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Cades Cove and Nature

Our first stop in the Smokey Mountains was at Cades Cove. It was really pretty and we learned a lot of history about the area. Here is a bit of fun facts.

Of all the Smoky Mountain communities, Cades Cove put up the most resistance to the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The cove residents were initially assured their land would not be incorporated into the park, and welcomed its formation. By 1927, the winds had changed, however, and when the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill approving money to buy land for the national park, it gave the Park Commission the power to seize properties within the proposed park boundaries by eminent domain. Long-time residents of Cades Cove were outraged. The head of the Park Commission, Colonel David Chapman, received several threats, including an anonymous phone call warning him that if he ever returned to Cades Cove, he would "spend the next night in hell."[43] Shortly thereafter, Chapman found a sign near the cove's entrance that read {sic}:
COL. CHAPMAN: YOU AND HOAST ARE NOTFY, LET THE COVE PEOPL ALONE. GET OUT. GET GONE. 40 M. LIMIT.
The "40 mile" (64 km) limit referred to the distance between Cades Cove and Chapman's hometown of Knoxville. Despite these threats, Chapman initiated a condemnation suit against John W. Oliver in July 1929. The court, however, ruled in favor of Oliver, reasoning that the federal government had never said Cades Cove was essential to the national park. Shortly after the verdict, the Secretary of the Interior officially announced that the cove was necessary, and another condemnation suit was filed. This time, Oliver lost, with the case going all the way to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Oliver would return to court several times over the value of his 375 acre tract, which he said was worth $30,000, although the court awarded him just $17,000 plus interest. After attaining a series of one-year leases, Oliver finally abandoned his property on Christmas Day in 1937. The Primitive Baptist Church congregation continued to meet in Cades Cove until the 1960s in defiance of the park service, who wanted to develop the land where their church was located.

 Today Cades Cove, the single most popular destination for visitors to the park, attracts more than two million visitors a year because of its well preserved homesteads, scenic mountain views, and abundant display of wildlife.[1] The Cades Cove Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.



Here is one of the churches in Cades Cove. It was built in 1827.  My kids and I talked about how we know that the country was experiencing a resurgence of religion during this time. It was in 1830 that our church was formed (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). Seeing this church, helped my kids understand the time period in which Joseph Smith restored our church.

This was an amazing cemetery behind the church.


It was hot out, so Maylin enjoyed a break in the church.


Jay pretending to be a preacher in olden times.


We had a great picnic.

At the main area of Cades Cove there was a toy maker showing people the toys of the time period. He spent a lot of time with my kids showing them the games and how they worked. My kids tried so many games and enjoyed this time a lot. They had little pop cap things that you would load and then hit out with your hand. Alex could get that sucker to pop and fly far. Kenzie worked and worked and either couldn't get it out or it would drop to her feet. Funny how kids are so different.



Kenzie trying to pop her pop gun.....Alex offers her advice.



Maylin did well at spinning the spinners and tops.

Here the toy maker was showing how to make a whistle out of a branch.



The kids had fun with this ring game. It was all good until Maylin's turn and she threw that ring right on the roof of the near-by barn. That girl has muscle.



The historic barn.



They had a beautiful working mill. The kids loved watching the water and watching the man inside ground corn into meal and wheat into flour.







On the lake where we were staying there was this eagle's nest. There was a family of eagles. It was cool to check on it every day when we were on the lake.

We also saw a lot of wildlife. Kathy and Tom would have several deer in their yard at any point in the day. They also had reversed skunks! They were white with black stripes. They also had a bird feeder on their deck and we enjoyed watching the most beautiful, colorful birds every day. We also saw a few fireflies.


Comments

Circe said…
Thanks for all the great pics and info. We're In pigeon forge, headed through the park tomorrow, to Asheville. Fun place!
July 28, 2013 at 9:28 PM
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