Tourism is key to the area's economy, particularly in cities like Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg in Tennessee,[91] and Cherokee, North Carolina. Welcome to the Skybridge, nearly two football fields long with stunning mountain views in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Javascript is currently disabled. [69], European explorers and settlers began arriving in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee in the mid-18th century. The U.S. National Park Service preserves and maintains 78 structures within the national park that were once part of the numerous small Appalachian communities scattered throughout the range's river valleys and coves. This one of a kind observation tower provides guests with 360â° views of the smoky mountains. The largest stream entirely within the park is Abrams Creek, which rises in Cades Cove and empties into the Chilhowee Lake impoundment of the Little Tennessee River near Chilhowee Dam. Their children and grandchildren spread out southward into the Sugarlands and Roaring Fork areas. The average farm consisted of roughly 50 acres (0.20 km2), part of which was cultivated and part of which was woodland. [24], Cove hardwood forests, which are native to Southern Appalachia, are among the most diverse forest types in North America. [80] Another incident was George Kirk's raid on Cataloochee, in which Kirk killed or wounded 15 Union soldiers recovering at a makeshift hospital. A string of Overhill villages, including Chota and Tanasi, dotted the Little Tennessee valley north of Chilhowee. Like most of Southern Appalachia, the early 19th-century economy of the Smokies relied on subsistence agriculture. While the rise in temperatures between 12,500 and 6,000 years ago allowed the hardwoods to return, the spruce-fir forest has managed to survive on the harsh mountain tops, typically above 5,500 feet (1,700 m). The northwestern half of the range gives way to a series of elongate ridges known as the "Foothills," the outermost of which include Chilhowee Mountain and English Mountain. While both Tennessee and North Carolina joined the Confederacy at the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Union sentiment in the Great Smoky Mountains was much stronger relative to other regions in these two states. The northern hardwood understory is home to diverse species such as coneflower, skunk goldenrod, Rugels ragwort, bloodroot, hydrangea, and several species of grasses and ferns. Many wildflowers grow in mountains and valleys of the Great Smokies, including bee balm, Solomon's seal, Dutchman's breeches, various trilliums, the Dragon's Advocate and even hardy orchids. Because of their prominence, the Smokies receive a heavy annual amount of precipitation. [64] Another tells of a captured Shawnee medicine man named Aganunitsi who, in exchange for his freedom, travels to the remote sections of the range in search of the Uktena. Species that thrive in southern hardwood forests, such as the red-eyed vireo, wood thrush, wild turkey, northern parula, ruby-throated hummingbird, and tufted titmouse, are found throughout the range's lower elevations and cove hardwood forests. [66] Other Cherokee place names in the Smokies included Duniskwalgunyi ᏚᏂᏍᏆᎫᏂ, or "forked antlers", which referred to the Chimney Tops, and kuwahi ᎫᏩᎯ, or "mulberry place", which referred to Clingmans Dome. Pseudoscymnus tsugae, a type of beetle in the ladybug family, Coccinellidae, has been introduced in an attempt to control the pests.[56]. [27], The mean annual temperatures in the higher elevations in the Smokies are cool enough to support forest types more commonly found in the northern United States. [citation needed] Thomas' Legion crossed the Smokies in 1862 and occupied Gatlinburg for several months to protect salt peter mines atop Mount Le Conte. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains and the name is commonly shortened to the Smokies. The larger rainbow and brown trout outcompete the native brook trout for food and habitat at lower elevations. Some of the red spruce trees in the Smokies are believed to be 300 years old, and the tallest rise to over 100 feet (30 m). Please call our office 865-436-4307 for current hours* The range has the densest black bear population east of the Mississippi River. In the Late Precambrian period, this ocean expanded, and the more recent Ocoee Supergroup rocks formed from accumulations of the eroding land mass onto the ocean's continental shelf. As for temperatures, the average temperature difference between the mountains (Newfound Gap around 5,000 feet (1,500 m) MSL and the valleys (Park Headquarters around 1,600 feet (490 m) MSL in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is between 10 and 13 °F (−12 and −11 °C) with highs and between 3 and 6 °F (−16 and −14 °C) with lows. The Great Smokies are best known as the home of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which protects most of the range. - 1000 A.D.) sites found within the park contained 2000+-year-old ceramics and evidence of primitive agriculture. The bobcat is the range's only remaining wild cat species, although sightings of cougars, which once thrived in the area, are still occasionally reported. The culture of the area is that of Southern Appalachia, and previously the Cherokee people. An attempt to reintroduce the red wolf in the early 1990s ultimately failed. [7] In 2004, the remnants of Hurricane Frances caused major flooding, landslides, and high winds, which were soon followed by Hurricane Ivan, making the situation worse. [57], Native Americans have likely been hunting in the Great Smoky Mountains for 14,000 years. One notable Civil War incident in the Smokies was the murder of long-time Cades Cove resident Russell Gregory (for whom Gregory Bald is named), which was carried out by bushwhackers in 1864 shortly after Gregory had led an ambush that routed a band of Confederates seeking to wreak havoc in the cove. [85], The second-largest operation was the Ritter Lumber Company, which logged the Hazel Creek watershed between 1907 and 1928. Dominant species in the Smokies include the Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), and smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens). [10] These mountain wave winds are strongest in a narrow area along the foothills, and can create extensive areas of fallen trees and roof damage, especially around Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Camp Creek community. [28] About 28,600 acres (116 km2) of the northern hardwood forest are old-growth. [42] Bald eagles and golden eagles have been spotted at all elevations in the park. [86] Other lumbering operations included Three M Lumber and Champion Fibre, both of which logged the Oconaluftee watershed. Can you #PassTheGlass? Early Precambrian rocks, which include the oldest rocks in the Smokies, comprise the dominant rock type in the Raven Fork Valley (in the Oconaluftee valley) and lower Tuckasegee River between Cherokee and Bryson City. [29], One unique community in the northern hardwoods of the Smokies is the beech gap, or beech orchard. [82][83][84], Innovations in logging railroads and band saw technology in the late 19th century made large-scale logging possible in the mountainous areas of Southern Appalachia. Take your visit to new heights atop AnaVista Tower, the highest point in downtown Gatlinburg. Large stands of dead Fraser Firs remain atop Clingmans Dome and on the northwestern slopes of Old Black. The first logging operations in the Smokies, which began in the 1880s, used splash dams or booms to float logs down rivers to lumber mills in nearby cities. The commission also had to deal with the Tennessee and North Carolina legislatures, which at times were opposed to spending taxpayer money on park efforts. [20], Heavy logging in the late 19th century and early 20th century devastated much of the forests of the Smokies, but the National Park Service estimates 187,000 acres (760 km2) of old growth forest remains,[3] comprising the largest old growth stand in the Eastern United States. [63], By the time the first English explorers arrived in Southern Appalachia in the late 17th century, the Cherokee controlled much of the region, and the Great Smoky Mountains lay at the center of their territory. The village of Oconaluftee, which was situated along the Oconaluftee River near the modern Oconaluftee Visitor Center, was the only known permanent Cherokee village located within the national park's boundaries. James Mooney, Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee (Nashville: Charles Elder, 1972). With a height of 150 feet at its midpoint, the SkyBridge is an incredible but easily attainable experience you'll remember for a lifetime - especially as you cross the glass-floor panels in the middle of the span. Gatlinburg SkyBridge lit up for Christmas 1 / 3 × Gatlinburg SkyLift Park. Christian Protestantism—especially Primitive Baptists, Missionary Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians; dominated the religious culture of the region. 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