The establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was no small accomplishment and the park’s 75th anniversary is no small celebration.

The grassroots movement to create Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the 1920s and ’30s was truly a labor of love.

Much of the painstaking work was accomplished by citizens in Knoxville, TN and Asheville, NC who longed to see their mountains protected and local economies energized by a “crown jewel” national park in their back yard.

Unlike Yellowstone, which was mostly delineated from existing public lands, the Smokies had to be purchased tract by tract from big timber companies and small farmers. Most of the money to do so had to come from private contributions or grants from the states of North Carolina and Tennessee.

On June 15, 1934, the citizens’ wish was granted and the Smokies officially became America’s 22nd national park.

Today this park protects over 800 square miles of mountains and rivers and preserves a safe haven for more than 15,000 different species of plants and animals. Over nine million visits are tallied each year, more than any other national park. $718 million to local economies annually.

The major in-park special events will be held June 13-15 and on September 2, 2009. In addition, local communities will celebrate with more than 100 events of their own. for informtion, please visit www.Greatsmokies75th.org

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