Pre 1900's - 1920's | 1930's |1940's |1950's |1960's | 1970's |1980's |1990's | 2000's

Back to the Smokies Timeline

For many, looking at the lush forest canopy that now covers the Smokies it is hard to believe that much of this place was logged. Now boasting more tree species than are found in all of Europe, 2/3 of the land that is within the park was logged between the late 19th century and the mid 1930s.

When logging operations first started in the Smokies they were small and selective, relying on horse drawn skidders and waterways to move marketable timber from areas throughout the park.

The early 1900s however brought a different kind of logging to the Smokies. At this time larger lumber companies, many of which were functioning with funds acquired while cutting over timberland in the northern states, came into the Smokies and started building. With these larger companies came railroads, camp towns, smaller timber camps, large log ponds and saw mills.

This new technology changed logging in the Smokies forever. Railroads allowed for more extensive and previously hard to reach places to be stripped bare. Lumber towns like Elkmont and Proctor often accommodated up to 1000 residents and included churches, schools, stores, hotels, baseball fields and housing for the workers families.

Scrip like this was common in company towns all over the country such as logging camps and mining towns. Known by employees of the Little River Logging Company as “doogaloo” these coins were redeemable at the company commissary, where a wide variety of food and dry goods kept logging families clothed and fed.