WHERE WE STARTED 7
WHERE WE STARTED
Highlights Of Our History
In 1961 , the Rebel Railroad opened , an attraction that would become Silver Dollar City in 1976 and Dollywood in 1986 .
Tourism began to make its mark in the ’ 60s , with attractions , motels and restaurants popping up as the years passed .
Today , Pigeon Forge is one of the most popular family destinations in the Southeastern United States .
Before it became a popular vacation destination , Pigeon Forge was a valley of wheat fields and farmlands . The town ’ s name comes from two sources : the first part from the Little Pigeon River , which takes its name from the passenger pigeons that once nested there ; the second part from the forge built by Isaac Love in 1817 , near the present-day Old Mill .
Colonel Samuel Wear , a Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia , settled here before 1783 , and Wear ’ s Fort was a refuge for the settlers during Indian raids .
HISTORICAL-MARKER DRIVING TOUR
Pigeon Forge has a rich Smoky Mountain history that dates back to the 1700s . You can learn a little about that history by driving to historical markers you ’ ll find throughout town . Read about some of the town ’ s first businesses , early schools , the town ’ s railroad and even some of the forts built in the area .
MyPigeonForge . com / history
IN 1940 , PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D . ROOSEVELT RODE THROUGH PIGEON FORGE TO DEDICATE THE NEW GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK .