back to
Cultural History |
Logging |
|
Little River
Railroad |
By 1900, the loggers had discovered the Smoky
Mountains. In only 30 years, 80% of the park was clear-cut. This brought employment to the
mountaineers, but it wreaked havoc on the environment. Conservationists began to call for
a national forest or national park in the area. A few businessmen caught on to the idea
and by 1920 they were lobbying the government to create a national park- which they
claimed would someday bring over 1 million tourists a year (In 1995 over 9 million people
came to the park!) Despite opposition, the park was finalized after J.D. Rockefeller Jr. donated 5 million dollars. Most of the land was owned by timber companies, most of whom demanded top dollar for worthless land (since it was all clear-cut). In Cades Cove, the residents were offered money for their land. Over half the people took the money and left the cove. But many fought against the park. They were led in their efforts by John W. Oliver, great-grandson of the first settler in the park. He led an incredible legal fight against the government which finally ended at the Supreme Court of Tennessee. A compromise was reached and many cove people were given either life-time leases or year-by-year leases. Today, there is still one family living in the cove who runs a cattle operation. |
|
QuickInfo >>> |
Official Site http://www.littleriverrailroad.org |
