Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

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Letters supporting Appalachian National Park movement

  • wcu_great_smoky_mtns-14507.jpg
  • Various organizations expressed support for an Appalachian National Park. A movement for a national park in the Appalachians was spearheaded by Appalachian National Park Association, formed in 1899. The association raised public awareness of the issue, but disbanded before the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
  • r* a r P i t. fighl aade.N.Cloven? be* 9th .1 8Pfc>. / J» reference to the conversation we had together * ah© ti»e age J now nsd you a map of Ifhe locality isrrouucliBg Hi gh J asds sad which shows the riilrosd lines existing or proposed at the time the map *n made .The line marked froa> Asheville e« th* pr«pt«d line from Asheville w*t surveyed some t h of it is perfectly feasible As to ears a go a a d—b a d pr••(.'»■«« ii»« i rwc fint»ni« w*» surveyvc some years ago an<i—-ea<j the times been propitious it would doubtUtt have beeB bu i 1 t ,J helped to lay out the line -and everything about it eves the cost r>r it is perfectly feasible *»d ia deed easy. ^» »o the paark proposed ar talked about this ie sot as y difficult matter.Whea J first eeme here sixties years ago my toi sad I took some iaterest is tryiag to develop the adjacent country and organ ized the West era K.C. Land aa d improvemeat a s aoe i at iea , en d we foua that we could very easily control the whole of the leads with ia ■ever*? tiles erouad this place,sad as the condition* are more favor*b|e bcw the seme thing could be done <g«e^w • You will notice that this place is the eeaver of the whole water shed of th*» eutherii states,very nearly.On thia account alone it woaid be e isrica^ disaster to the lower country to bring it under culture.it is naturslly » water reserve for all the large rivera of the cut It with a few e xe ep t iea• «aa d it might he a goed thing te enlarge the scope of the enterprise to take ia the whole thing as far as possible so as to get the moat effect in this line .Already the result of the little c!e«ring *rouaJ fee re that has been defer has led to an unprecedented flood a year or so ago by w damage wn dens.vca may understand something of the I In a 1 the water p owe r a »,J built the water has failed mnd the three new use leas.,If th i * heppsns now tin the manner bu t put in to it is c e i ve the re iu of the timber. - Put except perhaps needs enything more to d m s»w mill »nd equipped it in t h ou * en d doll «r» J nsy to psr future,! f th© mountain ilcpMj.rii—e-±-e-«1 0 f the uatil the market opens by the little clearing fields leaving the timber to grow sad reserve what J have a use for it.This is a poiat to he csfltid«M*C is the main issue ,for the average value of the timber over the whole bouBdsrvis act less th aa tea dollars ai sere a a mesas to get it ob* are assured. Yo u r i truly ty4*~ys<3%4~y-a-S^ m o e a a a t h6