page_title: Cataloochee (Great Smoky Mountains)
section_title: The national park
hierarchical_section_title: Cataloochee (Great Smoky Mountains) / History / The national park
caption_attribution_description: Palmer Chapel in Big Cataloochee, built in 1898 on land deeded by Mary Ann Caldwell. The chapel was used primarily by the Methodists.
context_page_description: Cataloochee is a valley in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, located in the Southeastern United States. Now a recreational and historic area within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cataloochee was once home to a substantial Appalachian community and Cherokee hunting ground.
context_section_description: Tourists began trickling into the Smokies in the late 19th century, drawn by mineral-rich mountain springs that were thought to have health-restoring qualities.  Many mountain residents built additional rooms onto their houses to accommodate lodgers, and several hotels sprang up.  The Cataloochee Ranch was established in 1933 by Tom and Judy Alexander.  The ranch was open April 15 through October 15, with 10 rooms at rates ranging from $2.75 to $5.00 per day.  Jarvis Palmer operated an 8-person lodge and three cottages during the 1930s, with slightly lower rates.
  In the 1920s, the increase in tourism and the destructive effects of logging gave rise to a movement to create a national park in the Smokies.  For this to happen, the residents living in the proposed park boundaries would either have to sell their land or be forced out via eminent domain.  In 1928, Reverend Pat Davis broke the news to the residents of Cataloochee at Palmer's Chapel, telling them the valley was within proposed park boundaries and that they would be forced to sell.  Hattie Caldwell Davis, who was at the meeting, recalled women crying and men threatening to dynamite the roads and shoot anyone who tried to enter. Some men had the idea of blocking Cove Creek Gap so the government representatives would have to come in from the Tennessee side, where Mount Sterling residents would surely stop them.
  Opposition to the park movement was eased when the Park Commission allowed residents to obtain lifetime leases and remain in their homes.  While some contested their condemnation suits, most simply took what was offered, as they were skeptical of lawyers and didn't think anything would be gained by going to court.  Many chose to remain on lifetime leases, but restrictions on farming and logging would force most people out of Cataloochee by 1943.  Most simply moved elsewhere in Haywood County.
  In the 1970s, the Park Service made plans to develop Cataloochee as a major tourist area within the park by paving Cove Creek Road and allowing greater vehicle access.  Widespread opposition and threats of litigation stalled the plan until 1982, when budget cuts forced the Park Service to abandon it.
  As of 2007, Cataloochee's surviving former residents and their descendants were still holding reunions in August of each year.
caption: Palmer Chapel in Big Cataloochee, built in 1898.
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