Photographs and writings from the early days of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Used with permission of The Great Smoky Mountains Regional Collection, University of Tennessee Libraries, and the McClung Historical Collection, Knoxville Public Library.
Albert “Dutch” Roth lived from 1890 to 1974, and left an astonishing collection of amateur photographs which document the early years of … Read More »
These pictures were taken by Dutch Roth. The text from his journal below describes the fascinating history in the early days of Smoky Mountains touris… Read More »
The Smoky Mountains Hiking Club cabin still stands in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You can see it by taking the … Read More »
From Dutch Roth’s journal, Tales from the Woods: MARKING THE A.T. AUGUST 18,1929 Many present-day hikers tramping through the Smokies on grade… Read More »
From the journal of Dutch Roth, Tales From the Woods, describing the history of winter hiking in the Smoky Mountains: We hiked in all kinds of weathe… Read More »
Jim Thompson was a founding member of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club and a prominent Knoxville photographer during the 1920s to 1940s. Along with his… Read More »
“We will fight to preserve the status quo in the Greenbrier. May the Greenbrier remain ax-less, pathless, and roadless, as an act of contrition for … Read More »
The first eight Presidents of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club gathered in December of 1936 and posed for a photo by Dutch Roth. From left to right, an… Read More »
100 years ago in the early 20th century, the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was a bustling center of tourism for the wealthy.… Read More »
The incredible photo above was taken by Dutch Roth during a hike to Rainbow Falls on February 16th, 1958. The photo below, also by Dutch Roth, was tak… Read More »
In the days before barbed wire, the traditional fencing material in the Smoky Mountains was rails split from a rot-resistant hardwood such as chestnut… Read More »
In the late 1920s Gatlinburg entrepreneur Jack Huff built a 20 by 24 foot cabin out of balsam logs that was the forerunner of today’s LeConte Lo… Read More »
This was just a fun assignment. I had the photo above, taken by Jim Thompson sometime in the 1920s or 1930s along Little River Road in the Smoky Mount… Read More »
The photo above was taken by Dutch Roth on a trip with the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club. The group is shown in front of the John Oliver Lodge in Cades … Read More »
During the greater span of history in the Smoky Mountains, Indian Gap has been the main route across the mountains. Long a Cherokee trail, Indian Gap … Read More »
What is it that’s “new-found” about Newfound Gap? Well, for most of history Indian Gap Road served as the route over the Smo… Read More »
The photo above was taken by Knoxville, TN photographer Jim Thompson. It shows the parking area at Clingmans Dome sometime around 1940. At an elevat… Read More »
This edition of Smoky Mountains history shows the outdoor kitchen on Mt. LeConte circa 1925. This kitchen was near the original LeConte Lodge built by… Read More »
Charlie’s Bunion is a curious geological feature along the Appalachian Trail 4 miles east of Newfound Gap. The boulder-like protrusion sits on t… Read More »
Another Smoky Mountains history entry from the journal of Dutch Roth, recounting a long Smoky Mountains hike taken in 1931 by Dutch and his friends Ha… Read More »
The images on this page are from a 1949 US Geological Survey Map of the Smoky Mountains, which was based on the 1931 map created at the time the Natio… Read More »
I’d like to do some off-the-beaten-path exploring in search of the history of the Greenbrier this spring. One of the best areas to start is up F… Read More »
We began our exploration of the False Gap area in the Greenbrier last week. To refresh our memory, this is the area just over the first two bridges a… Read More »
Last week we paid a visit to Plemmons Cemetery in the False Gap area of the Greenbrier in the Smoky Mountains. This week we are exploring further up … Read More »
I live in Gatlinburg TN, on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains. The Smokies are a very spiritual place, and I attempt to capture some of that spirit in each of my photographs.
If you are in Gatlinburg, please stop in at my gallery .
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