Vacation Cabins are Part of History in the Smoky Mountains

A cottage along the Little River Trail in Elkmont,
Tennessee, GSMNP. The cottages along Little River
were a part of the Appalachian Club known as
"Millionaire's Row." Photo by: Brian Stansberry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ac-cottage-elkmont-tennessee.jpg

Rustic mountain rental cabins are an integral part of the Smoky Mountain experience. Millions of tourists have come to experience the calm and serenity of vacationing in cozy rental cabins in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Cabins in the Smoky Mountains have a long, rich history. The heart of this history can be found at Elkmont, a region in the upper Little River Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains in Sevier County, Tennessee.

Established in the early 1900s, Elkmont was the home of a pioneering Appalachian community. What began as a humble logging town for mountain folk, blossomed into a resort community where the wealthy folks of East Tennessee vacationed. These elite Tennesseans created the Appalachian Club, for hunting and fishing enthusiasts, as well as the ritzier Wonderland Club, that served as a gathering place for the elite to socialize. It was so popular, that in 1909, the Little River Railroad began offering the Sunday "Elkmont Special"— non-stop train service from Knoxville to Elkmont.

Today, Elkmont is home to a large campground, ranger station, and historic district maintained by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In recent years, Elkmont has also been at the heart of a passionate controversy. When the area became part of the national park in the 1930s, most of Elkmont’s cabin owners were given lifetime leases, which then were converted to 20-year leases in 1952 and renewed in 1972. But in 1992, the National Park Service refused to renew the leases and plans were made to remove the Wonderland Hotel and all of the cabins.

Outraged by the destruction of such vibrant history local residents and members of the historical society have successfully fought to have the Wonderland Hotel and several dozen of the Elkmont cabins listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This victory, however, sparked a 15-year debate over the fate of these historic structures.

In 2009, the National Park Service announced plans to restore 19 of the most historically significant structures, and carefully document but then remove all others.

While these cabins are not available for vacationing tourists to inhabit, the Elkmont area is an interesting addition to any Smoky Mountain, Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg vacation.

For more information on this historic area, visit one of the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elkmont,_Tennessee
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?parkId=382&projectId=15794
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x4bmksLuBs&feature=dir