What would be on your to-do list on a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park? During the summer in and around the park, you might take in a dramatic sunset, hike to a waterfall, cool off in a river in a kayak, or catch a trout in a pristine stream.
Taking deep dives into lessons about eminent domain might not make your top five things to do, but it is what captivated my fisherman grandson as he explored not only spectacular trout holes, but also old cemeteries and foundations of homes along creeks in the Smokies near Bryson City.
Some trails he explored in Swain County hide the overgrown remnants of the large estate of wealthy landowner Phillip Rust and his wife Eleanor Dupont, an heiress to the Dupont fortune. In the 1930s, they built a summer estate along Noland Creek, including cottages for friends and a fine home for the caretakers of the land, the Hyatt family.
The homes of the Rust and Hyatt families, along with many other farms and homes, were condemned by the United States government during World War II. The Tennessee Valley Authority constructed Fontana Dam to provide hydroelectric power for the war effort, resulting in the creation of Fontana Lake. When the lake was created, homes, churches, schools, and communities were destroyed. All in all, 1,300 people were displaced.
This example of eminent domain reminded me of Cataloochee, by Wayne Caldwell. This novel, published in 2007, takes place prior to the construction of Fontana Dam further north in the Park in the areas around Big and Little Cataloochee Creeks in Haywood County. Cataloochee vividly describes the impacts of eminent domain on communities, following the lives of several mountain families during the time of the Civil War until they were pushed out of their homes in the late 1920’s when their lands were acquired for the new national park.
The story follows Ezra Banks who, after serving in the Confederate army, becomes an ambitious and successful farmer, marries into a family with landholdings in Cataloochee, and starts his own family.
Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain and Thirteen Moons, both also set in the North Carolina mountains, commented that the “rich cast of characters [in Cataloochee] spans generations, and collectively their stories form a brilliant portrait of a community and a way of life long gone, a lost America.”
Cataloochee helps us conjure what happened to many families throughout the creation of the park and what it must have been like for similarly impacted families during the construction of Fontana Dam.
Nobody would argue that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is not one of North Carolina’s (and Tennessee’s) greatest treasures. While perhaps more debatable, the construction of Fontana Dam was deemed necessary during the war. Through the use of eminent domain, thousands of acres of wilderness were preserved and protected.
And the dam was built and the lake formed, supporting our wartime efforts.
These “good” results are not the entire story. In Cataloochee, Wayne Caldwell reminds us of the pain and loss that were felt by families who lived in these areas for generations when they were forced to move to make room for the government’s priorities.
Unfortunately, progress for the majority is often accompanied by the sacrifice of others. When we remember the blessings of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the necessity of the construction of Fontana Dam, and similar projects, we should also say a word of thanks for the sacrifices that made them possible.