Only fragments remain of the
once-thriving community of Cataloochee; bits and pieces that serve to remind us
of what life here was like. This was the biggest settlement in the Smokies. At the turn of the century, nearly 200 buildings
were scattered around the picturesque cove. Only a handful
are left today.
Compared to other driving
destinations within the Smokey Mountains National Park, Cataloochee Valley at
the eastern end of the park remains relatively remote. While a well-maintained
paved road traverses Big Cataloochee, the valley is connected to the outside
world by the crude gravel Cove Creek Road, which is riddled with sharp turns as
it crosses Cataloochee Divide and Sterling Ridge.
The old Caldwell home with it's timely outhouse across the
creek in the back and its adjacent barn is one of the few historic structures
still standing within the valley. In the home itself
is open and one can explore the rooms with their warped wall panels, the old
new paper clippings used as wall paper, and the fire places in the home. Out back towards the creek are the remnants
of the former outhouse, straddling the creek.
A bit of History about Cataloochee Valley from the Maggie
Valley Website
History of Cataloochee Valley
of the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Cataloochee 1809 to 1860
Cataloochee is located in Western
North Carolina in Haywood County, west of Asheville, northeast of Waynesville
and east of Maggie Valley. The county was created in 1808 so that the people
living in Western North Carolina would not have to travel all the way to
Asheville (Buncombe County) to conduct their business.
The County Seat was Mt. Prospect,
later named Waynesville. Settlement in Western North Carolina was slow because
of the threat of Indian attacks and the fact that the land was mountainous and
thick with forests, under brush and wildlife. Despite this, a few saw the
potential of the land and went into the forests, cleared the trees for fields,
built houses, barns, and called the fruits of their hard earned labor home.
The first land entry in
Cataloochee was made on January 20, 1814 when Henry Colwell claimed 100 acres
on Cataloochee Creek. Fourteen years later, on June 24, 1828, the second entry
was made by William Colwell for 100 acres on Cataloochee Creek.
Most of the early claims were
used for a base camp for hunting or ranging livestock. Steps toward permanent
residence in Cataloochee were not made until 1835 when James Colwell, his son,
Levi Colwell, and Young Bennett came to Cataloochee and began clearing the
land. The work was done on the 100 acres of Henry Colwell's (the first land
entry). The fruits of their labors paid
off in 1837, when Levi and Young moved their families into their new homes in
Big Cataloochee.
The next residents came in 1838.
They were George Palmer and his wife Polly Surrett
(from Virginia). (The house that George built now houses the museum in
Cataloochee.) Twenty years later, George and his family owned approximately 750
acres in Big Cataloochee.
In 1839, Evan Hannah married
Elizabeth Noland and Elizabeth's father, William Noland, moved to Big
Cataloochee at the lower end of the valley on the south side of Cataloochee
Creek. A note of interest: the Noland Mountain is named after William.
The first settlers in Little
Cataloochee were Jack Vess and Elizabeth Palmer
(daughter of George). This was in 1854. The next settlers came in 1856. They
were Harriett Colwell (Levi's daughter) and, her husband, Daniel J. Cook. They
lived on Coggins Branch in Little Cataloochee. Louisa Matilda, Harriett's sister, married
Creighton Bennett (Young's son) and the moved next to Harriett and Daniel.
Now that Cataloochee was becoming
populated, the need for a road was apparent. The present road was little more
than a drover's road. Therefore, in 1825, the county authorized a toll road to
be built from Cove Creek to Cataloochee. A note of interest is that the fees
are only for a man and a horse (183Ú4¢), an extra pack horse (61Ú2¢), hogs (1¢
each) and cattle (2¢ each) - - - evidently the road was not greatly improved
from it's original trail.
1854-1856 work was begun on what
was to be known as the Cataloochee Turnpike in 1856. It started behind Palmer's
Chapel, went across the mountain to Ball Gap, and down to Little Cataloochee.
From there the road went toward Mt. Sterling.
- 1866 to 1930 -
Because of the remoteness of
Cataloochee, the valley was hardly affected by Reconstruction. The residents
more or less resumed their pre-Civil War way of life and did well in their
wonderful valleys. The children were educated in the little one room school
houses from grades 1 through 7. Circuit riding preachers helped to feed the
already spirits.
As a new century came, the people
of Cataloochee still farmed, raising their crops and livestock and performed
the chores that maintained their existence. Post Offices kept them in touch
with the outside world.
In the 1920s, work was begun to
modernize the Cataloochee Turnpike which was first completed in about 1861.
With the help of dynamite, the improved road, only wide enough for a wagon in
most places, was completed. The new road was a vast
improvement from the old road used for sixty years.
An influenza epidemic struck the
world in 1918 and reached Cataloochee in 1920. Many were sick and recuperated.
Others were not so fortunate and are buried in the cemeteries in across
Cataloochee.
In the late
1920s, the beautiful timber in and around Cataloochee turned money green.
Lumber companies bought properties, built camps and railroads, hired the
workers and logged out the mountains. The once beautiful forests were turned
into a wasteland.
Cataloochee had four post
offices. The first one was in Young Bennett's house, then
it was moved to Frank Palmer's house. From there it was moved to Jarvis
Palmer's house. Maria Palmer was the postmistress. This post office was referred
to as the Cataloochee Post Office. When this post office was closed, it was
replaced by the Nellie Post Office which was named after Turkey George Palmer's
daughter and was in a general store.
The Ola Post Office was in Little
Cataloochee. It was named after Will and Rachel Messer's daughter. This post
office was also located in the general store.
The mail carriers were Hub Caldwell and Mercius
Hall. Their substitutes at one time or another were Myrtle Sutton, Ella Hall,
and Pearl Valentine. The first church/school building was called the
Schoolhouse Patch and was built in 1858 on land donated by Julia Ann Palmer.
The End of Cataloochee, as they
knew it, began in 1928, word was received that the U. S. Government had plans
to buy Cataloochee from the residents and establish the Great Smoky Mountain
National Park. The Government did pay them for their land. Most cashed their
checks without argument, but a few sued and got a little more money. Regardless
of how they felt, they packed their belongings, said their good byes and left
Cataloochee in tears. Most bought farms and worked hard to make the land become
productive. Having farmed in the rich fertile soil of Cataloochee, it was
disappointing and frustrating to work dried up soil. But, they did the best
they could.
Cataloochee Today
The Cataloochee of old is no
more. The people moved out and the National Park Service took over. Many of the
homes and buildings were burned; some were moved to other sites in the park;
but a few were left for us to see today. The fields that yielded a variety of
crops have either been reclaimed by the forest or are now grass fields. The
beautiful streams and creeks still run through the valleys. The once logged
forests have now regrown. Many believe that if it wasn't for the Park that the
forests and trees would have been destroyed by the logging operations.