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The Great Smoky Mountains are known for
their splendid beauty. No other place this size can match its variety of
plant and animal species. The Great Smoky Mountains is flourished with well
over 1,500 flowering plants, dozens of native fish, and more than 200
species of birds and about 60 species of mammals. The National Park Service
has a mission to preserve this natural and cultural heritage for future
generations. Most of the national is being managed as wilderness. The Great
Smokey Mountains got their name from the Cherokee that once lived there.
They described the Smokies as shaconage, which means “blue, like smoke.” The
Cherokee farmed the land and started building homes. Soon the Europeans took
the land and claimed it as theirs. The 1790’s brought white settlers into
the lowland and farmland became scarce and commercial agriculture migrated
to the Midwest. Logging threats alarmed Congress and in 1926 the park was
authorized. In 1934 the park was established and it was one of the first
national parks made from private land. North Carolina and Tennessee,
citizens, groups, and several schools raised money for the land as a
donation to the Federal Government. In the 1920’s and 1930’s many buildings
stood in the national park but in the 1930’s the National Park Service saved
mostly just the log buildings and now only a few frame houses, mills and
churches remain. Many people enjoy coming to the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park so they can discover just a small bit of history in a
beautiful area. In this national lies some of the nation’s largest
collections of log buildings. Plan your next vacation to East Tennessee and visit the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and
see why everyone’s always talking about the beauty of this area. One trip
and you’ll quickly make this your favorite vacation hot spot. |
