Elkmont, Tennessee - Logging town to Resort to National Park

May 15th

There is much controversy and contrast in the Smoky Mountain National Park.  The park is lovely having been preserved by those with foresight from the naturalist to the powerful.  As we hike the trails and read the history it becomes clear that the park documents and embodies the eternal struggles of the human race.  

Little River 'boulevard' or strolling path at Elkmont

From the remote trails and rustic cabins to the broad paths and club houses the picture of humanity in the 1880s to 1930s unfolds.

Flowers along the path

Consider Elkmont, today a campground and hiking area on the Tennessee side of the Smoky Mountain National Park which started as a logging town and morphed into a summer playground for those who could afford to escape the summer head in the valleys.  Eventually it became an exclusive playground where only the wealthy residents were welcome.  

Swollen creek at Elkmont - wade the stream

In general the community supported the creation of the park but did not want to abide by the regulation that everyone sell their property to the park service.  Most land owners in the newly designated park sold to the government either because they needed the money to finance a new homestead or they supported the park; however, Elkmont was different.  The residents of Elkmont sold for a reduced rate but leased the property (including clubhouse) for another 60-70 years.  Most leases expired in 1992 with the last lease ending in 2001.  

Trillium

Today many of the homes are in disrepair and slated for destruction.  A limited number of homes may remain in the park.  An interesting documentation of the past and a point to ponder.

Hiking at Elkmont