Like most Southern National Forests the land once belonged to large timber companies that moved to the region in the early 1880s. By 1910, almost 40 percent of the timber produced in the United States was harvested from the region. Sadly, less than 50 years later, the timber and other resources were depleted and companies began heading west. They left in their wake lands nobody wanted, as well as a region plagued with unemployment, poverty, and limited natural resources. Much of the land that became the Cherokee National Forest was cut over and scarred from repeated wildfires and poor agriculture practices.
The 633,000-acre Cherokee National Forest traces its history back to 1911. A 1902 government report outlined the devastation of the Southern Appalachians and, as a result of the report, Congress passed the Weeks Act in 1911, authorizing the federal government to purchase "forested, cut-over, or denuded lands within the watersheds of navigable streams." Land was acquired under this act and the Cherokee National Forest was established June 14, 1920.
Today the Forest is healthy and rich with plant and wild animal life, and offers a wide variety of outdoor activities. It is also home to the Cherohala Skyway, a federaly designated National Scenic Byway. Many cultural, heritage and historic sites of the Cherokee and early settlers are offered throughout the Skyway in a grand forest environment providing spectacular mile-high vistas.
The Cherohala Skyway was completed in the fall of 1996 and runs through the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee and the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. Paralleling the Tellico River in Tennessee the Cherohala Skyway winds past crystal clear rivers and climbs to breathtaking scenic overlooks through hills and valleys to over 5,000 feet in elevation. Easily accessible hiking opportunities are also found along the way, with spots for picnics in magnificent and seldom-seen portions of the southern Appalachian Mountains.The route contributes a unique opportunity to experience and learn about the region’s cultural heritage in one of the most spectacular forest environments in the world.
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