Creating a National Park

In the 1920s, local residents like Col. David Chapman and Ann Davis began building support for a national park in the Great Smoky Mountains, inspired in part by the great national parks of the western U.S. as well as the urgent need to preserve the natural wonders in their own backyard, which were under grave threat by logging and other human activity. Logging companies fiercely resisted early attempts to establish the park, but advocacy by the editor of the Asheville Citizen-Times, Knoxville Mayor Ben Morton, photos by George Masa, and articles from travel writer Horace Kephart helped win over the public. John D. Rockefeller donated $5 million for land acquisition, the federal government for the first time spent money to establish a national park -- chipping in $2 million -- and countless local residents donated time, money, and land to make the park a reality. The park was dedicated in 1934, and in 1983 was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.