Birth of a National Park in the Great Smoky Mountains
- Author(s): Campbell, Carlos C.
- Imprint: Univ Tennessee Press
- Publication Date: 1993-09-30
- Status: Active
- Available in Paper: Price $24.95 | Buy Now
Annually millions of people admire the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s primeval beauty—towering peaks, sparkling cascades, virgin forests, and remarkable variety of wildflowers and shrubs. One of the nation’s most popular national parks did not just “come to be” a logical and natural development on federally-owned land. Instead, it was the first national park to be acquired from private owners and given by the people to the federal government.
Establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park climaxed an unprecedented crusade that is a story of almost fanatic dedication to a cause, as well as one of frustration, despair, political bias, and even physical violence. This special edition of Birth of a National Park features a new foreword, in celebration of the park’s seventy-fifth year.
Recognized as a leading authority on the Great Smokies, Carlos C. Campbell lived close to the park campaign from its beginning to its successful conclusion. For more than 20 years he served as secretary of the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Association, the group responsible for starting and directing the unique movement and at whose urgings Campbell recorded the events in this book.
Carlos C. Campbell (1892–1978) received the Horace Marden Albright Scenic Preservation Medal in 1966 and was made Honorary Park Ranger. He was author of Memories of Old Smoky: Early Experiences in the Great Smoky Mountains and co-author of Great Smoky Mountain Wildflowers.