The Pigeon River

A bald eagle perched high in a tree watches a blue heron abandon its fishing and fly downstream.

The first whitewater rafts appear upstream.

It’s morning on the Pigeon River, which will soon teem with visitors enjoying the beautiful and exciting Pigeon River Gorge.  

It hasn’t always been this way.

Named for the extinct Passenger Pigeon, this river was once polluted by an upstream paper mill. 

Today, it has become a recovery story. 

In the early 1900s, timber was the primary industry in the Smoky Mountains.

Champion Fibre Company began production 1908 at its mill in Canton, North Carolina.

Jobs were plentiful and business was good.  

But downstream in Cocke County, Tennessee, things were not good.

Decades of pollution turned the water into a dark, malodorous, and toxic brew, 

Fish were eventually declared unsafe for consumption due to high concentrations of dioxin, a chemical known to cause cancer, neurological and reproductive disorders. 

With high unemployment, residents chose to drive an hour into Gatlinburg for work rather than leave their beautiful valley.  

Meanwhile, interest in whitewater recreation was growing.  

The sport had a big year in 1972.

The popular movie Deliverance debuted. It told a story of three city-dwellers who canoed down a whitewater river.

The movie was shot in Rabun County, Georgia, on the Chattooga River.

Subsequently, tourism in Rabun County sky-rocketed.

Deliverance stuntman Claude Terry purchased the film’s river gear and opened the Chattooga’s first whitewater outfitter Southeastern Expeditions.

That same year, whitewater rafting debuted in the Munich Olympic Games.

And, the federal government passed the Clean Water Act, which granted states authority to define acceptable levels of water emissions with oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Olympians from the 1972 games opened the Nantahala Outdoor Center near Bryson City, North Carolina.

By the 1980s, officials in Tennessee were ready to take action against North Carolina over pollution in the Pigeon River.

Tennessee sued in 1983, asking that Champion be required to comply with Tennessee water standards. 

The EPA got involved, conducting hearings attended by over 11,000 people, passionate on both sides.    

Hartford retailer Gay Webb reasoned that, if the Pigeon River were cleaned up, the local job market would recover.

“In the evenings, these ladies would stop at my store on the way home from Gatlinburg, and they were so tired, only one would come in. I knew if I got that river cleaned up, I could stop that, too.”

He helped organized the Dead Pigeon River Council, a grassroots organization that attracted national media attention. Environmental advocacy groups got involved.

Ultimately, Champion modernized the paper mill.  Water quality started to improve.

The improving water quality was attracting more interest in the Pigeon River as a recreation attraction.

On good days, the Pigeon featured powerful Class III and IV rapids, and was attracting attention from outfitters throughout the Southeast.

“Before us, nobody had offered trips on the Pigeon, and it was awesome rafting,” says former guide Daniel Jennette.

Pigeon River Outfitters established a home base in Hartford.

A few years later, Jennette went into business for himself, opening Smoky Mountain Outdoors in 1993.

Cocke County Executive Harold Cates realized the potential a viable rafting river could mean to his community.

The county team worked with Carolina Power & Light for exclusive commercial access and management of the put-in on its property as well as a recreational water release schedule. 

With regulation, the rafting business exploded.  

Today, Hartford’s residents and businesses prosper as thousands of Smoky Mountain visitors delight in the playful, “off the beaten path” experience, romping through rapids and enjoying the scenery every summer.

The America Outdoors Association named the Pigeon River the “third most popular whitewater river in the United States” in 2010. 

To experience this revitalized river, go to www.yallvisitthesmokies.com for more information.

About the author: Olwen Claiborne is the Marketing Director for Smoky Mountain Outdoors and Pigeon River Campground.