Cherokee in Swain County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Mountains: Refuge and Healing
Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, June 18, 2011
1. Mountains; Refuge and Healing Marker
Clingmans Dome is a sacred mountain to the Cherokees, where the Magic Lake was once seen. The Great Spirit told the Cherokees that, if they love me, if they love all their brothers and sisters, and if they love the animals of the earth, when they grow old and sick, they can come to magic lake and be made well again.
For Cherokees, these mountains have meant a refuge, homeland, and a mythical and spiritual foundation for their people. During the Indian Removal Period of the 1800s known as the Trail of Tears, the mountains meant safety from pursuing soldiers. Today these slopes provide a refuge and offer inspiration for visitors from a hectic modern society.
Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find that going to the mountains is going home.
Naturalist John Muir, 1898
What do these mountains mean to you?
Erected by National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1898.
Location. 35° 33.398′ N, 83° 29.775′ W. Marker is in Cherokee, North Carolina, in Swain County. It can be reached from Clingmans Dome Road 7.2 miles west of U.S. 441
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Mountains and specifically in the Great Smoky Mountains. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: And It Became Land (a few steps from this marker); The Top of the Smokies (within shouting distance of this marker); Southern View (approx. 0.4 miles away); Eastern View (approx. 0.4 miles away); Northern View (approx. half a mile away); Western View (approx. half a mile away); Indian Gap Road (approx. 4.6 miles away in Tennessee); Horace Kephart's Last Permanent Camp (approx. 5 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cherokee.
More about this marker. In the center is an "Illustration by Cherokee artist Shan Goshorn"
Also see . . . Clingmans Dome. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on July 17, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2012
2. Mountains: Refuge and Healing Marker
Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, June 18, 2011
3. Mountains; Refuge and Healing Marker
Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, June 18, 2011
4. Clingmans dome 6,643 ft
Credits. This page was last revised on July 17, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 27, 2011, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,068 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 27, 2011, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. 2. submitted on August 15, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 3, 4. submitted on June 27, 2011, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
