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OUR TOWN
Once Upon A Time…
in Pigeon Forge
Once upon a time there was a small community
called Pigeon Forge, a picturesque valley filled
with wheat fields and farmlands. The town took
its name from two sources: “Pigeon” from the
Little Pigeon River, which takes its name from
the passenger pigeons that once nested there;
“Forge” refers to a forge built by Isaac Love in
1817, one of the town’s first businesses.
Pigeon Forge history can be traced back to the
Revolutionary War, when Col. Samuel Wear, a
soldier from Virginia, settled here before 1783
and established Wear’s Fort, a refuge for the
settlers during Indian raids.
There are other historical highlights that
contributed to what our town has become today.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s dedication of
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1940,
and the opening of Rebel Railroad theme park in
1961. That park would morph into Silver Dollar
City in 1976 and become Dollywood in 1986.
Tourism started to become the town’s identity in
the ‘60s, as attractions, restaurants and motels
started to pop up. That trend continues today,
with new businesses joining the Pigeon Forge
community each year, making our town one
of the most popular family destinations in the
Southeastern United States.
Historical Journey
You can take a journey through Pigeon Forge
history on our historical-marker driving tour.
A number of historical markers are located
throughout Pigeon Forge that tell about the
town’s first businesses and schools, our railroad
and some of the forts that existed in the area.
MyPigeonForge.com/histor y