People of the Mountains Marker

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Cherokee in Swain County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

People of the Mountains

By Stanley and Terrie Howard, March 14, 2009

1. People of the Mountains Marker

Inscription. The rugged terrain of the Smoky Mountains determined patterns of human settlement. Residents of the Smokies - be they native Cherokees or European emigrants and their descendants - gravitated to valleys or coves. Settlement was confined to areas far less rugged than what you see here; few people lived at high elevations like Newfound Gap.

One of the greatest problems facing those who lived in these mountains was finding land that would sustain them. The settlements that are part of Great Smokies lore - Cataloochee, Oconaluftee, Cades Cove, Greenbrier - are all found in lowland coves and valleys with tillable land.

Erected by National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior.

Marker series. This marker is included in the Trail of Tears marker series.

Location. 35° 36.643′ N, 83° 25.514′ W. Marker is in Cherokee, North Carolina, in Swain County. Marker is on U.S. 441. Click for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cherokee NC 28719, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Land of Diversity (a few steps from this marker in Tennessee); The Appalachian Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); A Mountain Sanctuary (within shouting distance of this marker); The Great Smokies (within shouting distance of this marker); Great Smoky Mountains National Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Rockefeller Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker in Tennessee); Land of Blue Smoke (within shouting distance of this marker); “To the free people of America” (about 300 feet away, in a direct line in Tennessee). Click for a list of all markers in Cherokee.

Marker at the Great Smoky Mountains NP Photo, Click for full size

By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2012

2. Marker at the Great Smoky Mountains NP

More about this marker. On the lower left is a photo showing The Walker sisters of Little Greenbrier remove seeds from cotton using a gin their father made. The sisters' parents settled in the Smokies after the Civil War. The sisters claimed that "our land produces everything we need except sugar, soda, coffee, and salt.

In the center is a photo of A Cherokee mother and her daughter, about 1888. Cherokees worked this land and hunted these forests for centuries before Europeans arrived. Most Cherokees were forced westward along the "Trail of Tears" in 1838. A few remained. A small reservation today surrounds the town of Cherokee.

In the upper right is a photo of Making barrels. While families themselves produced many items needed for daily life, they could also purchase items in nearby towns. Stores were common in the region by the mid-1800s.

By Stanley and Terrie Howard, March 14, 2009

3. People of the Mountains Marker

A Cherokee mother and her daughter, about 1888. Cherokees worked this land and hunted these forests for centuries before Europeans arrived. Most Cherokees were forced westward along the "Trail of Tears" in 1888. A few remained. A small reservation today surrounds the town of Cherokee.

By Stanley and Terrie Howard, March 14, 2009

4. People of the Mountains Marker

By Stanley and Terrie Howard, March 14, 2009

5. People of the Mountains Marker

The Walker sisters of Little Greenbrier remove seeds from cotton using a gin their father made. The sister' parents settled in the Smokies after the Civil War. The sisters claimed that "our land produces everything we need except sugar, soda, coffee, and salt."

By Stanley and Terrie Howard, March 14, 2009

6. People of the Mountains Marker

Making barrels. While families themselves produced many items needed for daily life, they could also purchase items in nearby towns. Stores were common in the region by the mid-1800s.

Credits. This page originally submitted on June 18, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 651 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on June 18, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. 2. submitted on August 29, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 18, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.