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Smoky Mountain Magic
Horace Kephart's fictional adventure set in the Deep Creek watershed, Cherokee Indian Reservation, and Bryson City in the summer of 1925. Written in 1929 and never before published. The original manuscript was passed down for 3 generations recently surfaced during the park's 75th anniversary celebration. "What better topic than a journey into a forbidden realm, complete with witches, robber barons, noble savages and a winsome lady, all wrapped in a cloak of mystery and myth?" asks reviewer Gary Carden. Kephart is featured in Ken Burn's PBS series on our national parks. He is the author of "Our Southern Highlanders", "Cherokees of the Smokies", and "Camping and Woodcraft".
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 30, 2019
This little book turned out to be a delightful surprise! Written in the 1920s, Smoky Mountain Magic wasn’t published until 2009. To be honest, besides seeing the Kephart name on a few places in the Smokies, I wasn’t familiar with Horace Kephart until now. And normally I’m not a fan of long book introductions – I like to get into the story as soon as possible, but I very much enjoyed the almost 30-page mini biography about Kephart. He had escaped to the Smokies in the early 1900s when families still lived in the area of what is now the national park. Kephart kept incredibly detailed journals of life in the mountains, even making notes about the unique words the mountaineers used. It was like a different world up in the mountains, where you could go from a 1920s little bustling town to homesteads up to a century behind the times within a matter of minutes.
Most of Kephart’s professional writing was about survival in the outdoors or the lives of the mountain people. But for Smoky Mountain Magic, he used his vast knowledge of the area, its people and their manner of speaking to create a story set in 1925 about a young man who visits the Deep Creek area where he encounters quite the assortment of mountaineers, sketchy homesteaders, conniving businessmen and Cherokee. The book is quite a lovely and unexpected mix of humor, romance, mystery, Cherokee magic and even geology. Kephart’s knowledge of the plant and animal life, as well as the geological makeup of the Smokies, is on full display in this book. I love how he mixed in a scientific view of the mountains with the lifestyle of who lived among its beauty.
As someone who adores the Smokies and tries to visit often, this book was perfect for me. In the last few years, I’ve become really interested in the history of the Smokies and of the lives of the early homesteaders, and this was both a heartwarming and entertaining look at what life was like back then.
Most of Kephart’s professional writing was about survival in the outdoors or the lives of the mountain people. But for Smoky Mountain Magic, he used his vast knowledge of the area, its people and their manner of speaking to create a story set in 1925 about a young man who visits the Deep Creek area where he encounters quite the assortment of mountaineers, sketchy homesteaders, conniving businessmen and Cherokee. The book is quite a lovely and unexpected mix of humor, romance, mystery, Cherokee magic and even geology. Kephart’s knowledge of the plant and animal life, as well as the geological makeup of the Smokies, is on full display in this book. I love how he mixed in a scientific view of the mountains with the lifestyle of who lived among its beauty.
As someone who adores the Smokies and tries to visit often, this book was perfect for me. In the last few years, I’ve become really interested in the history of the Smokies and of the lives of the early homesteaders, and this was both a heartwarming and entertaining look at what life was like back then.
May 25, 2017
Great descriptive nature writing frames a puny story.
January 30, 2019
Horace Kephart is famous for his books on “Woodcraft and Camping” and for his “Our Southern Highlanders, “which still reigns as the premier work about the people of the Smoky Mountains. He wrote another book, a novel that got turned down for publication in 1928. Two years later, Kephart was killed in an auto accident, and his novel lay ignored. Regard for Kephart, however, continued to grow. Then eighty-one years after its completion, “Smoky Mountain Magic” has finally come to print through the efforts of his family. Kephart had spent eighteen years gathering notes, composing and revising his novel, and it is finally in print.
In the novel, John Cabarrus, after a fifteen year absence, returns to Kittuwa in the Smoky Mountains in NC. He sets up camp in the wilderness and begins panning the brooks and streams for minerals, arousing some suspicion from people who live in the area. He meets Marian Wentworth and rescues her horse whose foot got caught in a crevice in the ground.
Marian had heard people talk about a young boy whose family had come to grief fifteen years earlier. As Marian gets to know Cabarrus better, she realizes that he is that boy. Cabarrus is now twenty-eight. Marian and Cabarrus become friends. Someone in Kittuwa had defrauded the Cabarrus family a long time ago and caused the young Cabarrus to flee when he was thirteen.
Kephart crafts an adventuresome story. There’s a wrong that had been done to innocent and helpless people. Cabarrus returned to correct the wrong. Cabarrus and Marian gradually become fond of each other. Kephart provides much local color about the inhabitants of Kittuwa and the surrounding mountains and vivid descriptions of the pristine forest on the mountains.
Kephart also adds spice to his novel by capturing mannerisms and speech patterns of the folks living in the mountains and of some Cherokee Indians who live there. In his novel, Kephart has his characters discuss Cherokee creation legends and some of their myths about sacred talismans. Kephart compares the Cherokee lore with similar legends and myths held by the Caucasian population in the hills. The only flaw I noticed is when Kephart has Cabarrus compare John Wesley’s teachings to superstition where, I think, it is obvious that Kephart did not fully understand Wesley.
Kephart develops a good plot explaining the dilemma Cabarrus is in and how Cabarrus works his way out of it. The novel ends with Cabarrus and Marian very much attracted to each other and with Cabarrus’ future looking good as a result of his hard work and good common sense. If anyone is tired of the wanton sexuality in today’s novels, you won’t see any of that here.
The rear cover shows a photograph of Kephart sitting against a tree on a mountain later named after him, his forearms resting on his knees; his rifle placed along side of him. It is a nice image of the man who loved these mountains and who worked so hard to have these mountains preserved for future generations. I can almost see Kephart’s spirit, still at ease, after all these years, surrounded by this forest he loved so much with its gurgling brooks and inquisitive titmice and chipmunks and where he once chanced upon relics of Stone Age man. I can almost visualize him becoming aware of the real spirit in the forest, the one who created the forest, the one who claims us all as his own.
In the novel, John Cabarrus, after a fifteen year absence, returns to Kittuwa in the Smoky Mountains in NC. He sets up camp in the wilderness and begins panning the brooks and streams for minerals, arousing some suspicion from people who live in the area. He meets Marian Wentworth and rescues her horse whose foot got caught in a crevice in the ground.
Marian had heard people talk about a young boy whose family had come to grief fifteen years earlier. As Marian gets to know Cabarrus better, she realizes that he is that boy. Cabarrus is now twenty-eight. Marian and Cabarrus become friends. Someone in Kittuwa had defrauded the Cabarrus family a long time ago and caused the young Cabarrus to flee when he was thirteen.
Kephart crafts an adventuresome story. There’s a wrong that had been done to innocent and helpless people. Cabarrus returned to correct the wrong. Cabarrus and Marian gradually become fond of each other. Kephart provides much local color about the inhabitants of Kittuwa and the surrounding mountains and vivid descriptions of the pristine forest on the mountains.
Kephart also adds spice to his novel by capturing mannerisms and speech patterns of the folks living in the mountains and of some Cherokee Indians who live there. In his novel, Kephart has his characters discuss Cherokee creation legends and some of their myths about sacred talismans. Kephart compares the Cherokee lore with similar legends and myths held by the Caucasian population in the hills. The only flaw I noticed is when Kephart has Cabarrus compare John Wesley’s teachings to superstition where, I think, it is obvious that Kephart did not fully understand Wesley.
Kephart develops a good plot explaining the dilemma Cabarrus is in and how Cabarrus works his way out of it. The novel ends with Cabarrus and Marian very much attracted to each other and with Cabarrus’ future looking good as a result of his hard work and good common sense. If anyone is tired of the wanton sexuality in today’s novels, you won’t see any of that here.
The rear cover shows a photograph of Kephart sitting against a tree on a mountain later named after him, his forearms resting on his knees; his rifle placed along side of him. It is a nice image of the man who loved these mountains and who worked so hard to have these mountains preserved for future generations. I can almost see Kephart’s spirit, still at ease, after all these years, surrounded by this forest he loved so much with its gurgling brooks and inquisitive titmice and chipmunks and where he once chanced upon relics of Stone Age man. I can almost visualize him becoming aware of the real spirit in the forest, the one who created the forest, the one who claims us all as his own.
December 23, 2019
I enjoyed the narrative about the people and places of Appalachia. It's a fun adventure with a view into a time and place. I didn't like the sappy ending so much, but it was still a worthwhile read. The "happy ending" consisted of a plan to dynamite the area which held so much mystery and beauty.
October 22, 2017
Read this book while vacationing in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Such an enjoyable read! I’m glad the author’s family published it. Memorable characters!
September 13, 2019
Reads like a modern fairy tale while respecting the people who called Appalachia home.
December 31, 2025
Loved the descriptions and the use of authentic language. It took me some time to get invested in the story in the beginning but the second half of the story kept me wanting to read without stopping!
January 23, 2026
One part cheesey Hallmark romance mixed with one part Hardy Boys mystery set in the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains.
May 11, 2025
A tale set in the early 1900s in the Smoky Mountain region before the Great Smoky Mountains National park was established.
After a sudden and misfortunate event a young lad, orphaned and penniless, leaves his home in the Smoky Mountains only to return many years later as an adult ready to settle some scores and reclaim what was rightfully his. The story has some authentically depicted characters of the region including the Cherokees, superstitions of the region including Cherokee myths and legends, and descriptions of the rugged land and its profuse vegetation, along with its abundant and at-the-time untapped geological treasures.
The first part of the book contains a biography of the author, Horace Gephart, a librarian who loved the region and eventually relocated to live there permanently. He is credited with being influential in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, although he passed away a few years before seeing his dream become reality. One of the taller peaks in the area bears his name. Many feel that the main character of this story is actually modeled after the author himself.
I was surprised to read that the manuscript of this story that was found after the author’s death (that occurred in the early 1930s; the story was written in the 1920s) took nearly 80 years before it was published. Not only is this a story written about life in the Smoky Mountains during the 1920s but it was also written during that same period of time by a long time inhabitant of the region, making this story an effective snap-shot of life in that region at that moment in time.
After a sudden and misfortunate event a young lad, orphaned and penniless, leaves his home in the Smoky Mountains only to return many years later as an adult ready to settle some scores and reclaim what was rightfully his. The story has some authentically depicted characters of the region including the Cherokees, superstitions of the region including Cherokee myths and legends, and descriptions of the rugged land and its profuse vegetation, along with its abundant and at-the-time untapped geological treasures.
The first part of the book contains a biography of the author, Horace Gephart, a librarian who loved the region and eventually relocated to live there permanently. He is credited with being influential in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, although he passed away a few years before seeing his dream become reality. One of the taller peaks in the area bears his name. Many feel that the main character of this story is actually modeled after the author himself.
I was surprised to read that the manuscript of this story that was found after the author’s death (that occurred in the early 1930s; the story was written in the 1920s) took nearly 80 years before it was published. Not only is this a story written about life in the Smoky Mountains during the 1920s but it was also written during that same period of time by a long time inhabitant of the region, making this story an effective snap-shot of life in that region at that moment in time.
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October 1, 2025This was my third time through, and I loved it all over again!! Such an incredible vocabulary.
Youlus Lumbo: "His disposition was septic: grievances festered in him."
The Terhunes "actually favored a furriner before and against their own neighbor, who was mountain-born and had mountain rights."
"When an Indian does not care to talk English, he won't, and that's the end of it."
"The authorities ... took the easy way of driving her on and on, from county to county, shifting the burden from one to another, each in turn glad to be rid of her for a breathing spell." -- Reminds me of the scandal at Porter-Gaud and how easy it is to cover something up, pass it along to another school district. Such sad times, such sad memories.
And again, in 9/2025:
Now this one makes me laugh out loud with remembering:
"It is all well enough to be alone in the wild forest when the weather is fair and bracing, and a body has something strenuous or interesting to do; but this abominable chilly fog and the dripping wetness of the woods oppressed him with a feeling of futility and an eagerness to get away."
"To the devil with doubts!"
Youlus Lumbo: "His disposition was septic: grievances festered in him."
The Terhunes "actually favored a furriner before and against their own neighbor, who was mountain-born and had mountain rights."
"When an Indian does not care to talk English, he won't, and that's the end of it."
"The authorities ... took the easy way of driving her on and on, from county to county, shifting the burden from one to another, each in turn glad to be rid of her for a breathing spell." -- Reminds me of the scandal at Porter-Gaud and how easy it is to cover something up, pass it along to another school district. Such sad times, such sad memories.
And again, in 9/2025:
Now this one makes me laugh out loud with remembering:
"It is all well enough to be alone in the wild forest when the weather is fair and bracing, and a body has something strenuous or interesting to do; but this abominable chilly fog and the dripping wetness of the woods oppressed him with a feeling of futility and an eagerness to get away."
"To the devil with doubts!"
August 19, 2010
As a fan of all things Smoky Mountains I am glad to have read this historic book. Smoky Mountain Magic is Horace Kephart's only known attempt at the novel genre and was pulished 80 years after the last known revision of its text in 2009. While some of the threads of the story line could have been more fully developed, the author's knowledge of the place, people and times who were the central characters of the novel rang through as not only entertaining but also eductional. His use of early 20th Century NC Mountain diction made you feel like you were 'thar' and I will definitely be 'git'n up'wards Nick's Nest it uh dogsrot' real soon.
May 18, 2012
This is a historically significant book. It is not as good as the other critically acclaimed books by Kephart. It is an interesting read just to think that it is a autobiography of sorts and based loosely on Kephart. It is a must be read for anyone who is a Kephart fan. For the others don't waste time and read on of his other books.
April 12, 2013
This was so sweet. It kept reminding me of the little Nancy Drew mysteries I read as a child. Loved the Smoky Mountain backwoods "scenery".
September 16, 2014
An old fashioned love and adventure story written in the early 20th century by a naturalist, with good information about life in the Smokies at that time.
May 15, 2015
The vivid descriptions of both the Appalachian setting and the characters living there was worth tolerating the "simple" but quaint story.
April 29, 2017
This was okay. From a present-day perspective, I didn't really like the way the white trash was run off the mountain by a feral "witch." Also, the protagonist's grandfather was smart enough to protect his own mineral rights, but no mention of the fact that less than a hundred years prior, all the land was Indian land, and was stolen from them by whites and/or the US government. The Indians in this book that "revert" back to their own mythologies/beliefs are described as "barbaric." Although some mention of the fact that they look on the whites' beliefs as just as nonsensical was at least an attempt at parity, I guess.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews