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From hunting grounds to big business

PUTTING PIGEON FORGE ON THE MAP

            Pigeon Forge, Tenn.--Considering the history of Pigeon Forge, it’s highly appropriate that one of the first businesses in this East Tennessee town was a furnace and iron forge. Appropriate because of the burning desire of hardworking visionaries who forged a town from what once was wilderness. When the pieces of the Pigeon Forge history puzzle are put together, the picture is one of a highly successful business community that the city patriots could never have imagined.

            Following the Revolutionary War, these city patriots, the first white settlers, began arriving in what was then a part of “The Lost State of Franklin.” A failed early statehood bid kept the area from becoming the nation’s 14th state.

            The Cherokee and other eastern tribes of American Indians used the area for their hunting grounds. When the settlers arrived, the area was claimed by North Carolina’s Greene County as part of its territory. However, traders following the Great Indian War Path from Virginia took notice of the bountiful area.

            The Indian highway crossed the French Broad River near Buckingham Island, and a branch of the main trail followed the West Fork of the Little Pigeon River as far as Pine Mountain, which lies to the west of Pigeon Forge.

            Colonel Samuel Wear, who fought in the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Kings’ Mountain, was destined to become a leading figure in the governments of North Carolina, Sevier County and, later, the state of Tennessee. Wear built a fort at the mouth of Walden’s Creek around 1781, which remains a historical site in Pigeon Forge today.

            The establishment of Sevier County, the State of Franklin, and the signing with the Cherokee of the Treaty at Dumplin Creek opened the fertile valley for settlement.

            After the collapse of the State of Franklin movement in 1796, what is now Pigeon Forge was included along with all of Sevier County in the Territory South of the Ohio River, which was ceded to the federal government. The county seat was located in Sevierville, where Colonel Wear served as county court clerk. Tennessee became a state that same year.

            During that time, mail was delivered twice a month from Knoxville to Sevierville. That meant that Pigeon Forge settlers had to go to Sevierville to collect mail. However, two mills had been built along the Little Pigeon River, and self-sustaining life in the small community was underway.

            By 1820, Isaac Love had established and was operating a furnace and iron forge near one of these mills, across from the present-day Pigeon Forge Pottery. On May 29, 1841, a post office was established under the name Pigeon Forge.

            The name Pigeon Forge is a combination of the iron works and the Little Pigeon River that flows through the town. In the 1700s and early 1800s the river’s banks were lined with beech trees. Beechnuts were a mainstay in the diet of Passenger Pigeons, which made the river a natural stopping point for huge flocks of the now-extinct species.

            Pigeon Forge remained a sleepy rural community for decades. In 1907, population records show Pigeon Forge with a mere 154 residents. However, the lure of the Smoky Mountains proved to be a siren’s song, and by the 1930s, visitors began to trickle into town, though the only places one could stay as guests were private homes. The now-famous iron forge was still in operation, where daily work revolved around the repair of farm implements.

            In post-war 1946, a landmark sale of the first parcel of property smaller than a farm was negotiated. The old tobacco barn standing on the property was destined to become Pigeon Forge Pottery, the city’s first tourist-related industry.

            During that time, the main road through town, which ran along the river, became the hub of the community, complete with two general stores and two churches. Some years earlier in 1935, Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established, and as a result, a row of native stone cabins had been built along the river to accommodate guests.

            Soon, the community began to experience growing pains. In a closely contested campaign, the electorate voted for incorporation of the town in 1961 by a margin of only nine votes. Although not readily foreseen, this was the beginning of a phenomenal half-century of growth. In the early 1980s, with a firmly established city government and a new Department of Tourism operating with a minimal staff, Pigeon Forge began to make its voice heard in an expanding tourism market.

            New business, primarily related to tourism, was recruited to the area. Newly created jobs brought an increase in the permanent population. As of June 2000, the most recent census indicated 5,424 permanent residents within the Pigeon Forge city limits.

            A little more than a quarter of a century ago Pigeon Forge was a small, peaceful community where cornfields were interrupted only by the occasional business venture and two traffic lights along Highway 441. That once two-lane, black-topped Highway 441 is now six lanes wide and known as the Parkway.

            A major turning point in the city’s quest for a flourishing tourism industry occurred in 1986, when Dolly Parton applied her name, energy and talents to Dollywood, a theme park on the site of the former Silver Dollar City attractions. An immediate hit with visitors, the versatile facility has expanded annually with an eye to entertainment for all ages. It is worth noting that from the time Dollywood’s gates opened, gross receipts for the entire Pigeon Forge business community leaped into double digits and have continued on a significantly upward spiral every year since.

            From a rather primitive row of stone cabins along the riverbanks, accommodations in Pigeon Forge have undergone a startling change. Now there are several distinct choices when deciding where to rest your weary head. By mid-2001, hotel and motel rooms numbered more than 8,500. In addition, there are more than 600 cottages, condos, cabins and villas. Those who prefer the camaraderie of camping can select from 14 campgrounds, equipped with features such as laundry rooms, swimming pools and arcades. Many of the hotels and cabins include state-of-the-art luxuries like satellite television and in-room Jacuzzis.

            Variety and quality make the decisions tough for diners as well. Upscale dining, family-style and fast food all are included in the mix of options in Pigeon Forge. A number of highly-regarded regional restaurants have opened a branch in the city. However, recognizing that this area is strictly a vacationer’s escape, all Pigeon Forge restaurants welcome casual attire.

            Particularly of note, the popular Cracker Barrel Restaurants and Country Stores have two locations in Pigeon Forge, breaking the chain’s strict “interstate off-ramp only” tradition.

            Unique decor is found in several of the city’s restaurants, adding to the overall dining experience. For instance, country music memorabilia can be found at Alabama Grill, while nostalgia is the theme at Mel’s Diner and Denny’s.

            Entertainment is another mushrooming industry in a city that has a long tradition of live music. Among the most popular is Dixie Stampede. Seated around a huge arena, visitors are served a four-course meal while enjoying fetes of horsemanship, music, comedy and even ostrich races!

            Singer and television star Louise Mandrell made Pigeon Forge her personal and professional home when she opened her own theater here in 1997.         

            Theaters throughout Pigeon Forge feature top-quality entertainers, delivering music, comedy, magic and variety suitable for every member of the family. Complementing the entertainment of the theaters are more than 50 family attractions, appealing and appropriate to kids of all ages, more than 200 stores in the city’s six outlet malls and more than 140 craft, gift and specialty shops. In fact, the shopping opportunities in Pigeon Forge are the city’s number one attraction for a majority of visitors.

            It’s easy to understand why the city’s motto—Action-Packed Pigeon Forge™—is a perfect fit!