pioneers lived off what they won from the land. Concentrating their settlements in the fertile lowlands, these primarily Scotts-Irish settlers created self-contained worlds in areas like Cades Cove and Cataloochee. Latecomers were forced into the highlands. Known as hardscrabble farmers, they tilled infertile valleys and rocky slopes, scratching out an existence in the unforgiving mountains. Examples of these types of homesteads can be seen in the Roaring Fork area.
Each community was centered around a mill. Corn provided the staple food for settlers well into the 20th century. Settlers harnessed the power of water by constructing mills along the mountains' many creeks and streams. Primitive turbines collected the fast-flowing water to spin the stones that turned corn into meal. A mill was the mark of true self-sufficiency. If a family was able to build their own mill, they could avoid paying tolls to have their corn ground and could even earn additional income by charging others.
Even though Native Americans were not highly advanced, the Cherokee combined their native ingenuity with the technology brought by Europeans to create an original written language. Sequoyah, a silversmith, developed a written language for his people in the 1820's utilizing a code of 86 images which represented every sound made in the Cherokee language. The entire Cherokee Nation adopted the language within two years and used it to publish their own newspaper, The Cherokee Phoenix.
A short period of peaceful coexistence with settlers ended with the discovery of gold in the north Georgia mountains. Ever searching for westward lands, settlers had encroached upon Cherokee territory until tension was high, with many whites clamoring for the Cherokees' removal. In 1830 President Andrew Johnson demanded their removal, signing into law the Removal Act. It called for the transport of all native peoples east of the Mississippi River to reservations in the Oklahoma desert. The Cherokees' epic journey became known as the Trail of Tears and of 16,000 who departed, only 12,000 arrived in the strange land. But not all the Cherokee were willing to forsake their homes. Some escaped capture by fleeing to isolated mountain valleys. In 1889, North Carolina's 56,000 acre Qualla Indian Reservation was chartered to serve as their home. Today, these Cherokee are known as the Eastern Band and their descendants live on in the tribe's original homeland.
The focal point of the Smoky Mountains is definitely the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which was officially created on June 15, 1934. The Park sits astride the Tennessee-North Carolina state line amid the majestic southern climax of the Appalachian Highlands. The Smokies are easily within a one day's drive of more than 1/3 of the U.S. population. That along with the Parks natural beauty and recreational opportunities make the Great Smoky Mountains National Park America's most visited National Park with almost ten million visitors per year. The second most visited National Park is Grand Canyon National Park, which receives only half as many visitors.
The beautiful Smoky Mountain National Park is bisected by 70 miles of the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail, which follows the crest of the Great Smoky Mountains and is also the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. Within the Park's borders, the trail crosses from Davenport Gap near Big Creek on the northeast, comes down the mountain at Doe Knob and exits the Park to the southwest at Fontana Dam, N.C. on the Little Tennessee River. The Trail's halfway point is Newfound Gap, where President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the National Park. It passes near or over several of the highest peaks in the eastern United States. The Appalachian Trail winds up over the highlands through grassy balds and descends into the valleys where it joins other trails.
The 520,000+ acre National Park protects one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. The Park supports 66 species of mammals, 230 species of birds, 70 species of fish, 80 species of reptiles and amphebians, including more species of salamanders than are found anywhere else on earth. The Park also has about 2,115 miles of streams and rivers within its boundaries.
The Park also harbors more species of plants than any other area in North America. Over 4,000 species of plants including, 1,500 flowering shrubs and plants, 130 species of trees and 30 varieties of orchids and grasses can be found here. Interestingly, the Smokies' unique ecosystem combines two different climates. The lower elevations feature a prime example of deciduous forest while the conifer forests along the mountains' peaks are more like those found in central Canada. The amazing profusion of vegetation combines with the oil of pine trees to create a vapor that mixes with the moisture-laden air to give the Smoky Mountains their name.
The National Park Service strives daily to maintain the natural resources as well as many of the original structures of the pioneers. Oconaluftee Village and Cades Cove's serve as working examples of the pioneers' self-sufficiency. In other areas, structures are simply left open for visitors to explore and imagine how difficult daily life was for the pioneer families.
To assist you in enjoing the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains, the National Park Service maintains more than 150 trails that cover more than 900 miles. These trails vary greatly in length and degree of difficulty. So, be sure to find out about any trail before you get started. Hiking on the trails and getting off of the beaten path will open the windows into even more of the rich history of the Great Smoky Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park also can be toured via 238 miles of paved roads and 146 miles of gravel roads.
