First a few caveats: (1) Lance Holland, the author of the book in question, is a longtime friend of mine; (2) I co-produced, wrote the script for, and was featured with Holland in the documentary video “Nantahala: Land of the Noonday Sun,” which he produced; (3) for a fee, I co-edited the book, along with Duane Oliver; and (4) I wrote, as did Oliver, a blurb-introduction for said book. Now, if that doesn’t disqualify me as a reliable reviewer, nothing will. So reader beware! ... you have been forewarned ... away we go.

Fontana - A Pocket History of Appalachia (paperback, 238 pages, 120 photos) is, in some ways, one of the most original and informative histories of Western North Carolina to appear in recent years. We’ll get to that part in a minute.

Holland, a native of Georgia, has for many years worked at Fontana Resort in various capacities, including as a backcountry guide in the Smokies and general region. In addition he is a contributor to Hiking Trails of the Smokies; a location scout/manager for motion pictures, including “The Last of the Mohicans,” “The Fugitive,” “Nell,” “My Fellow Americans,” “Forces of Nature,” and many others; and producer/director of two historic video documentaries: “Nantahala” and “Hiking on Hazel Creek.” He lives with his wife, Tina, and their daughter, Heather, in the Stecoah community of Western North Carolina in the heart of the Fontana area.

The press release Holland wrote for Fontana provides as good an overview of the book as I could concoct ... no need to reinvent the wheel:

“Some areas in the southern Appalachian mountains are known for mining, others for lumber production. Many have Indian place names and most preserve some remnants of their pioneer heritage. But few locales experienced all the cultural and social changes that are indicative of the entire region. The area affected by the construction of Fontana dam and lake situated along the Little Tennessee River in western North Carolina is one of these special places.

“Endowed with tremendous natural resources but geographically isolated, the area was both coveted and avoided. A wild land in the very heart of the great Cherokee Nation, the area hosted the culmination of Cherokee removal along the infamous Trail of Tears. Early explorers and traders ventured into its wildness in search of natural treasures. Hardy settlers hacked out a living in its forest primeval.

“Then in an amazingly short period of time, lumber barons, large-scale miners, and other industrialists transformed the area from pioneer settlements to the forefront of American technology. Part of it was chosen for the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The completion of a massive wartime public works project drastically altered the natural and cultural complexion of the place. Then finally, as is fashionable in most of Appalachia today, tourism and recreation evolved as the primary economic activities.

“The book is an enlightening and entertaining narrative that clothes the bones of history in a manner that allows the reader to become emotionally involved in the experiences being described.”

All true. Fontana chronicles the region’s human history from the time of traditional Cherokee culture until the day before yesterday. If you’re not already steeped in the region’s history, this is as good a place as any to obtain a reliable overview: early settlement patterns, logging, mining, the park movement, TVA, Horace Kephart, Alcoa, the North Shore Road controversy, cemetery relocation, tourism as a blessing and a burden, etc. If you are already pretty much up to date on those general topics, you will find in Fontana insights and personal observations regarding various aspects of mountain culture that have heretofore been neglected.

I said in my blurb-introduction to the book that “I was struck then by Lance’s sincere interest in the mountain region he has chosen to make home, and I was impressed with his firm grasp of the region’s cultural and economic history, dating from the arrival of the earliest Indians up to the present time. Across the board, he knew more about the nitty-gritty of the logging, mining, and hydroelectric industries than anyone I had previously encountered. Moreover, he understood how those activities interfaced with the tourism boom that skyrocketed with the founding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. So, I wasn’t surprised when Lance handed me the manuscript of Fontana to discover that he has taken some of the video’s themes and enlarged them to cover the history of the entire Little Tennessee region. Even those readers who already know a lot about these matters will be gratified to discover how much new ground has been broken herein — especially in the latter portions of the book where Lance enumerates matters in which he played a direct role. Furthermore, humor is always a precious commodity, particularly in historical narratives. There’s humor aplenty in Fontana. All in all, it’s a dandy book that will help folks who reside in or visit the area have a clearer understanding of just where they are.”

When I wrote that, I hadn’t seen the historical photos that were included in the published version. They alone are worth the price of admission.

Those of you who know me know that I wouldn’t praise a book written by my grandmother if I didn't think it was worthwhile. I might keep my mouth shut if I thought it was bad, but I wouldn’t praise it. I recommend Fontana to you without any hesitation whatsoever. It will, as Holland shamelessly claims in a press release, “make the perfect Christmas gift.” Fontana can be ordered by sending a check to Appalachian History Series, 1241 Lower Stecoah Road, Robbinsville, N.C., 28711. Credit card orders can be placed by calling 828.479.6960. The price, including tax, shipping and handling is $20.

(George Ellison is a writer who lives in Bryson City. He wrote the biographical introductions for the reissues of two Appalachian classics: Horace Kephart’s Our Southern Highlanders and James Mooney’s History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees. Readers can contact him at P.O. Box 1262, Bryson City, N.C., 287713, or at ellisongeorge@cs.com

 

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