Natural Tennessee Treasure

It’s very common for us to admire ancient architecture and artifacts, and while those are fascinating, have you ever thought about all the history that lies within our natural surroundings? Our very own Cherokee National Forest leaves us with a very important connection to our Native American ancestry. Here you will read a brief outline of how the forest came to be and who trod the land centuries before we did.

After its creation commenced in 1920, initially overseen by president Woodrow Wilson and later finalized by president Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee has been an important destination for outdoor recreational activities as well as nature and wildlife exploration and preservation. It stretches along the border of North Carolina between Chattanooga and Bristol and as the largest tract of public land in Tennessee, the extensive 650,000 acre forest with seven white water rivers is a popular destination to undertake whitewater rafting and kayaking. It also serves as a popular destination for trekking and mountain biking on the many exclusive and scenic mountain trails the forest has to offer.

Cherokee

Though the forest is named in recognition of the famous Indian tribe, historically, the Cherokees were not the first settlers to use the forest’s grounds and resources. A long time before the Cherokees were forcefully evacuated from their tribal lands in 1838, the forest had been occupied by white European-American settlers since the early 1770. These settlers moved steadily across the Appalatian mountains and resided in the fertile river valley where they got by on farming and livestock grazing.

Timberrrr…!

By early 1880 timber companies came to realize that there were substantial profits to be made by logging the vast forests of the mountains. And effectively by 1910, the timber that was produced in that area supplied almost 40 percent of timber in the United States. It’s therefore no surprise that large tracts of land came to be owned by outside interests, which ultimately led to a diminution of smaller mountain farms. Local residents found job opportunities in the forest and work camps. After fifty years felling and logging trees of this vast Tennessee land, the timber industry moved to reap western forests, as it left the Cherokee National Forest denuded and in turn left many people unemployed, poverty-stricken, and with limited natural resources.

Today the forest is managed and maintained by the United States Forest Service. The Cherokee National Forest is quite literally a national treasure, free for all to bask in and experience. There are not only nature or outdoor sports activities to enjoy, but also time to contemplate the history of the land. Next time you join us here at Cascade Outdoors in Ocoee Tennessee, you will surely set your eyes on the rocky walls surrounding the rivers while rafting, or trek the boundless scenic mountain trails, and you’ll know that you are passing over the footprints that our ancestors left centuries ago.