People of the Century

Whether explorers or stewards, park creators or residents—countless people have left their mark on the Smokies. Yet the Great Smoky Mountains Association has gone ahead and counted 100 such people who it has deemed the most influential people in the Smokies’ history. The list, published in the GSMA’s Smokies Life magazine, commemorates the 100th birthday of the National Park Service.

Historians, writers, GSMA directors, and members of the public pooled their opinions to develop the final lineup—an “extremely difficult” task, according to magazine editor Steve Kemp. “I told people I wished it was the 200th anniversary of the National Park Service, because I would have felt a lot more comfortable including 200 people on the list.”

Some of the suggestions were predictable, such as Horace Kephart, a famed figure who wrote on Appalachian culture and was one of the most vocal proponents of the park’s creation, and Carlos Campbell, a writer who blazed the Appalachian Trail’s path through the park. Other well-known names also populate the list, including photographer George Masa, Wilderness Society co-founder Harvey Broome, and businessman John D. Rockefeller, who contributed millions to the park creation effort. 

Deciding which modern-day heroes to include proved a bit more difficult, however, considering history hasn’t yet determined which contributions will become legendary and which are destined to fade into the background. The selection committee focused on how influential the candidate was, as well as length of tenure. 

Hattie Davis, who was born in what is now the Cataloochee Valley area of the park and currently resides in nearby Maggie Valley, is a prime example of the “length of tenure” qualification. Through books and films and interviews, Davis has spent her whole life preserving the valley’s history.

Then there are those who put the spotlight on the biological riches of the Smokies, such as Susan Braton, a plant ecologist who began directing the Uplands Field Laboratory in 1975. Her work has led to “long-lasting contributions,” says Kemp.

After deciding on the names, the next challenge was to sum up each life’s long and colorful story in one succinct paragraph. 

“The article could’ve taken up every page of this issue, and many more,” says Courtney Lix, who wrote the article and is also author of the book No Place for the Weary Kind: Women of the Smokies (see sidebar). “Celebrating a broad and diverse group of people offers a fresh look at the inspired dedication necessary to protect, steward, and share what’s special about the Great Smoky Mountains.”

The list may be written and done with, but the Smokies’ history, of course, is not. Kemp jokes that anyone who’s disappointed to be left off this list will have another chance in 2034, when the Smokies has its own centennial. And the years to come will no doubt bring many more champions of America’s most visited national park, rising up to protect its resources and share its story. 

“I hope [the list] will stimulate people to think about not only the people that did make these major contributions for the creation of the national park,” Kemp says, “but also their own lives—how their actions and what they do now may not seem historically significant at the moment, just as a lot of these 100 people didn’t really feel like they were making history.” 

The magazine is available at smokiesinformation.org.