Tag: History
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Science at Sugarlands: Grassy Balds
Mysterious and haunting, Southern Appalachian grassy balds have long fascinated scientists and hikers alike. How many balds are there in the Smokies? How did they evolve? How do they support rare plants? Can balds be found in other parts of the world?
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The Road that Led Around the World
By Mike Aday
What do Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, Panama and Alaska have in common? They can all boast major roads built by one man, Knoxville native John L. Humbard. Well, technically, a lot of men were involved, but Humbard supervised them all.
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Back of Beyond, new Kephart biography from Great Smoky Mountains Association, invites readers to truly 'know the man'
An icon of the Southern Appalachian region known for the seminal books Camping and Woodcraft (1906) and Our Southern Highlanders (1913), Horace Kephart was instrumental in efforts to establish the Appalachian Trail along the Tennessee-North Carolina border.
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Presidential Pets & the Great Smoky Mountains
The White House has been home to more pets than people over its long history. First Pets have ranged from the commonplace, like Bo, President Obama’s Portuguese water dog, to the Scottish terriers, English springer spaniel, and cat that President George W. Bush. Others have included the bizarre and downright dangerous, such as the zebra kept by Theodore Roosevelt and the alligator, a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette, that John Quincy Adams kept in a White House bathroom.
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Reflecting upon the Walker Sisters during Women’s History Month
The Saturday Evening Post printed an article titled “Time Stood Still in the Smokies” on April 27, 1946. It began, “Deep in the mountains of East Tennessee, the Walker sisters are still living in the early 19th century... and finding it not so bad, either.”
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A swinging railroad bridge in Elkmont? I had no idea!
Anyone who has spent time in the Great Smoky Mountains can appreciate the rugged beauty of this Southern Appalachian range. Steep mountainsides, craggy gorges and boulder-strewn waterways are part and parcel of the landscape.
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Make plans to Branch Out with GSMA in 2019
As a Cub Report subscriber, you’ve probably uttered the following statement one way or another: “I want to be in the Smokies!” Am I right?
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Food, Family, and Community: Celebrating Christmas in the Great Smoky Mountains
With the Christmas holiday approaching, I thought it only fitting to delve into the history of Christmas celebrations in the Great Smoky Mountains. Rather than consult our traditional archival collections, I decided to plumb the depths of the parks extensive oral history collection to learn how these mountain folk celebrated Christmas in the decades immediately before the establishment of the park. While some of these reminiscences reminded me of stories I’d heard growing up in Texas, others were certainly unique to Southern Appalachia, and some even prompted me to say “I had no idea.”
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Where People Loved and Cared
Life in the Great Smoky Mountains of Southern Appalachia was never easy. Before the establishment of the park, many families lived a hard scrabble existence, working close to the land to make a life. In times of plenty and in times of want the specter of death was ever present. Disease and accident claimed the lives of mountaineers regularly. Limited medical knowledge and access to doctors resulted in stillborn babies or mother and child perishing during childbirth. While these losses were devastating for the families, the communities where these families lived suffered as well. In communal suffering, families, friends, and neighbors came together in order to help and heal.
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Sorghum-making demonstrations return to the Smokies
GATLINBURG, Tenn. — As cool air slowly creeps in and the leaves begin to change, it can only mean one thing – it’s sorghum making time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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