By several accounts, the decision to establish a national park in the Great Smokies, straddling the states of Tennessee and North Carolina, was strongly influenced by an event 100 years ago this month, in July,1924. Was it:
A – A visit to the Great Smokies by President Coolidge and his wife, Grace, who insisted it be a national park.
B – Photographer Jim Thompson showing his images of the Smokies to a commission then considering establishing a national park in North Carolina.
C – A major gift from Andrew Carnegie, who had visited the Smokies in his youth.
D – A referendum held by the people of the Smokies declaring they wanted to be in a national park.
B – The U.S. Southern Appalachian National Park Commission was meeting in Asheville, and were surprised when Thompson arrived with a carload of astonishing prints from his extensive hikes in the Smokies. They chose to visit the mountains themselves that summer, and were awed by what they saw.