What’s in a Name? The History Behind the Famous Smoky Mountain Peaks

From Mount Le Conte to Meigs Mountain, the stories behind some of the people who had peaks named for them in the Smokies

What do a Swiss photographer, a Missouri librarian and a Washington bureaucrat all have in common? Peaks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have been named in their honor, of course. And it was frequently in recognition of their support of the creation of the park.

But who were these people really? It’s an odd collection of naturalists, adventurers, storytellers, philanthropists and business people for whom the peaks in the Smokies – which already had names by the way – were christened. If you wanted a mountain named in your honor, it didn’t hurt to have connections. Many of the names were given by friends or work colleagues of the honorees.

With this in mind, here are some of their stories:

1. Mt. Guyot

Located at the state border between Sevier County, Tennessee and Haywood County, North Carolina, Mt. Guyot is the second highest peak in the park. It is also the fourth highest in the Eastern U.S. Noticeable by the two peaks atop the mountain, Guyot is named in honor of a Swiss geographer who explored and also measured mountain elevations.

Arnold Guyot was born in Switzerland in 1807. He was educated in Switzerland and Germany, immigrating to Cambridge Massachusetts in 1847. He taught and lectured and was named a professor at Princeton in 1854.

From 1856 to 1860 he was also tasked with measuring the elevations of multiple peaks in Western North Carolina. The work was important in opening up the region and laying the foundation for what would become the National Park movement. In fact, his work was key in building a road through what he called New Gap but became Newfound Gap.  He released an 18-page document with his thoughts and findings:

He wrote: “To the Southwest of the gorges through which the Big Pigeon escapes from the mountains, the chain rises rapidly in high pointed peaks and sharp ridges … This is the beginning of the Smoky Mt. Chain proper, which by general elevation of both its peaks and its crest, by its perfect continuity, its great roughness and difficulty of approach, may be called the master chain of the Appalachian System.”

As he made his way through the mountains, measuring elevations, he often named them as well. Among the mountains he measured was the one that his friend – naturalist Samul Buckley – would name after Guyot. In fact, it is one of four mountains named in his honor. There are Mount Guyots in New Hampshire, Colorado and California. There is also a Guyot Glacier in Alaska and the Guyot Crater on the moon. The Guyot name is surely well tended.

2. Mt. Kephart

The 7th highest mountain in Tennessee, Mt. Kephart is overshadowed by its neighbors, Kuwohi and Mt. LeConte. It lies on the state border between Sevier County, Tennessee and Swain County, North Carolina. The Appalachian Trail – a route which Kephart helped plot – crosses the mountains southern slope.

Horace Kephart is a difficult man to get your head around. He was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Iowa. In his life, he was a librarian, a naturalist, a researcher, a rugged outdoorsman and a travel writer. He was also the librarian for the St. Louis Mercantile Library and Yale University. He spent time in Italy working as a researched for a wealthy book collector.

While in Missouri, he chronicled his frequent hunting and camping trips. Then, in 1904 – when Kephart was 42 – his wife and six children moved to Ithaca, New York. But he moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina. That is where he became one of the chief chroniclers and myth-makers that helped build the national obsession with the Smoky Mountains.

Kephart died in in a car crash near Bryson City in 1931. He was 68. Two months earlier, Mount Kephart had been named in his honor.

3. Mt. Cammerer

Located on the northeastern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains, Mt. Cammerer is on the state line between Cocke County, Tennessee and Haywood County, North Carolina. A popular hiking destination in the fall, the Mountain is crossed by the Appalachian trail and is connected to a higher knob by a long ridge.

Originally known as White Rock for it quartzite outcroppings, it was renamed Mt. Cammerer, in honor of Nebraskan Arno. B. Cammerer, a director of the National Park Service and strong advocate of the creation of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

4. Meigs Mountain

Located in the deep mountains between Little River Gorge Road and the Tennessee-North Carolina State line, northeast of Tremont, Meigs Mountain is a fairly remote location in the deep forest. The Meigs Mountain Trail crosses its northern slopes while the Panther Creek Trail runs along the far side. The Meigs Mountain Cemetery and the Meigs Cascades are also located nearby as are Meigs Falls.

But who is this Meigs guy and why are they naming everything after him?

Well, my friends, let me tell you about Col. Return Jonathan Meigs. He was a colonel in the Continental Army born in Connecticut. He made his way to Tennessee after the war. Was Col. Meigs an important figure in the war? Well, he led a company of infantry to Boston after the Battle of Lexington – maybe you’ve heard of it. He also served under Benedict Arnold.

In 1877, he led the Meigs Raid on Sag Harbor, New York and later was given a command under General “Mad” Anthony Wayne. He beat back a mutiny that earned a written letter of thanks from George Washington. So he was fairly up in it.

In 1801, he came to Tennessee to serve as U.S. Indian Agent to the Cherokee. His job was to work on behalf of the Cherokee, defending their rights in treaty negotiations and promoting their well-being as he saw it.

Meigs County, Tennessee was also named in his honor.

Did you know the history of the renaming of the mountains in the Smokies? Let us know what you think in the comments!