Last Train to Elkmont: A Look Back at Life on Little River in the Great Smoky Mountains

by Vic Weals

great book

Genres: Nonfiction, History

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1993

Reviews

[L.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

After traveling to the Smokies many times, I had not been to Elkmont until a week ago after reading about its ghost town features. It was interesting because of the abandoned houses that still stand and over 30 fireplaces and chimneys standing without surrounding structures. After the government sanctioned the Smokey Mountains as a National Park, the land owners had to evacuate their land and homes.
The Elkmont area appears as a ghost town. Where The Wonderland Hotel once stood are stone steps leading to no where and a beautiful stone water fountain that has filled with sediment and brush with sprouts of young trees.
What was once coined Millionaires Row stands massive fireplaces and steps leading down to a railway that is no longer there.
The beauty of these mountains and round moss covered boulders sit silent while the clear streams roll down the hills leaving you in a trancelike state. You must visit it to appreciate the beauty and the hard working men and women that logged and farmed these hills. The book captured the danger of mountain logging and the many lives lost. You need only to walk the trails where the people once lived to feel the nostalgia of history.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently camped in the Elkmont area of the Smokies and have hiked the Little River trail many times. To understand the history of logging and finally be able to envision what that area looked like when families lived there and landscapes were denuded of trees was enlightening. The pictures in this book are an incredible archive of what the railroads looked like and how the logging operations functioned. Hiking on those trails and seeing how the land has been preserved so forest growth can once again cover the hillsides, and the rivers flow freely over moss covered rocks, is encouraging. The people who lived off the land in Elkmont did so before an era of conservation began. Their lives were hard, they worked physically demanding jobs, and some died in the work they did for the logging companies. Anyone who appreciates Elkmont and wants to understand more of its history would find this a valuable read!

[Anson Cassel Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

We owe a debt of gratitude to Vic Weals (1918-2001) who, with sensitivity and the practiced ear of an experienced journalist, collected oral history and old photographs from old-timers who had worked in the logging industry in what is now the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The short chapters in this book are mostly pieces first written for his column in the Knoxville Journal, “Tennessee Travels” (1976-86). Of course, the book is not a history, and the quality of the collected memories is necessarily uneven. But the book is certainly helpful in making understandable the process of logging virgin forests in the southern Appalachians, especially because of its many period photographs.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of interviews and snippets of interviews from journalist Vic Weals. The chapters are short, straightforward, and filled with fantastic photos and facts about like in the area during the time of logging. What this book provides that others do not is a glimpse from multiple people as to life in the area. For that reason, the book is well worth the read. My favorite photo is of the swinging railroad bridge. And the chapter I keep reflecting on is the one about Rooster Williams, "If a lumberjack had wings." I also have a much better understanding of the logging operations thanks to this collection.

[KP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in the sense of history of the area, but some chapters did not make much sense, some information was repetitive, and there were typos and grammar errors, which may not bother some, but somewhat bother me. Photos were definitely interesting as I enjoy looking at how people lived and dressed.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice history of logging, primarily in the Elkmont area of what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Lots of informative photos.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last Train to Elkmont: A Look Back at Life on Little River in the Great Smoky Mountains  by Vic Weals (Olden Press 1993) (976.889). This is a great book for any lover of the Smokies. It tells the story of one community along the Little River in Elkmont. By telling the tale of this single community, the author is able to share the entire story of logging in the Smokies, of the resulting destruction, and of nature's ultimate recovery in this beautiful land. My rating: 7/10, finished 2007. I finally bought a PB copy from Amazon on 12/12/18, and I reread this 1/29/19. PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Lovers of the Smoky Mountains, this is a great, short, and quite readable history of the area, specifically focusing on the logging companies. It did make me a bit sad knowing of all of the huge old trees that were cut down. However, that is what trees are for and the companies did replant. There are also many pictures.

[Alesha Cary · Rating 5 out of 5]

What this book lacks in written flair it makes up for in information and sentiment. Vic Weals captures history in the words of the people who lived it, as they were living out their last days. It is historic preservation at its finest, opening a window in the history of logging and a community swallowed by time.

If you love the Smokies, read this book.

[Kristina Plaas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging book filled with stories of the people that once called Elkmont home. The book offers a nice balance of historical details and personal stories. Highly recommended!