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65-721: Mountain View Hotel may refer to: Mountain View Hotel (Gatlinburg, Tennessee) , formerly listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Sevier County, Tennessee Mountain View Hotel (Centennial, Wyoming) , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Albany County, Wyoming Mountain View Country Inn (Lady Grey) , an old hotel in

130-432: A cabin about a mile or so above the confluence of Jakes Creek and Little River where Ownby lived for the rest of his life. Ownby obtained a lifetime lease when the national park was established, and for several decades afterward he sold honey to hikers. Among those who paid Ownby a visit were Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander and U.S. Supreme Court Justices Harry Blackmun and Potter Stewart . The justices were visiting

195-558: A children's playhouse known as "Adamless Eden." Most of the cottages were built between 1910 and 1930 and renovated numerous times over subsequent decades (many of the porches were added in the 1970s). The cottages are typically of balloon frame construction with board and batten exteriors, the exceptions being the Smith cabin and the Levi Trentham cabin, which are log cabins. The Byers cabin— located south of Daisy Town in

260-516: A few years, several club members built cottages, and the club evolved into a mountain getaway for Knoxville's elite. In 1911, Townsend gave Charles Carter several acres of land on a hill overlooking Elkmont with the stipulation that Carter build on it within one year. In 1912, Carter made good on the promise when he opened the Wonderland Hotel . Billed as a resort lodge, the hotel contained 50 rooms with an extensive balcony looking out over

325-513: A hodge-podge group of attorneys, businessmen, and mountaineers at Elkmont to propose the establishment of a national forest rather than a national park. Wright also proposed a massive road-building campaign across the crest of the Smokies in hopes of increasing the land's value. Largely because of Wright's efforts, the initial bill allowing for the purchase of land in the Smokies exempted Elkmont from eminent domain . Cottage owners managed to gain

390-556: A large cave operated as a tourist attraction during the tourist season, roughly defined as April to October. The drainage from the cave enters the Little River just below Townsend. Townsend is laid out in the cove along the Little River valley. Three decades ago it was largely undeveloped, with a few small "mom and pop" style hotels and restaurants; now major chains have built larger lodging facilities, although not yet comparable to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge . Of interest are

455-604: A meeting with Cherokee chief Old Tassel on July 31, 1786 that the state of North Carolina had "sold us [the State of Franklin] all the country on the north side of Tennessee and Holston". Attempting to pacify the angry commissioners, Old Tassel replied that he would consult Cherokee leadership and the United States' Congress of the Confederation about the land claims, and emphasized that he did not have authority over

520-605: A mountain getaway. In 1909, Little River Railroad began offering the Sunday "Elkmont Special"—non-stop train service from Knoxville to Elkmont. In 1910, an affluent group of Knoxville hunting and fishing enthusiasts formed the Appalachian Club and purchased what is now "Daisy Town" south of the confluence of Little River and Jakes Creek. They built the Appalachian Clubhouse for use as a lodge. Within

585-427: A narrow valley between Round Top Mountain and Curry She Mountain. Among the gorge's more notable landmarks is an area known as "The Sinks." The Sinks is where the river flows over a ten-foot (three meters) waterfall into a large pool, and then seems to disappear for a small distance. (Unlike streams in a limestone area, which may actually "sink" for a considerable distance, this is more a question of appearance than of

650-624: A popular swimming area known as the "Y". Historically, Elkmont has been divided into three sections. The Wonderland Club section—the former location of the Wonderland Hotel and associated cottages—crowns a hill in the northeastern part of Elkmont. The section containing the Elkmont campground and ranger station—which was once home to the Little River Lumber Company logging town—is located at

715-455: A prominent Knoxville lawyer, Foster Arnett, who wanted to introduce them to a real mountain man. Foster led the two justices up the trail to meet Lem only to discover Lem would not meet with the two men. When Foster knocked on Lem's door and announced that he had two Supreme Court Justices outside who wanted to meet him, Lem simply replied that they were not welcome to come in the cabin. The justices loved that Lem had refused to meet them because he

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780-446: A provision that allowed them to sell their cottages at half-price in exchange for lifetime leases. To gain better electricity service and to assure the electric utility a steady supply of customers instead of a slow attrition of expiring lifetime leaseholders, most of the Appalachian Club members agreed to convert their lifetime leases to 20 year leases. There was assurance of lease renewals, and this occurred in both 1952 and 1972. Under

845-530: A resort community. Today, Elkmont is home to a large campground, ranger station, and historic district maintained by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . The Little River Lumber Company established the town of Elkmont in 1908 as a base for its logging operations in the upper Little River and Jakes Creek areas. By 1910, the company began selling plots of land to hunting and fishing enthusiasts from Knoxville , who established

910-466: A series of splash dams along Little River. When the logs were ready to be moved, the floodgates of these dams were opened, and the rushing torrent carried the logs downstream. While English managed a moderate profit, his venture had folded by 1900, possibly because of a disastrous flood along Little River in 1899. In 1901, Pennsylvania entrepreneur Colonel Wilson B. Townsend purchased 86,000 acres (348 km ) of land along Little River and established

975-448: Is approximately five miles above Elkmont along the slopes of Kuwohi, where it begins as a small trickle before its confluence with several smaller streams at an area known as Three Forks. In just over a mile, the river gains strength as it absorbs Meigs Post Prong, Rough Creek, and Fish Camp Prong before its junction with Jakes Creek at Elkmont. Just beyond Elkmont, the river turns sharply to the west toward its junction with Middle Prong at

1040-484: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Mountain View Hotel (Gatlinburg, Tennessee) Elkmont is a region situated in the upper Little River valley of the Great Smoky Mountains of Sevier County , in the U.S. state of Tennessee . Throughout its history, the valley has been home to a pioneer Appalachian community, a logging town, and

1105-405: Is navigable by kayak in high water. Fishing along Middle Prong is considered excellent. The Townsend 'Y' is created by the confluence of Little River (flowing from the east) and Middle Prong of Little River (flowing from the west), which create a powerful stream that flows north. The Townsend Y is a popular swimming hole in the summer and is generally packed with cars and people. Many tubers use

1170-593: Is visible from the road and is provided with a parking turnout. Additionally, there are parking turnouts for trails leading to numerous places. About midway between Gatlinburg and Townsend, Little River enters a relatively flat area known as Metcalf Bottoms, which developed along an oasis of soft phyllite amidst the more predominant sandstone. The park service has established a picnic area at Metcalf Bottoms, providing an attractive area for summer picnics and wading. Just past Metcalf Bottoms, Little River becomes more rapid and volatile as it slices through Little River Gorge,

1235-534: The Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum and the Greenway that parallels U.S 321. The Townsend area was once the site of many scenic swinging bridges over Little River; liability concerns have caused most of these to be dismantled in recent years. One bridge does remain, however, at the northern end of Townsend in an area known as Kinzel Springs. A second swinging bridge is located near

1300-565: The National Register of Historic Places as Elkmont Historic District, Great Smoky Mountains National Park , sparking a 15-year debate over the fate of the historic structures. In 2009, the National Park Service announced plans to restore the Appalachian Clubhouse and 18 cottages and outbuildings in the Appalachian Club area (which were older and more historically significant) and remove all other structures, including

1365-691: The Proclamation Line of 1763 and loss of land by the Cherokee in their traditional homelands. In 1785, the self-proclaimed State of Franklin negotiated the Treaty of Dumplin Creek, which set a boundary with the Cherokee leader Aucoo of Chota and other Cherokee town chiefs whom Aucoo spoke on behalf of, at the ridge separating the Little River and Tennessee basins. In 1786, Houston's Station on

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1430-480: The Wonderland Hotel , were leased to private citizens. The leases remained intact until 2001, when the last lease expired. The road improves at Elkmont to become one which is easily suitable for most vehicles. This section of the river is navigable by expert kayak and canoe enthusiasts and offers excellent fishing for native brook trout . From just below Elkmont, the Little River runs parallel to State Route 73 , also known as Little River Gorge Road, which connects

1495-560: The "Appalachian Club" just south of the logging town. In 1912, a resort hotel, the Wonderland Park Hotel , was constructed on a hill overlooking Elkmont. A group of Knoxville businessmen purchased the Wonderland in 1919 and established the "Wonderland Club." Over the next two decades, the Appalachian Club and Wonderland Club evolved into elite vacation areas where East Tennessee's wealthy could gather and socialize. Upon

1560-517: The Appalachian Club's "Daisy Town" section. These were selected primarily as the oldest and most historically notable structures in the historic district. The structures include the Appalachian Clubhouse (built in 1934 to replace the original, which had burned in 1932), the Levi Trentham cabin (Elkmont's oldest surviving structure, built in 1830), the Addicks cabin and Mayo cabin (both believed to be modified lumber company shanties, or "set" houses), and

1625-497: The Appalachian Club's Society Hill section, was also chosen for preservation mostly because of its association with early park promoter David Chapman. The Spence cabin, a large lodge in the Appalachian Club's Millionaires' Row section, has been restored and preserved primarily for its location at the head of the Little River Trail and is available for reservations as a day use structure. All structures will be removed from

1690-580: The Cherokee who had allegedly murdered settlers in Kentucky. Confronting Old Tassel and Hanging Maw less than a week later at Coytoy, a Cherokee village on the mouth of the Holston River, the commissioners reiterated their demands, threatening retaliation against any attack of the Cherokee on the settlers and blaming the Cherokee for the deaths of Colonel John Donelson and Colonel William Christian. The Cherokee protested that William Christian, who

1755-529: The Dumplin Creek treaty. Deep within Cherokee territory, the detachment withdrew after hearing rumors of a superior force approaching, perhaps organized by John Watts . Further conflict between white settlers and Cherokee, as well as with the Muscogee , precipitated a second treaty between the State of Franklin and the Cherokee, this time coerced by the State. The State's representatives claimed at

1820-525: The Highway 321 bridge). This portion of the river has intermittent rapids and swimming areas, as well as large rocks in the middle of the river (such as Gallaher Rock near Cedar Bluff Way) that are suitable to rest at. In Townsend, the river is paralleled by U.S. Highway 321 . Townsend is situated in Tuckaleechee Cove, a Paleozoic limestone area noted by the presence of Tuckaleechee Caverns ,

1885-660: The LRRR&;LC Museum and connects to Dark Island. Little River continues to flow north through Miller Cove into the small community of Walland , which is at the current time the eastern terminus of the Chilhowee section of Foothills Parkway , a national parkway . Beyond Walland, Little River cuts a wide gap in Chilhowee Mountain before descending into the Maryville-Alcoa flatlands. As it steadies,

1950-520: The Little River Lumber Company. Townsend set up a band saw mill in Tuckaleechee Cove, laying the foundation for the town that would later bear his name . Rather than splash dams, which are at the mercy of the volatile mountain streams, Townsend constructed a logging railroad between the company's sawmill in Tuckaleechee and the river's upper reaches, all the way to the Three Forks area (where

2015-806: The Little River Railroad for almost all of its nine-mile (14 km) length. Laurel Creek, which drains the White Oak Sink area, joins the West Prong, which drains the area beneath Spence Field . The West Prong then joins the Middle Prong a mile east of the Townsend Wye at the junction of Tremont Road and Laurel Creek Road. Only the stream below the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

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2080-479: The Little River was the site of assembly for a volunteer cavalry force, who, under the leadership of Governor John Sevier , a chief signatory of the Dumplin Creek treaty, rode to destroy three Cherokee towns in the vicinity of the Hiwassee River in retaliation for a Cherokee attack on a settler's house that killed two people north of the Holston River near present-day Knox County , beyond the boundary set by

2145-536: The Ownby family, the Avent cabin was sold in 1918 to the family of noted Nashville artist Mayna Avent, who used it as an art studio until 1940. The Levi Trentham cabin was originally located in the upper reaches of Jakes Creek and was moved to the Appalachian Club's Daisy Town section in 1932 for use as a guest house. Lem Ownby, David Ownby's grandson, was born near Jakes Creek in 1889. In 1908, Ownby and his father built

2210-594: The Rockford Manufacturing Company in Rockford . Little River flows through farmland, under U.S. Highway 411 , and passes through the cities of Maryville and Alcoa before reaching Rockford. Approximately 85,000 residents of these communities draw drinking water from the river. Three creeks— Pistol Creek , Short Creek and Crooked Creek— join Little River in this area. These three creeks are considered "impaired", contributing to

2275-563: The Smokies after a visit to Yellowstone . While the Davises merely suggested the idea to influential friends in Knoxville, it was another Elkmont cottage-owner, David C. Chapman, who took the initiative. Business owners in Knoxville quickly saw the benefits of a national park and began lobbying federal and state governments. After the U.S. government agreed to establish the national park if the states of Tennessee and North Carolina purchased

2340-526: The Sugarlands . As logging operations progressed, it became necessary to move the camp higher up the mountain slopes to the south. The company managed this by loading the shanties onto railroad flatcars and moving them to pre-constructed foundations using a logging crane. Although the logging camps moved, Elkmont remained the company's primary base of operations in the upper Little River valley. In 1926, Townsend sold most of his Little River Lumber tract to

2405-536: The Wonderland Annex (the main hotel had collapsed in 2005). Elkmont is situated in a narrow but relatively flat valley created by the junction of Little River and Jakes Creek. Steep ridges surround the valley on all sides, with Meigs Mountain rising to the west, Sugarland Mountain rising to the east, and Cove Mountain rising to the north. To the south is Blanket Mountain, with the slopes of Kuwohi and Mount Collins beyond. The source of Little River

2470-539: The Wonderland Club and Appalachian Club areas. During its construction, members of the Metcalf family, who owned a farm just west of Elkmont, supplied the workers with drinking water. In appreciation, a large picnic area between Elkmont and Wears Valley was named Metcalf Bottoms. In 1920, Willis P. Davis and his wife Anne, who owned a summer cottage at Elkmont, began to suggest an idea for a national park in

2535-602: The Wonderland Club section of Elkmont, and a kiosk will be placed on the site of the Wonderland Hotel to interpret the hotel's history. Little River (Tennessee) Historically, the Little River lay in a region of contact between the Overhill Cherokee and the American colonies, later states, during the Cherokee–American wars that emerged from combined pressures of colonies' demands for settlement beyond

2600-414: The Wonderland Hotel and several of the rustic cottages were placed on the National Register of Historic Places , giving them a special status. A debate immediately ensued over the fate of these structures. In 2005, the Wonderland Hotel collapsed from a structural failure. Parts of the hotel deemed to have historical value were removed and the rest cleared, leaving only the annex and a chimney. In May 2016

2665-555: The Y as the jumping off point for a mile long float down the river. Just past the Y, Little River exits the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into Tuckaleechee Cove and Townsend. From this point forward, with the exception of two old mill dams, the Little River can be navigated in a kayak at normal water levels. Tubers typically travel from the Townsend Y to the vicinity of the first mill dam (above

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2730-419: The annex suffered a devastating fire. In its 2009 Final Environmental Impact Statement for Elkmont, the National Park Service announced plans to restore the Appalachian Clubhouse and 18 cabins in the Appalachian Club section. The remaining structures were carefully documented and removed in 2018, but many chimneys remain. Seventeen of the nineteen structures chosen for restoration and preservation are located in

2795-431: The banks of Little River. The area known as Elkmont was initially inhabited by Native Americans . The first known permanent European inhabitants resided along Jakes Creek in the 1840s. The creek's namesake, Jacob Hauser (c. 1791-1870), was probably the first to arrive. He was followed shortly thereafter by the family of David Ownby (1816-1889), who came to the area to search for gold. The small community that developed in

2860-467: The center of Elkmont, north of the confluence of Little River and Jakes Creek. The Appalachian Club section is located primarily in the southern part of Elkmont, south of the confluence of Little River and Jakes Creek. The Appalachian Club section is divided into three smaller sections—"Daisy Town" between the mouths of Jakes Creek and Bearwallow Branch, "Society Hill" further south along the banks of Jakes Creek, and "Millionaires' Row" further east along

2925-491: The claim of the settlers to an island at the mouth of the Holston River, whose head would form a new boundary that extended again to the ridge between the Little River, the Tennessee River and the Holston River, but would now also extend north of the Tennessee River. They agreed to hand over to the settlers' authorities anyone who was accused of murdering one of the settlers. The 1791 Treaty of Holston established

2990-423: The creation of the national park in the 1930s, most of Elkmont's cottage owners were given lifetime leases. These were converted to 20-year leases in 1952 and renewed in 1972. The National Park Service did not renew the leases in 1992, and under the park's general management plan, the hotel and cottages were to be removed. In 1994, however, the Wonderland Hotel and several dozen of the Elkmont cottages were listed on

3055-403: The crest of the Smokies. The Middle Prong is formed by the confluence of Lynn Camp Prong and Thunderhead Prong at the former logging town of Tremont , where it has cut a deep gorge. From here, the river continues northward, absorbing Spruce Flats Branch and several smaller streams before steadying in a relatively flat area known as Walker Valley. The Middle Prong is shadowed by the old roadbed of

3120-459: The influence of environmental groups, especially the Sierra Club , the 1992 renewal did not occur. The Wonderland Hotel and the rustic cottages at Elkmont (other than two cottages which kept leases expiring in 2001) reverted to the National Park Service. The park's 1982 General Management Plan calls for all structures to be removed to allow nature to reclaim the affected areas. However, in 1994,

3185-541: The land, Knoxville began an intensive lobbying campaign aimed at the Tennessee legislature. In 1925, Chapman hosted a group of legislators at Elkmont to promote the park idea. The following year, Colonel Townsend made the initial 76,000-acre (310 km ) sale. While Elkmont was the birth of the park movement, it was also home to one of the strongest anti-park movements. Shortly after the Townsend purchase, an attorney for Little River Lumber Company named Jim Wright rallied

3250-408: The later resort cottages (including the Addicks and Mayo cabins) are believed to have been modified Little River Lumber Company shanty houses. In his company's early days, Townsend allowed hunters and fishermen to use the Little River Railroad to access the deep, game-rich forests of the Smokies. As the Elkmont valley was slowly stripped of its valuable timber, Townsend began to advertise the area as

3315-794: The main street of Lady Grey, Eastern Cape , South Africa Elk Mountain Hotel in Elk Mountain, Wyoming, and at one time known as Mountain View Hotel Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Mountain View Hotel . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mountain_View_Hotel&oldid=1161445870 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

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3380-428: The newly created Great Smoky Mountains Park Commission, although he had been given permission to continue logging for most of the next decade. By the time the company ceased operations in 1939, it had produced 750 million board feet (1.8 million m ) of lumber. In the 1960s, the park service built the current campground over the site of the former logging town. Little remains from Elkmont's logging period, although three of

3445-491: The northeastern border of the Cherokee Nation with the United States of America at the ridge separating the Little River and Tennessee basins. In late 1791, Cherokee emissaries traveled to Philadelphia , America's then-capital, in part to request that settlers who had intruded south of the ridge be removed. Henry Knox , the secretary of war, supported this request, and also recommended moving troops from Georgia to

3510-465: The recently acquired Walker Valley (now Tremont ). Fearing a lawsuit from cottage owners, Townsend ordered the tracks to be pulled up and moved in secret. Elkmont residents were outraged. Fortunately, however, the railroad grades were perfect for road construction. In 1926, thanks largely to Tennessee Governor Austin Peay (who owned a cottage at Elkmont), a road was constructed connecting Townsend with both

3575-796: The ridge to enforce the treaty's provisions. The 1791 border was reaffirmed in 1795 by a treaty signed in Philadelphia. Little River rises in Sevier County inside the national park on the north slope of Kuwohi , the highest point in Tennessee. Kuwohi is located directly on the Tennessee- North Carolina state line, which parallels the Appalachian Trail along the crest of the Smokies. Approximately one mile below its source, Little River absorbs several smaller streams at an area known as "Three Forks", where

3640-487: The river absorbs Fish Camp Prong and Rough Creek). The railroad was later extended to Walland , connecting it to Maryville and Knoxville. The railroad employed 10 Shay engines to move the log-filled flatcars along the river valley. Logging skidders were used to pull trees from the steeper slopes. Elkmont was established in 1908 as a transfer station where logs were moved from gear-operated trains (used for reaching higher elevations) to rod-operated trains for transport to

3705-403: The river gains considerable strength. From here, the river is paralleled by the well-maintained Little River Trail which leads into Elkmont . Located in a valley created by Little River's confluence with Jakes Creek, Elkmont was originally a logging camp for the Little River Lumber Company and a station on the Little River Railroad . In the 1920s a series of cabins and inholdings , including

3770-462: The river no longer displays the extreme clarity and attractive rocky bottom of its upper reaches and resembles a more typical stream in a moderately rolling, somewhat rural area. From the old mill dam at the Peery's Mill site north of Walland to the river's mouth at Ft. Loudoun Lake (approximately 19 miles), the river is generally navigable with a canoe, with the exception of a dangerous low-head dam at

3835-421: The sawmill at Townsend. Early Elkmont was a typical temporary logging camp . These camps bore a resemblance to later Depression-era shanty towns . Shanty houses (or "set off" houses), a post office, a transient hotel, a commissary, and sheds critical to railroad maintenance were the town's only buildings. Many loggers lived in boarding houses, and some crossed Sugarland Mountain via a trail connecting Elkmont to

3900-527: The stream truly "sinking", which is not feasible in this area of ancient Precambrian metamorphic rock .) Below the Sinks, Little River is navigable in high water with a canoe or kayak. Continuing to follow TN 73 the stream crosses into Blount County en route to its confluence with Middle Prong of Little River at an area known as the "Townsend Y". The Middle Prong of Little River drains the watershed between Miry Ridge and Defeat Ridge, both of which descend from

3965-632: The two major Tennessee entrances to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: those in Gatlinburg and Townsend . The stream, like the road that follows it, is quite sinuous. The road is built on the bed of the Little River Railroad that was used for logging purposes prior to the establishment of the park. Along the course of Little River are several small waterfalls which feed into the river, which are especially strong during wet weather. One waterfall, Meigs Falls,

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4030-419: The valley and Meigs Mountain. As membership in the Appalachian Club proved remarkably difficult to obtain, several rejected Knoxvillians purchased the Wonderland Hotel site and formed the Wonderland Club in 1919. Along with the hotel, 10 or so cottages were erected on the hill. In 1925, Little River Lumber Company concluded its logging operations in the Three Forks area and sought to move the Elkmont tracks to

4095-553: The valley was known simply as "Little River". Like most Appalachian communities, the residents of Little River developed a subsistence agricultural economy. Most residents grew corn and apples and kept bees for honey. Several gristmills arose along Jakes Creek. Only two structures remain from the pioneer period in Elkmont: the Avent cabin (constructed c. 1850) and the Levi Trentham cabin (constructed c. 1830). Originally built by

4160-503: Was the one person who would tell them no, something they seldom found. Reportedly the story was one shared for years among the justices on the Supreme Court. Ownby died in 1984, the last of the park's lifetime lessees outside of Cades Cove . In the 1880s, Knoxville businessman John L. English began a small-scale logging project along Jakes Creek. To transport the logs to a sawmill on the outskirts of Knoxville, English constructed

4225-586: Was well regarded by them, had been killed after crossing the Ohio River by non-Cherokee, and that they had never heard of the Government of North Carolina selling land to the Republic of Franklin and had spoken with congressional representatives during the fall of 1785 who had given no information about the impending land claim. Nevertheless, desiring peace, Old Tassel and Hanging Maw signed their assent to

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