Appalachian Collection

The History of Tourism in Western North Carolina Through the 1950s


 

Scope

The tourist trade is a mainstay of North Carolina's mountain economy. Examining the history of the development of this trade lends insight into many aspects of regional Appalachian studies such as the prevalence of poverty in the area, media representations and characters of mountain life, and environmental degradation caused by development. This document is designed as an introduction to the literature available about the history of tourism in Western North Carolina through the 1950s.

 

A good introduction to this topic can be found in:

Bingham, Edgar. "The Impact of Recreational Development on Pioneer Lifestyles in Southern Appalachia." Colonialism in Modern America: The Appalachian Case . Boone, North Carolina: The Appalachian Consortium Press, 1978. 370 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: HC107.A13 C68.

Blackmun, Ora. Western North Carolina: Its Mountains and Its People to 1880 . Boone, NC: Appalachian Consortium Press, 1977. 458 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F261 .B56. See Chapter 17.

Van Noppen, Ina W. and John J. Van Noppen. Western North Carolina Since the Civil War. Boone, North Carolina; The Appalachian Consortium Press . 437 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F261 .V36 1973. See Chapter 17.

 

Some relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings
     ( Search by "Subject" in the online catalog using these headings) :

Highly Relevant:

Also Relevant:

 

Frequently used Library of Congress Call Number ranges:

 

More information can be found in the Appalachian Collection Clippings File under the following subject headings:

  • Appalachia -- History
  • Appalachian Trail
  • Ashe County, NC
  • Appalacian Ski Mountain
  • Asheville, NC
  • Avery County, NC
  • Banner Elk, NC
  • Beech Mountain, NC
  • Biltmore Estate
  • Blowing Rock, NC
  • Blue Ridge Mountains
  • Blue Ridge Parkway
  • Boone, NC
  • Camps
  • Chimney Rock, NC
  • Clingman's Dome, NC
  • Cherokee, NC
  • Fairs and Festivals
  • Flat Rock, NC
  • Grandfather Mountain
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  • "Horn In The West,"
  • Linville, NC
  • Mineral Springs, NC
  • Mountains, NC
  • Mt. Mitchell
  • NC -- Western -- History
  • Parks
  • Railroads
  • Resorts
  • Tourist Trade
  • Tweetsie Railroad
  • "Unto These Hills"
  • Watauga County, NC

 

Some Frequently Cited or Relevant Books include the following:

Frome, Michael. Strangers in High Places; the Story of the Great Smoky Mountains . Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press. 392 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F443 .G7 F7 1994.

Parlow, Anita. The Land Development Rag. Knoxville, TN: Southern Appalachian Ministry in Higher Education, 1976. 9 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: HD111 .P37.

Tennessee Valley Authority. Recreational Development of the Southern Highlands Region . Knoxville, TN: TVA, 1938. 61 leaves. ASU APP COLL STACKS: GV54 .A137 T4.

 

Relevant Journals in the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection:

Appalachian Journal: A Regional Studies Review . Boone, NC: Appalachian State University. v. 1, 1972 to present. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F216.2 .A66. Indexed in vols. 7, 18, and 23.

Appalachian Notes . Lexington, KY: Erasmus Press. v. 1-13, 1973-1985. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F216.2 .A85.

The Blue Ridge Stemwinder . DeSoto, MO: John R. Waite. v. 1, 1998 to present. ASU APP COLL STACKS: HE2791 .E27 B12.

Journal of Appalachian Studies. Morganton, WV: West Virginia University for the Appalachian Studies Associaiton. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F106 .J74 (bound issues). Check current APP COLL periodicals for other issues.

Mountain Life & Work . Berea, KY: Berea College. v. 1 - 64, 1925 - 1988. ASU APP COLL STACKS: GR103 .M5.

Mountain Living. Black Mountain, NC: Mountain Living, Inc. v. 1-14, 1970-1983. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F261 .M62.

North Carolina Historical Review . Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Historical Commission. v. 1, 1924 to present. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F251 .N892.

Now and Then. Johnson City, TN: Center for Appalachian Studies and Services. Vol. 1, 1984 -- present. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F217.A65 N68.

Touring . Asheville, NC: Southland Tourist Pub. Co. v.2 #3-4/5, v.5 #1-2, 1934-1938. ASU APP COLL CLOSED STACKS: F261 .T68.

 

Bibliographies that contain materials on this topic include:

Appalachian Bibliography. Morgantown: West Virginia University Library, 1968, 1972, and 1980. ASU APP COLL STACKS: Z1251 .A7 A6.

Bibliography on the Appalachian South . Clintwood, VA: Council of the Southern Mountains. 1973-1974. ASU APP COLL STACKS: Z1251 .A7 B5.

Bingham, Edgar. "A Bibliography of Appalachian Geography." Appalachian Journal . Boone, NC: Appalachian State University. Autumn 1977 issue, pp. 70-71.

Coulter, E. Merton. Travels in the Confederate States . Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1948. 289 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: Z1251 .S7 C68.

Thompson, Lawrence S. "Ante-Bellum Appalachia: Three Decades of Travel Before the Civil War." Appalachian Notes . See 2nd Quarter issue, 1974, pp. 17-24. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F216.2 .A85.

_____. "Appalachia in the Civil War: A Bibliography of Travel Accounts." Appalachian Notes . See 1st Quarter issue, 1977, pp. 1-8.

_____. "From Elvas to Chattanooga: Three Centuries of Travel In Appalachia; 1540-1820." Appalachian Notes . See 2nd Quarter issue, 1973, pp. 1-11.

 

Abstracts and Indices:

Alternative Press Index. College Park, MD. Alternative Press Centre. v. 1, 1969 to present. ASU REFERENCE: AI3 .A27.

America: History and Life. A guide to the periodical literature in the American Studies field, including History, Folklore, and the Humanities.

Historical Abstracts . Santa Barbara, CA : ABC-CLIO. Historical coverage of the world from 1450 to the present. Online version covers 1969 publication to date. Updated three times a year. http://serials.abc-clio.com/ .

Leisure, Recreation, and Tourism Abstracts . [Print Version] Bound: v.10-23, ASU REFERENCE: GV191.6 .R86. Online Version available.

Sociological Abstracts. Bound: v.1-44, 1953-1996. ASU REFERENCE HM1 .S67. Online version also available.

 

Guides and Almanacs:

Beverly, Robert. The Western North Carolina Almanac and Book of Lists . Franklin, NC: Sanctuary Press. 274 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F261.B49 1993.

Federal Writers Project (N. C.) North Carolina, A Guide To the Old North State . Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1939. 601 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F259 .F44. (Also in ASU MAIN STACKS).

Lindsey, Thomas H. Lindsey's Guide Book to Western North Carolina . Asheville, NC: The Randolph-Kerr Publishing Co., 1890. 92 pages. ASU APP COLL CLOSED STACKS: F259 .L75.

 

Compiler: Logan Brown, 14 December 1999