Birth of a National Park Gallery

University of Tennessee Botany Prof. Samuel H. Essary was an early Knoxville photographer of the Smokies before the 1920s. This photograph and several others were featured in the 1922 second edition of Horace Kephart's "Our Southern Highlanders."
University of Tennessee Botany Prof. Samuel H. Essary was an early Knoxville photographer of the Smokies before the 1920s. This photograph and several others were featured in the 1922 second edition of Horace Kephart's "Our Southern Highlanders."
Stunning photograph, "Mountain Stream" by Thompson Brothers. (University of Tennessee Libraries, Digital Collections.)
Visitors to the first official campsite on Mt Le Conte (July, 1925) featuring notable Knoxvillians such as Jim Thompson, Paul Adams, Brockway Crouch, Dutch Roth, and the Ijams family. (Great Smoky Mountains National Park Archive)
Map of the "Proposed" Smokies, drawn by Harry Ijams, 1930. From a 1930s promotional brochure. (Paul James)
Great Smokies Map drawn by Harry Ijams, as featured in the Knoxville News-Sentinel's Golden Jubilee Edition in July, 1936. (Courtesy of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Archive.)
Sky-Line Profile of the mountain peaks by Harry Ijams, 1930. From a 1930s promotional brochure. (Paul James)
Jim Thompson photograph from 1930s promotional brochure (Paul James)
Thompson Bros photograph from 1930s promotional brochure (Paul James)
Classic Jim Thompson photographs made wonderful color-tinted postcards. (University of Tennessee Libraries, Digitals Collections.)
Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, hiking party to Mt. Harrison, 1927. (Great Smoky Mountains National Park Archive)
Camp set up by Carlos Campbell. (Courtesy of Rebecca Campbell Arrants)
Peregrine Falcon nestlings photographed by Brockway Crouch, 1920s.
Thompson Bros photograph from 1930s promotional brochure (Paul James)
Thompson Bros photograph from 1930s promotional brochure (Paul James)
"Grandpa Le Conte" by Carlos Campbell. (Courtesy of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Archive)
Ramsey Cascades photographed by Carlos Campbell. (Courtesy of Rebecca Campbell Arrants)
Indian Gap Highway Postcard (Courtesy of Brian and Heather Buckberry)
Myrtle Point Postcard (Courtesy of Brian and Heather Buckberry)
Huggins Hell Postcard (Courtesy of Brian and Heather Buckberry)
Strip 1 of Smoky Mountains Poster Stamps by Harry Ijams, circa 1937. (Courtesy of Paul James)
Strip 2 of Smoky Mountains Poster Stamps by Harry Ijams, circa 1937. (Courtesy of Paul James)
Strip 3 of Smoky Mountains Poster Stamps by Harry Ijams, circa 1937. (Courtesy of Paul James)
Strip 4 of Smoky Mountains Poster Stamps by Harry Ijams, circa 1937. (Courtesy of Paul James)