The Little Tennessee River: Following the Cherokee Path

From Wilderness to Industry and Back Again

For thousands of years, the Little Tennessee River and the foot trail alongside it were a vital route through the Southern Appalachians--used first by the Cherokee and then by early traders and drovers moving deerskins and livestock to Charleston, South Carolina, then colonial America's richest port. This mountainous land drew only the hardiest settlers until around 1900, when railroads, timbermen, miners, and dam builders rapidly transformed it into a center of industry. In 1920, conservationists began returning much of it to wilderness as quickly as it was modernized.

In this richly researched local history, author and historian Lance Holland brings to life the people, places, and powerful changes that shaped this storied region--perfect for readers who love Appalachian history, Cherokee heritage, and forgotten American trails.