Mount Mitchell Highest mountain in eastern America, Mount Mitchell soars 6,684 feet into the misty haze. Only a few miles from the parkway on North Carolina Highway 128, the towering peak is a favorite attraction of many who visit western North Carolina. The mountain was named for Dr. Elisha Mitchell, professor at the University of North Carolina, who first measured its height in 1835. In 1844, Dr. Mitchell set out to verify his measurement of the peak and perished at the foot of a waterfall on the mountain slope. On the summit is Mount Mitchell State Park, comprised of 1,224 acres.
Comfortable facilities are available, of course, for camping picnicking, hiking, and dining.
The largest organized Indian reservation east of Wisconsin is located in the western reaches of the North Carolina mountains. Here in their ancient homeland, the North Carolina Cherokee still competes in bowmanship and blowgun contests, plays the ancient game of Indian Ball and participates in other primitive games and dances that were begun centuries before the white man ventured into the region. The reservation was once a hideout for Indians who refused to leave the Great Smokies during the Indian removals in 1838. Part of the lands was purchasaed and given to the Cherokees by a native of the region, William H. Thomas. Later, the U.S. Congress provided funds for purchasing the entire tract.