For centuries, the majesty and mystery of the Great Smoky Mountains have lured humankind. The Cherokee were among the first to build thriving communities in the mountains. Backcountry frontiersman were next to put down roots. In time, visitors arrived, eager to take in the cool mountain air; they returned home with stories of "hillbillies." Then came those who used the mountains for their own advantage, such as lumber barons, armed with steam shovels and skidders.

Eventually, civic boosters from East Tennessee and Western North Carolina took note and began advocating for the protection of the Great Smoky Mountains. Before a national park could be established, though, competing interests had to be sorted and a consideration of lives affected made.

The historic imagery cataloged herein draws predominantly from vintage postcards, produced by regional photographers, such as Walter M. Cline, Sr., Edouard E. Exline, Jack Huff, and James E. Jim Thompson, among others. As a collection, these postacrds illustrate how a rallying cry for preservation (along with pleasure and profit) sustained a grassroots campaign to create Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the United States.