National Park celebrates 75 years
By Scott Brooks
75 years isn’t a long time when you consider how long the forests and mountains that encompass the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have been around.But 75 years is certainly worth celebrating for lovers of the Park and all it means to the region and the state.
That’s why the National Park Service is in the middle of a year-long commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Park.“We are excited about all the opportunities to showcase the Park and its heritage,” said spokesperson Nancy Gray.
The theme is “A celebration of our heritage and stewardship for our future.”
“It was a grass roots effort that created the Park,” Gray said. “We want people to have that sense of shared responsibility.”
The idea of a national park in the Smokies began in the late 1890s and by the mid-1920s support groups from Asheville, NC and Knoxville, Tenn. pulled together a plan for the formation of the Park.
Most of the land had to be purchased from large timber companies.
The rest was owned by private families, all of whom had to move off of their property.
On June 15, 1934 Congress established the national park.
Over the next 16 years the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built many of the trails, campgrounds and bridges that are still enjoyed by visitors today.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt formally dedicated the park in 1940.
Today, the Park is the most visited national park in the country, encompassing more than 800 square miles in Tennessee and North Carolina.
Inside the boundaries are more than 1,200 campsites, 800 miles of trails, 11 picnic grounds and three visitor centers.
Among the special events this year marking the 75th anniversary are an outdoor concert by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra on June 13 and a reenactment of President Roosevelt’s motorcade to dedicate the park on July 4.
“It’s a big deal,” said Jim Davis, director of public relations for the Gatlinburg Department of Tourism.
The motorcade will be part of Gatlinburg’s annual July 4th celebration.
“We’re lucky to be here. Even in this economy, people are still coming because it’s free.”
The Park hosted more than 9 million visitors in 2008, many of whom visited and spent money in the nearby towns like Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Townsend.
The concert is part of a full anniversary weekend that also features an open house of the Park Headquarters on June 14 and tribute to the Cherokee heritage of the Park on June 15.
The official re-dedication of the Park will take place on Sept. 2 at the site of the original ceremony at Newfound Gap.
President Barack Obama has been invited to attend. If he does, he would be the first sitting president to visit since Roosevelt.
Gray said the program for the event will be similar to the one used in 1940.
“It will be a way to show the value of our national parks,” she said.
For more information on the festivities, including an event calendar, visit www.greatsmokies75th.com.
