The
half million protected acres that comprise the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park is many things to many people: a place of refuge,
a keeper of history, a home to wildlife, an engine for tourism.
The park is a backdrop to life itself in the region.
But the park is also a source of bitter resentment. Old-timers
still recall the heartache experienced by hundreds of families
who were forced off their land to make way for the park 75 years
ago. Park founders at the time argued in favor of the greater
good — creating a park that would be cherished for generations
to come, setting aside an Appalachian wilderness that would in
turn fuel a new-fangled tourism economy.
But to those who were uprooted from their farms and homesteads,
making sense of the national park just outside their backdoor
has proved difficult. We interviewed several former residents
of the park who fought back tears when recounting the loss of
their farms and cabins for the coming park more than 75 years
ago.
Our series of articles on the history of the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park in honor of its 75th anniversary in 2009 attempts
to move the region beyond its long-harbored resentment and to
embrace the national icon as its own.
More than 200 hours of interviews went into the series, including
visits with historians, park rangers, old-timers, community leaders,
artists, ecologists and those who recreate in the park. Our favorite
part, of course, was the numerous field expeditions, from accompanying
park rangers on research expeditions to school students on fieldtrips.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the place so many of
us retreat to in this increasingly modernize world, from a wildlife
watching picnic to the full immersion of a multi-day backpack.
As the earth becomes more crowded and developed, a place of refuge
like the Smokies will become increasingly important for humans
as well as a last stand where nature can still exist on its own
terms.
Perhaps most importantly, the series instills a deep appreciation
for the treasured park at the region’s doorstep that is
often taken for granted. When the park was created, powerful logging
companies were marching across the ridges and valleys sparing
nothing in their path. Park founders saved some of the last old-growth
stands, but efforts to protect the Smokies from outside forces
will never be over.
We hope the series inspires those in the region to become the
Smokies’ caretakers and guardians to help in the mission
of preserving all that makes it special for future generations
of Americans to enjoy.
A collection of articles commemorating the 75th anniversary of
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park appeared in a special
edition of Smoky Mountain Living magazine in April 2009, and were
reprinted over the course of the year in the Smoky Mountain News.
To
flip though the pages of the magazine, click here
 The
Southern Environmental Law Center awarded
the Phillip D. Reed Memorial Award for Outstanding
Writing on the Southern Environment to writer
Becky Johnson in 2009 for her articles that
appeared in the magazine.
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