In 1899, the Appalachian National Park Association began discussing the concept for a 12,000-square-mile park in parts of North and South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee.
During the next century, many individuals, organizations, politicians and nature advocates worked to establish what is now the country’s most visited national park – the Great Smoky Mountains.
National Park Service Director Stephen Mather first voiced support for establishing a national park in the East. In 1927, John D. Rockefeller Jr. designated $5 million as a matching gift and challenged officials in Tennessee and North Carolina to raise an equal amount before Rockefeller released the funds. Five years later, the park’s first superintendent – J. Ross Eakin – and his rangers arrived for work.
At first, Eakin and his rangers acted more like sheriffs in the Wild West. Getting control of the lawlessness, particularly running moonshine through Appalachia, poaching wildlife and squatting, was their primary concern in the first few years.
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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