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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 16 April 2006 |
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Hooray! Fall is in the air. Trees are beautiful as they turn orange, yellow and red - with blue skies, and excellent weather. Never a better time to get away from the drudgery for a while and relax. Take a hike! |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 06 September 2010 )
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 22 November 2005 |
 One might say that I have grown up with the Smoky Mountains National Park. I remember when I was a senior in high school we wrote an essay on "Why the Smoky Mountains Should Become a National Park." I was among the first few hundred to cross the mountains to Cherokee when Highway 441 was built to allow vehicle travel across the vast wilderness. The mountains were surveyed for foot trails. These trails, coupled with the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia, became a challenge to hikers. Hiking became a very popular outdoor recreation and is to this day. It is no wonder then that when 1986 was designated as homecoming year in our state, I began to look back to the time of my life in Tennessee. |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 22 November 2005 |
 In the late 1800s many prominent ladies and gentlemen came to the Smoky Mountain area to enjoy the luxurious and beautiful surroundings of the Montvale Springs Hotel, known far and wide simply as Montvale. The hotel's main attraction was the healing effects of the sulfurous spring located nearby and the many leisure activities provided for the guests by the hotel operators. A day's activities included croquet, fine dining, hiking, hunting small game, a lush garden, music, and socials. Unorganized pastimes included chatting about the day's events in rocking chairs on the front porch and time spent in the hotel library. |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 22 November 2005 |
 At the turn of the 20th century, a group of men from Pennsylvania came to the Little River in Tennessee to begin the process of establishing logging operations in the midst of the vast forest that would later become The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Little River Lumber Company was chartered early in 1901 and on November 21, 1901, The Little River Railroad was chartered. This group of men was headed by Col. W.B. Townsend, whom the town where the operations were headquartered was named after -- Townsend, Tennessee. |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 22 November 2005 |
 Two hundred years ago the Smoky Mountain area wasn't a destination for very many people. The Smokies were a rugged threatening place and best avoided during journeys. The wildlife including bears, mountain lions and snakes were to be feared as much as the terrain. Crossing the mountains was no easy chore. Areas around the Smokies were settled easily enough, but a few hardy souls delved into this wilderness to make a home. What kind of person would risk life and limb to live in this hellacious country? |
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Written by Eddie Nickens
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Tuesday, 22 November 2005 |
 Neither brochure nor testimonial can prepare you for what awaits in tiny, secluded Balsam, North Carolina. Located 35 miles west of Asheville, North Carolina, in a narrow valley threaded with railroad tracks, Balsam once boasted four general stores, several churches, an Episcopal school and a depot called on by passenger trains six times a day. Today just a handful of buildings remain, including the old railroad hotel recently resurrected as the Balsam Mountain Inn. |
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