At Home In the Smokies

A History Handbook for Great Smoky Mountains National Park North Carolina and Tennessee Produced by the Division of Publications National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. 1984

Using This Handbook

This theme handbook, published in this new edition on the 50th anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, tells the story of the people who settled and lived in the mountains along the Tennessee and North Carolina border. Part 1 gives a brief introduction to the park and its historical sites. In Part 2, Wilma Dykeman and Jim Stokely present the history of the region from the early Cherokee days to the establishment of the park in 1934 and the renewed interest in the past in the 1970s; this text was first published by the National Park Service in 1978. Part 3 gives a brief description of the major historical buildings you can see in the park. For general information about the park and its wildlife, see Handbook 112.

National Park Handbooks, compact introductions to the great natural and historic places administered by the National Park Service, are published to support the National Park Service’s management programs at the parks and to promote understanding and enjoyment of the parks. This is Handbook 125.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Main entry under title: At home in the Smokies. (National park handbook; 125)

Rev. ed. of: Highland homeland/Wilma Dykeman and Jim Stokely. 1978. Includes index.

Supt. of Docs, no.: I 29.9/5:125

1. Great Smoky Mountains (N.C. and Tenn.)—Social life and customs. 2. Great Smoky Mountains (N.C. and Tenn.)—History. 3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (N.C. and Tenn.)—Guide-books. 4. Cherokee Indians—History.

I. Dykeman, Wilma. Highland homeland. II. United States. National Park Service. Division of Publications. III. Series: Handbook (United States. National Park Service. Division of Publications); 125.

F443.G7A8 1984 976.8’89 84-600108

ISBN 0-912627-22-0

Part 1 Recapturing the Past 4

Smoky Mountain Heritage 7

Part 2 Highland Homeland 12

By Wilma Dykeman and Jim Stokely

Homecoming 17

Rail Fences 30

Land of the Cherokees 35

The Pioneers Arrive 49

Rifle Making 60

A Band of Cherokees Holds On 63

From Pioneer to Mountaineer 73

Spinning and Weaving 94

The Sawmills Move In 97

Birth of a Park 107

The Past Becomes Present 121

Handicrafts 132

Coming Home 137

Part 3 Guide and Adviser 146

Traveling in the Smokies 148

Oconaluftee 150

Cades Cove 152

Other Historic Sites in the Park 154

Related Nearby Sites 156

Armchair Explorations 157

Index 158