People of the Mountains
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.
Marker is on U.S. 441.
Courtesy hmdb.org
