Cataloochee (Great Smoky Mountains)
Cataloochee
Cataloochee is a valley in the Great Smoky
Mountains of North Carolina, located in the
Southeastern United States. Now a recre-
ational and historic area within the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park, Cataloo-
chee was once home to a substantial Ap-
palachian community and Cherokee hunting
ground.
Geology
Palmer Creek in Big Cataloochee
Cataloochee consists of three narrow valleys
running parallel to one another, and "walled
in" by the high ridges of the Balsam Moun-
tains. To the northwest is Sterling Ridge and
to the southeast is Cataloochee Divide, both
of which rise above 5,000 feet for consider-
able stretches. To the southwest
is the
6,155-foot Big Cataloochee Mountain along
the Balsam crest, which runs perpendicular
to Sterling Ridge and Cataloochee Divide.
Two lower ridges, Noland Mountain and Big
Fork Ridge, run parallel between Sterling
and the Divide, and split Cataloochee into the
three valleys.
The northernmost of Cataloochee’s three
valleys is Little Cataloochee, which is situ-
ated along a stream of the same name
between Sterling Ridge and Noland Moun-
tain. Across Noland Mountain to the south is
Big Cataloochee, the middle of the three
valleys, which consists of fertile bottomland
along Cataloochee Creek. The southernmost
of the three valleys is Caldwell Fork, which
is situated between Fork Ridge and the Cata-
loochee Divide. All three valleys lay along
streams that are part of the Pigeon River
watershed.
History
Historical marker recalling the Cataloochee
Trail at the intersection of Jonathan Creek
Rd. and Cove Creek Rd. near Maggie Valley
The name "Cataloochee" is derived from the
Cherokee
term Gadalutsi, which means
"fringe standing erect." The name probably
referred to the tall rows of trees along the
ridges surrounding the valley.[1] The Chero-
kee used the valley primarily as a hunting
ground. Early settlers recalled at least one
Cherokee hunting camp in the vicinity of
Little Cataloochee Creek.[2]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cataloo