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dr agon
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Still untamed in 2020, the area was plain dangerous in the 1700s. A case in
point: In 1756 the British sent soldiers to establish Fort Louden, one of the first
outposts west of the Appalachians. The natives were not impressed and attacked
the fort in 1760. The few survivors beat a hasty retreat back to the 18th century
version of pioneer civilization. The mountains remained the same.
By the early 1800s, the dirt track had given way to becoming a rudimentary road,
leading to the settlement of Cades Cove, now a tourist stop in the Great Smoky
Mountain National Park. At that time the cove was accessed by Parson's Branch
Fact oids Road , an 8 mile stretch that still exists and still has 19 water ford crossings that
remind you of what travel used to be like. Parson's Road is one -way out to the
Each year since Dragon; that is , when you can get out. In 2002 severe flooding damaged the road
1992 bike and and it was closed for several years for repair. It re-opened in 2014 but is now a
sport s car usage on seasonal road, only.
t he road has
Time passed on the trail . Even as things changed in the wilderness, some
increased.
things didn't change. The Cherokee continued to fight the settlers and this eventually
resulted in one of the sadder chapters of America's history, the relocation of the
nation under President Andrew Jackson of Tennessee to Oklahoma, a journey that
The road is remot e. became known as the Trail of Tears. The Dragon played a part in that, too. Some
There is very lit t le of the Cherokee refused to leave their ancestral lands and used the path they knew
human habit at ion so well to evade US Army forces sent to round them up.
wit hin 20 miles in
Next, the Civil War brought bloodshed to the area, and a civil war grave can still be
any direct ion.
seen at mile 6.5 on the road. After the war, area landowners began to collect a toll to
pass over their private land. Toll Booth Corner with corrals for livestock and
primitive sleeping arrangements was established at mile 3.0. Local lore says that
Since 1995, t he
travelers who tried to cross without paying were hanged on the spot.
average deat h
count on t he Tail is In 1913 a town was built to house workers who built Cheah Dam in 1917 and
only 1.5 fat alit ies Calderwood Dam in 1930. What became Hwy 129 was then paved for the first time
per year. You're around 1934. It remained a local secret , used only infrequently by hunters and
tourists who were lost , until the 1950s when a mom and pop motel with a diner
safer t here t han on
operated through the '90s. In 1958 Thunder Road, starring Robert Mitchum fillmed
t he freeway.
part of its action on the road. At about the 4.5 mile marker, a few remaining wooden
safety posts installed by Hollywood still remain.
In 1992, however, the 20th century caught up , sort of, with Deal's Gap . That's
when a man named Doug Snavely heard about the road , drove it on his motorcycle,
and made it his business to put the Dragon on the driver's map. Publishing the
Deal's Gap Hot Lap newsletter, he moved to the mountain community and started to
promote the road to other motorcycle riders. He was shot at , at least once, by
locals who were not so pleased with his efforts.
In 2000 www.Tailofthedragon.com went on line , increasing the road's popularity.
Hint: Traffic is usually light on week days, heavier during good weather and on
weekends. When will you make the journey to best the Dragon? ##
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