• has been an important factor in Appalachian history and development since eighteenth century
• has proceeded in historical sequence of developmental phases and modes
• varies greatly from subregion to subregion
• numerous factors have influenced differential development
• costs and benefits have been unequally distributed
• end of World War II began a watershed period

Flat Rock NC (1828 ff.)
Hot Springs NC (ca. 1800-1920s)
Berkeley Springs WV (laid out by George Washington in 1776)
Asheville NC (by late 19c)

 Early travelers:
 James Needham 1673
 Bishop Asbury's trips and writings, 1788-1815
 Land speculators, 1787ff.
Geologists and geographers (for state and federal governments) 1830s ff.
Early tourism resorts and towns, 1830s ff.
 Private elite enclaves, 1890s ff.
Vanderbilts (1895)
Little Switzerland (1909)
Wildacres (1920s)
Auto age (post-WWI): highway travel by private automobile
Religious assemblies:
Montreat (Presbyterian; 1897)
Ridgecrest (Baptist)
Lake Junaluska (Methodist; 1913)
 Post-WWII boom in second homes, corporate tourism developments
 Ski and golfing resorts, 1960 ff.
 Economic development strategy, 1965 ff.

 1871: U.S. Commissioner of Fisheries (first federal agency with conservation mandate)
 1872: Yellowstone National Park (first)
 1890: Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks
 1890s: several Civil War battlefields turned into national parks
 1899: Mt. Ranier National Park
 1909: Pres. Roosevelt establishes National Conservation Commission to inventory natural resources
 1916: National Park Service established (responsible at its creation for 37 sites)
  1926: Great Smoky Mountains National Park established; first meeting to promote (Asheville) 1899; opened 1935
 1926: Shenandoah National Park approved; completed 1935
  1931: Skyline Drive approved; completed 1939
 1933: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established as New Deal agency
  1933: Blue Ridge Parkway  approved; majority built by 1950; completed 1987
 1934: Everglades National Park
 1937: Appalachian [National Scenic] Trail opened: conceived 1921 Map of current national parks in southeastern US Other national parks: regional maps National parks by state (clickable map)

 Suitability of land forms: Compare eastern Kentucky and western North Carolina
 Presence of natural attractions
natural bridges
caves/caverns
hot springs
spectacular scenery (gorges, peaks, falls)
old-growth forests
scenic rivers
 Presence of competing uses (lumbering, coal mining)
 Proximity to urban population concentrations:
  Asheville and Knoxville: Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NPS map of parks in southeast)
  Chattanooga: Signal Mountain
  Washington, DC: White Sulphur Springs VA
 Availability of transportation (Buncombe Turnpike 1828; railroads later; auto highways still later)
 Elite enclaves as magnets (Biltmore Estate)
 Promotion by entrepreneurs (individuals, cities, states, corporations)

voyeuristic display
stereotyping
aggregation of land
 rising taxes
 low-wage, seasonal, menial jobs

Prepared by David E. Whisnant
9/10/97
feedback or suggestions: whisnant@email.unc.edu