Elkmont makes an early tourism splash in Gatlinburg

In his new book Lost Elkmont (Arcadia Publishing, $22), writer Daniel L. Paulin reveals secrets of this Smokies logging camp turned exclusive resort. Here Paulin shares more insight on the early days.

How did Elkmont happen?

At the turn of the 20th century, Col. Wilson B. Townsend’s Little River Lumber Company began logging the watersheds of the Little River in Tennessee’s Blount and Sevier Counties. In 1908 Townsend established the logging town of Elkmont and started offering excursions on a special observation car attached to his logging train for a group of Knoxville Elks Club members who had previously hunted and fished here. After mostly clear-cutting Elkmont by 1910, Townsend sold 50 acres to the Appalachian Club and gave them management over wildlife and fishing rights. In 1912, the Wonderland Park Hotel opened to the public. It proved very popular, with visitors paying fares for their passage on Townsend’s Little River Railroad to reach the hotel. The hotel was sold in 1915 to a group of Knoxvillians who had been earlier rebuffed in their efforts to join the Appalachian Club. They changed the name to the Wonderland Club Hotel, and it became the second privately owned club in Elkmont. 

What got tourists to Elkmont?

The Elkmont community offered a chance to get out of the noise, congestion, and heat of Knoxville and other big cities during the summertime and relax in a beautiful mountain community. Oftentimes, a cabin owner’s wife and children would spend much of the summer in Elkmont between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The husbands might only stay there on weekends and/or part of the week if it was essential that they be at their business establishments or offices most of the week. They would ride back and forth on the excursion cars pulled by the Little River Railroad Company trains. 

Who came?

Appalachian Club or Wonderland Club members were a who’s who of the business people, civic leaders, college professors, and notables of Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville, and other big cities who had the financial means to afford a second home in the mountains. One account claims that the legendary playwright Tennessee Williams learned to swim while visiting Elkmont. There is also a long list of actors, writers, celebrities, and other notables who spent time in Elkmont.

How did they entertain themselves?

Kids enjoyed playing in the swimming hole—a dammed-up portion of the Little River—in the Millionaire’s Row section of Elkmont. They also hiked, played with neighboring children, and explored the nearby forests and waterways. The adults also liked to swim in the swimming hole as well as kick back, read, play cards, hike, explore the mountains, drink, and socialize. While researching my book one January day, I was surprised to discover a whole hillside in the ravine next to the Daisy Town section of Elkmont that was heavily littered with whiskey and other bottles now buried under a thick weave of tangled vines. It seemed likely to me that as soon as the bottles were emptied, they were tossed over the hillside and possibly a new one opened. 

Moonshine was also a frequent commodity to be found in the summer communities, especially during Prohibition. The mountain families who lived locally probably kept the summer community inhabitants well supplied. Parties and social events were frequently held in the Appalachian Club’s Clubhouse in Daisy Town, and the saying “Elkmont will shine tonight”  was often the catchphrase used when spreading word about the night’s well-orchestrated party. This phrase may have referred as much to the moonshine consumption as it did the raucous good time to be had and the light given off by the moon and stars.