The Tennessee archaeology that was interesting to me is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is located in Gatlinburg Tennessee. The reason I chose Gatlinburg Tennessee, is because it has a lot of interesting site and adventures for adults and children. It’s has many things in Gatlinburg Tennessee you can see, but the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most attraction for this area. People come from all around the world just to visit Gatlinburg Tennessee. They make money from each various places in Gatlinburg Tennessee all through the year, especially from the many cabins they have there.
They make coming to Gatlinburg an interesting and educational place to visit as well as a fun place for the whole entire family. Gatlinburg Tennessee is exactly thirty nine miles southeast of Knoxville. Coming from Memphis Tennessee, Gatlinburg would take one day to get there. Memphis Tennessee is approximately six hours and forty seven minutes away from Gatlinburg Tennessee, depending on the traffic flow. It is also on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and you can take the U. S. Route 441, which connects Gatlinburg to Cherokee and North Carolina through the national park.
If someone was to leave from the University of Memphis, they would head east on Poplar Ave and make a left turn on N B. B. King Blvd, then turn right onto the I-40 E ramp to Nashville. When they get to I-40 they will then merge to keep left to stay on I-40 and keep left at the fork to stay on I-40. You will then keep right to stay on I-40 and follow signs for Huntsville I-65 S Knoxville and keep left at the fork to continue on I-40 E. Follow signs for I-24 E Knoxville/Chattanooga. Keep right to stay on I-40 E for 2. 1 miles then keep left at the fork to stay on I-40 E and follow signs for Interstate 40 E Knoxville for 194 miles.
Then take exit 407 toward Winfield Dunn Parkway and keep right at the fork and merge onto Winfield Dunn Parkway and 8. 2 miles you would turn left onto North Parkway and make a left turn on E Main Street. Continue onto Dolly Parton Pkwy for 0. 7 miles and Turn right onto TN-449 Veterans Blvd. At 6. 2 miles turn left onto US-441 S Parkway and take another 6. 5 miles and make a slight right onto River Road. Turn left to stay on River Road then make a left on Parkway and make a slight right and 23 feet will be Gatlinburg Tennessee. You will know when you are close to Gatlinburg Tennessee because you will see a beautiful city with big mountains.
It will appear to you as a background to the city of Gatlinburg Tennessee. The first people to settle in Gatlinburg Tennessee, were South Carolinians, and they still travel far and near to this present day. When Gatlinburg was founded the original name for this beautiful city was White oaks. The settlers was calling it White Oaks at the beginning, because the city wasn’t discovered at the time. The people who founded this area that settled there felt it should be called White Oaks, considering the big wooded trees, forests and wildlife that was in the area.
Before anybody started to come to the area, the Native American tribes where only living in that remote area. After so long the people in the White Oaks area, began to grow as the population and the community. They also build their first church. Which was called White Oaks Baptist Church. Then in 1867 a school was built. In 1855 a man by the name Radford Gatlin, which was a native from North Carolina opened their first a post office in the mercantile. He was then named the postmaster. For appreciation a man named Richard Reagan, renamed Radford Gatlin office because of the work he did in the community as a postman.
It was then called Gatlinburg. When people started to hear about the change of the office to Gatlinburg they begin to like it. In the late 19th Century White Oak community, decided its original name was well over due for a change. So the late 1800’s they officially renamed the area to Gatlinburg. Located 25 miles from Gatlinburg, was a cave they discovered called Tuckaleechee Caverns. The European settlers discovered it around 1850. After that miners started to watch water pour into a sink hole to discover an opening, for the debris filled in the cave.
For a while people who found out about the cave started taking advantage of the cool air pouring out of the hole. They used the cave to for warm summer to get away. In 1931 they opened the cave for public tours, so people can see inside it as well as the structure of it and the river that runs right through it. For many people they use Gatlinburg as a get away from everything. They have many places, people can go to be to their self and relax. Gatlinburg is close to the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and walking all the way up the mountains, would takes days if you are not in a car.
When I was in seven grade we took a trip to Gatlinburg and took the bus up the Great Smoky Mountains. It felt like we were on top of the world. Going up was a panic, because it didn’t have any railing. We look down from the bus and all we saw was trees and nothing else. In the mountains they have a resort filled with cabins. Also by the cabins you can see a lot of wild life and plenty of bears walking around at times. They also have a place called Dollywood which we visited. It was awesome. They fed us while we watch a show they put on. Gatlinburg Tennessee is a very beautiful place and great vacation resort for many people of all ages.
For people who never being would love Gatlinburg on their first visit. They have many beautiful places you could relax and meditate if needed. If someone needed to get away with family or just their self you could go to the mountains and many more exotic places of your choices. They even have a river walk that is downtown that runs from one end to the other end of town. Not only do they have that, people could do many activities while walking the river. They have arts and crafts for miles of the walk, and places to eat as well as shopping. They even have plenty of history that is interesting to learn about.
There was a lady by the name of Martha Jane Huskey Ogle, who came to this remote locale of the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee in 1807. During this time it was still called the White Oak Flats. She also bought her children and many other family members to stay in a cabin that was built. She moved her family there to honor deceased husband William. He had settled in that area he called the land of paradise. He found this area for the cabin in Gatlinburg while settling. The Ogle cabin is still standing, which can be seen at this present time to visit.
In 1802, her husband William Ogle chose a site where he wanted the first home to be built in Gatlinburg. The first home would be built for his family to live. He then started to cut down logs for the cabin. He also returned back to South Carolina where his family was, to bring them back with him to live in this cabin he was building. When talking to his family, he told them he had found a place his name “The Land of Paradise” which was located in the mountains of East Tennessee. When preparing to pack and bring his family to Gatlinburg he then fell ill. The said it was probably with malaria.
He then passed away in 1803 before he could bring his family to East Tennessee. So to honor his wish she pack and bought everyone there to live in the cabin he had for them four years later. When they got there they finish what he started and built the cabin. After that they started their new life in Gatlinburg. In 1910 the cabin was abandon from the grandson and his family who was the last to live there. Later on the farm was sold to Pi Beta Phi and they used it for a hospital between the years of 1922 to 1926. They also have a cove that people go visit all the time as well. The cove is in a valley that is surrounded by mountains.
They name it Cades Cove and visiting this cove you will see many different animals such as a white-tailed deer’s, black bears and ground hogs just to name a few. For many of year the Cherokee Indians was hunting in Cades Cove. When archeologists went to discover them being there they found no evidence of any major settlements there. They stated that first Europeans settled in that cove between the years of 1818 and 1821. This historic buildings and animals of Cades cove offer many things in the national park. The cove is one of the biggest areas that people visits in Gatlinburg Tennessee.