Posted on 02/09/2010 5:39:32 AM PST by jay1949
Two major Federal projects, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Tennessee Valley Authority, brought the outside world irrevocably into the Tennessee high country, displacing whole communities from ancient abodes and altering forever the way of life that had endured from the Colonial period. Among the archives from that time are a scattering of photographs which recall an independent, hardy, resourceful, and industrious people, worthy descendants of the Backcountry settlers of long ago. [Many vintage photographs.]
(Excerpt) Read more at backcountrynotes.com ...
A wonderful site! Thanks!
That was a great movie!
“In the pines, in the pines,
Where the sun never shines,
And you shiver when the cold wind blows”
Never cared much for Montgomery Clift, though.
I remember when Pigeon Forge was a neat place...used to go up to Silver Dollar City when I was a kid. We’re tinkering with the idea of moving back out that way (not the Forge, but east Tenn.), but with the political climate as it is, I think Texas is the more stable state. So we’ll have to settle through that extremely painful drive through Arkansas and make regular visits as often as we can. Are you still up there?
I’m from NY but had the odd chance years ago to spend 2 days in Erin, TN (near Nashville) during some beautiful spring weather in May. I thought it was heaven on Earth.
yep, same with southern Ohio...and remember, it is mostly Scots-Irish culture...which means the “Code” and NEVER bend a knee to any man, only god...
Yep...still in the area...I remember even before Silver Dollar City...The only attraction was an old zoo named Fort Wear...
“Old Rocky Top you’ll always be....second in the SEC”
Born in TN, grew up in Bama...Bama fan.
*LOL* I am Scots/Irish and Ani-Yun Wiya (Cherokee)...
I’m sorry...........
Did you know that at one time, the Cleveland Browns NFL team owned Silver Dollar City...or Gold Rush Junction, which it also was once named...
Lucky you...say hello to those mountains for me. Nowhere else feels so much like home.
I did not know that! I remember (I was very young) an attraction that was a boat ride, with animatronic pirates...one of the fellows used to say, Don’t just stand there! Come help me! as he was trapped in the wall. Scared the tar out of me.
I’ll say hello for you...I am getting too old for winter backpacking now, but I do hike quite a bit in the Park...I’m ?patiently? awaiting spring to begin trout fishing in the Park’s streams again...(I’ve fished those streams since the late 50’s...Half century)*L* God, I’m OLD!!!!!
Urban areas have them in one pile. It used to be that the troublemakers left the hills to seek their fortune. Then they discovered “the disability”. Getting a disability check up here is like winning the lottery. I know people who sit in a tree stand through all of hunting season and get paid to do it by the government.
Granted, the vast majority are OK and you don’t have to lock your doors. There is no such thing as a bad side of town. But there are people who will shoot you just to see what happens. And everybody in town knows to stay away from them because they are crazy.
Thanks for the article. My dad was born in a log cabin. His father was a younger son and thus low man on the totem pole so my grandfather got the cabin the first settlers in Tennessee had. My grandmother showed the cabin to my mom when my parents were first married, but sadly the cabin, like a lot of the relics of the past, is now gone.
They would have a few locals working on those dams. My uncle worked on the Fontana dam. But his uncle had some political clout in Monroe County, so maybe that helped. Many of those dams were built in the era of the Great Depression and even before the depression, the economics were not great in that region.
“Eastern KY has some areas reminiscent of this era. Some of the photos remind me of the movie “Sgt. Yorker” staring Gary Copper.”
I was born and raised in Bell Co. KY and your right, there are many areas reminiscent of this era still. My grandpa came to Bell co from the Caney River area of Claiborne Co. TN in the 20-30’s. He used to talk about life during that time, it was hard. They were so poor they ate possum, raccoon and ground hog, deer, about anything they could find. He also talked about making moonshine and hiding from the revenuers as well.
My great grandparents on my mothers side aside from electricity lived like those pictured. Wood stove for cooking and heating, smoke house, barn, garden, outhouse(damn those wasps in the summer time!) I chopped a many a pile of wood for kindling at their house as a boy.
The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
*ping*
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