SEGMENT 1
Joseph starts the episode off by discussing children’s literacy. He discusses two programs, one of which is the storybook trail of the Smokies, which allows visitors to experience a Smokies themed book while on trails. It allows young readers to bring the book to life by experiencing the book in the mountains. The other program is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. She started the program after being inspired by her childhood. Joseph introduces today’s guest, Butch Mcdade, a retired park ranger. Butch talks about the parks in which he worked throughout his over a 30-year long career. Living in Chattanooga Butch applied for his first full-time job in a park at the Chattanooga Military Park. Butch continues on, walking the audience through more of his career and more parks he has worked in both in and outside the Smokies. He always saw the Smokies as his mountains though, so they were where he ended up. The two discuss the trails in the Smokies, expounding on the wide varieties of trails in the park, with something for everyone. Butch worked in a visitor center just outside of Gatlinburg for his whole time working in the Smokies.
SEGMENT 2
Coming back from the break, Butch talks about the reason why he ended up back in the Smokies. Besides having been where he grew up, he likes that there is always something new to learn and see in the Smokies. Joseph asks Butch to discuss some of his favorite trails and hikes in the mountains. After discussing his favorite trails, Butch gives his best recommendations for tourists if they only have one day in the park. The two dive further into these locations, discussing the differences between some of the spots on weekdays versus weekends. Butch discusses his involvement with the Smoky Mountains Field School. The goal of the school is to bring people into the park and teach them the history of the park, science, and more. Butch discusses hikes he has and will lead with the school.
SEGMENT 3
Butch discusses some of the areas and mountains surrounding the Smokies. The pair move on to discuss preparation for the park. Joseph talks about one of his favorite places in the park, slide rock. Joseph asks Butch to talk about some of his favorite things to do in the park outside of hiking as well as some of his favorite towns. Butch enjoys biking but warns to stay off main roads as this can be dangerous. Butch has written many books and articles, many of which are about the Smokies. He discusses the content of these books, one of which is about artists in the mountains. He dives deeper into these artists and recommends some of their work. Not only are his books about the Smokies, but he contributed to one about the Appalachians.
SEGMENT 4
Moving into the last section of today’s episode, Joseph asks Butch about an article he was a part of. Butch describes this article which discusses a missing child and the rangers who helped her sister find his grave. Butch discusses some of his other experiences, both hikes and other articles he has written. He is a contributing writer to many different magazines and publishers. Butch shares the resources he has and places where people can find his books. Joseph ends the episode by thanking Butch for coming on today and sharing his own resources and sponsors.
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:32.760 –> 00:00:38.100 Joseph McElroy: howdy thanks for joining us on this week’s episode of gateway to the smokies.
00:00:38.580 –> 00:00:46.560 Joseph McElroy: This podcast is about America’s most visited National Park, the great smoky mountains national park, and surrounding towns.
00:00:46.890 –> 00:00:57.000 Joseph McElroy: This area’s filled with ancient natural beauty a deep storied history and rich mountain cultures that we explore with weekly episodes.
00:00:57.390 –> 00:01:07.830 Joseph McElroy: I am Joseph Franklin McElroy man of the world, but also the deep roots in these mountains My family has lived in the great smokies for over 200 years.
00:01:08.220 –> 00:01:14.460 Joseph McElroy: My business is in travel, but my heart is in the mountains of smoky mountains of North Carolina.
00:01:15.180 –> 00:01:24.060 Joseph McElroy: Today we’re going to learn about the National Park from an actual park ranger but first I will give you a little insight and some children that you see here in the mountains.
00:01:24.900 –> 00:01:29.100 Joseph McElroy: So some of you might know that I have two-year-old twins I think I mentioned that last week.
00:01:29.490 –> 00:01:37.770 Joseph McElroy: And, but this is my second rodeo so I also have a 28-year-old son so I’ve you know, had a little bit of experience of bringing kids in the smoky mountains.
00:01:38.550 –> 00:01:48.960 Joseph McElroy: But that’s another story right now for my twins I’m looking for interesting programs to have fun and educate them as well you know a lot of things were closed last year, but things are starting to.
00:01:49.950 –> 00:01:57.540 Joseph McElroy: Open up and that spirit, I have two programs to tell you about and one of them was already experienced and what I’m anticipating the experience.
00:01:58.620 –> 00:02:05.760 Joseph McElroy: The great smoky mountains National Park in partnership with the University of Tennessee extension Institute of agriculture.
00:02:06.120 –> 00:02:14.310 Joseph McElroy: And, as well as the great smoky mountains association is pleased to invite visitors to experience this story book trail of the smokies.
00:02:15.150 –> 00:02:25.560 Joseph McElroy: it’s an addition of an initiative dedicated to promoting literacy in nature, visitors will have the opportunity to experience the smokies theme book.
00:02:26.100 –> 00:02:35.250 Joseph McElroy: To trail size activities and on the trail story pages to read along the one mile cosby nature trail near the cosmic CAFE.
00:02:36.090 –> 00:02:41.880 Joseph McElroy: It began April 3 but it goes through may 30 and it also comes back in the fall.
00:02:42.870 –> 00:02:58.710 Joseph McElroy: or attended caches cast as an it’s an immersive pro approach for young readers to experience the stories of the smokies in a way that brings them to life on the trail over the this eight week period for different books will be highlighted, for two weeks two week periods.
00:02:59.070 –> 00:03:00.300 Joseph McElroy: Long the nature trail.
00:03:00.540 –> 00:03:07.680 Joseph McElroy: Each of the books aimed at various reading levels will be accompanied by educational prompts to encourage interaction with the trail.
00:03:08.370 –> 00:03:12.510 Joseph McElroy: The storybook trails free to the public and accessible, seven days a week.
00:03:13.230 –> 00:03:25.470 Joseph McElroy: The Spring books lineups include seeing creek by Morgan simmons which is may 1 the 14th and the troublesome cub by Lisa Lisa horseman which is forced to man, which is may 15 through 30th.
00:03:25.860 –> 00:03:32.520 Joseph McElroy: On the first Saturday of each books rotation, the author will be President at the trailhead interact with the participants.
00:03:32.940 –> 00:03:47.940 Joseph McElroy: We are going to be here in North Carolina at that time and i’m going to take my kids to one of those I think, as long as my wife agrees, I think she will another great program we participate in for a couple years is Dolly parton’s imagination library.
00:03:49.230 –> 00:03:57.570 Joseph McElroy: And it’s dedicated to inspire love of reading by gifting books, free of charge the children’s from bit birthday from birth to age five.
00:03:58.590 –> 00:04:07.290 Joseph McElroy: Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write Donna started her imagination library in 1995 for the children within the smoky mountain region.
00:04:07.890 –> 00:04:15.780 Joseph McElroy: To pay her program spans five country and gifts over 1 million free books each month of children around the world.
00:04:16.350 –> 00:04:24.720 Joseph McElroy: Dolly said she was inspired by our childhood, she said when I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee I knew my dreams my dreams have come true.
00:04:25.230 –> 00:04:36.300 Joseph McElroy: I know there are children in their community with their own dreams, they dream of becoming a doctor or adventure or minister who knows, maybe there’s a little girl, whose dream is to be a writer and singer.
00:04:36.960 –> 00:04:45.870 Joseph McElroy: The seeds of these dreams are often thousand books and those seeds can help you plant in your community that you helped plant in your community can grow across the world.
00:04:46.320 –> 00:04:50.430 Joseph McElroy: They are fine books they’re beautiful we get them and then we give them to.
00:04:50.850 –> 00:05:01.260 Joseph McElroy: After our kids are looked at in and we’ve made sure, make sure they keep them in pristine shape we give them to other children who pass them around it’s a wonderful Program.
00:05:02.220 –> 00:05:09.300 Joseph McElroy: So somebody knows about wonderful programs is my guest today author Arthur books mcdaid.
00:05:09.930 –> 00:05:21.720 Joseph McElroy: The day he’s known as books, I think, and he’s a retired park a park ranger with the national park service is worked at many of our national parks and finished up his career working at the.
00:05:22.350 –> 00:05:30.930 Joseph McElroy: Great smoky National Park where’s field school programs have been extremely popular he still connects them as a part time employee employee in retirement.
00:05:31.380 –> 00:05:39.810 Joseph McElroy: He is an author and he’s an avid hiker who knows the heart and Park, like the back of his hand and he is an accomplished guy Hello butch.
00:05:40.500 –> 00:05:42.180 Butch Mcdade: hello, Joseph are you doing today.
00:05:42.780 –> 00:05:43.830 Joseph McElroy: i’m doing pretty good.
00:05:44.850 –> 00:05:52.590 Joseph McElroy: it’s a beautiful day out there, that I have, I have a beautiful backdrop of mine is as a as an image yours is live.
00:05:54.240 –> 00:05:55.290 Joseph McElroy: that’s pretty Nice.
00:05:55.740 –> 00:05:58.530 Butch Mcdade: yeah the smokies way out there, the foothills I guess you’d say.
00:06:00.060 –> 00:06:09.750 Joseph McElroy: To me this book is it’s a beautiful view, though, so you’re retired ranger the park service, can you tell us what’s park for you work where you work for how long.
00:06:10.350 –> 00:06:18.180 Butch Mcdade: yeah yeah I started I got 30 years and they’re used to not have this Gray beard but after 30 years I got a great beer.
00:06:18.180 –> 00:06:18.780 Butch Mcdade: So I guess there.
00:06:19.140 –> 00:06:28.290 Butch Mcdade: are no ranger but I started Joseph down around chattanooga Tennessee have a permanent job i’m a native of nashville Tennessee over there and middle Tennessee.
00:06:29.250 –> 00:06:35.340 Butch Mcdade: And my parents had taken me to the smokies a number of times and we’d also gone to mammoth cave I think Kentucky.
00:06:35.820 –> 00:06:47.250 Butch Mcdade: And there was a civil war battlefields around nashville so I kind of grew up with go into these places, often with my parents on special occasions, so I got a chance, when I was living in chattanooga.
00:06:48.450 –> 00:06:58.260 Butch Mcdade: To apply for a job down at a battlefield called chicken maga and chattanooga national military park it’s a civil war battlefield big place.
00:06:58.860 –> 00:07:04.440 Butch Mcdade: And I spent five years there another five years up on lookout mountain, which is a part of that battlefield.
00:07:04.740 –> 00:07:13.770 Butch Mcdade: and actually before that, before I got that permanent job I worked one summer out in glacier National Park in Montana, which was incredible.
00:07:14.340 –> 00:07:25.140 Butch Mcdade: Here I am a Tennessee boy i’ve only seen the smoky which are great i’ve only seen black bears which are great, but you ought to Montana, you got the by God rocky mountains and you have grizzly bears.
00:07:27.000 –> 00:07:37.950 Butch Mcdade: I mean certainly different and, of course, when you get out there, they look nice Rangers you know give you some safety information and they stress on now, this is grizzly country you know you gotta be careful and i’m a solo hiker.
00:07:39.090 –> 00:07:50.280 Butch Mcdade: hike most of the time alone, probably shouldn’t, but I do, and so I was alone, a glacier for much of the time and but never had a problem be honest with you, and so I kind of dispel that image that.
00:07:50.760 –> 00:07:59.760 Butch Mcdade: there’s a big bad grizzly bear waiting to kill every every tourist it comes to glacier yellowstone doesn’t happen very, very rarely.
00:08:02.370 –> 00:08:03.270 Joseph McElroy: Very rarely.
00:08:03.570 –> 00:08:03.990 Rarely.
00:08:05.010 –> 00:08:16.680 Butch Mcdade: But anyway, I did started chicken maga down in chattanooga area North Georgia and chattanooga and enjoy talking about history, I think, history will be here in college so.
00:08:17.370 –> 00:08:29.340 Butch Mcdade: I enjoy that but my heart was really in some of the green areas I did spend another couple of years over at shiloh battlefield, which is in West of nashville and from there.
00:08:29.940 –> 00:08:46.560 Butch Mcdade: I went up to a place Joseph on the Cumberland plateau of Tennessee and Kentucky a place called the big South fork national river and recreation area, it is a national park service side, but it was a recreation area and rick.
00:08:53.370 –> 00:08:54.480 Joseph McElroy: you’re coming through.
00:08:58.680 –> 00:09:10.350 Butch Mcdade: yeah so this place was is part of the national park service and Rangers and other people staff it just like to do in the smokies, but it is a recreation area, which means they allow hunting and fishing.
00:09:10.590 –> 00:09:15.390 Butch Mcdade: And off road vehicles which aren’t allowed in the smokies but other than that it was a lovely area undeveloped.
00:09:16.800 –> 00:09:31.860 Butch Mcdade: got about 900,000 visitors a year versus not 12 million to come to the smoky so there was a lot of solitude up there, and while there, I wrote a book about that area for the University of Tennessee press if you don’t mind me showing it.
00:09:31.920 –> 00:09:32.820 Joseph McElroy: Though before.
00:09:33.210 –> 00:09:45.960 Butch Mcdade: The national natural arches of the big South fourth they mounted about 20 years ago on the natural features, the sandstone Archer that was fun to do on my own time and.
00:09:46.740 –> 00:09:54.570 Butch Mcdade: I got University of Tennessee press to publish that and so that was that’s an area that’s dear to my heart that area up on the cover photo it’s so different than the.
00:09:55.230 –> 00:10:07.710 Butch Mcdade: appalachian mountains coming plateau is a land of plateaus and and gorgeous or the smokies you have a land of valleys and mountains so they’re.
00:10:08.160 –> 00:10:18.690 Butch Mcdade: Saying and then from there from the big South fork I went down to a place still in Tennessee called the old bed wild and scenic river, which is north of knoxville I don’t know.
00:10:19.800 –> 00:10:31.680 Butch Mcdade: Again, near the Kentucky border generally and from there after about five or six years, I have to go to the smokies which one it was my destination park being a Tennessee and i’ve always thought the smokies where my mountains.
00:10:32.010 –> 00:10:32.490 Butch Mcdade: I spent.
00:10:32.820 –> 00:10:44.100 Butch Mcdade: My near my parents brought me here and I live here now, I am a Tennessee, and so this is my these are my home mountains and i’m married to a girl for lady from knoxville, and so we love it here.
00:10:44.670 –> 00:10:49.140 Joseph McElroy: And that was the smokies your favorite place to work, why do you why is it decide to be in your hometown.
00:10:49.680 –> 00:10:57.930 Butch Mcdade: yeah yeah so it was a great place, I always wanted it because you can get everything you got the different country attractions, you know, if you like, to the.
00:10:58.260 –> 00:11:06.900 Butch Mcdade: places to go to to eat and have residences and lodging, but you can find wilderness to other people say oh you can’t find wilderness in the smoky So yes, you can.
00:11:07.110 –> 00:11:14.430 Butch Mcdade: Just don’t go right to the Center of it go the edges go to the periphery lot of back country there and I like that back conquer and even if you’re not a.
00:11:15.030 –> 00:11:24.480 Butch Mcdade: aggressive hiker there are a lot of little small heights you can take any hike you can only you can make it as hard as you want, you can go in and a hard hike for amount turn back, are you going on a hard.
00:11:25.080 –> 00:11:38.340 Butch Mcdade: trail for 10 miles people can find their own niche in our national parks in the smokies even with all the people still has a lot of solitude in addition to all the other elements that we want in life or need in life.
00:11:38.850 –> 00:11:45.000 Joseph McElroy: Right, there is a lot of back countries still in the back country capital campaign and things like that right, the smokies.
00:11:45.240 –> 00:11:56.310 Butch Mcdade: Oh yeah yeah yeah that about 150 trails 900 miles you count everything, including and maintain trails lots of stuff some some of the trails are flat.
00:11:56.820 –> 00:12:02.820 Butch Mcdade: Like the little river trail for a while, you can go in, as far as you want to when he starts going up he’ll turn back on your own niche.
00:12:03.240 –> 00:12:09.330 Butch Mcdade: will be in shape I always tell people to be in shape hike with other people don’t go alone or let somebody know where you’re going.
00:12:09.780 –> 00:12:19.530 Butch Mcdade: But if you if you follow those few safety rules which are common sense, let somebody know where you’re going to be in shape, have the right equipment you’ll love it and that’s why.
00:12:20.550 –> 00:12:21.240 Butch Mcdade: it’s free.
00:12:21.480 –> 00:12:21.810 Butch Mcdade: there’s no.
00:12:22.860 –> 00:12:26.070 Joseph McElroy: I feel like the only national park that doesn’t charge admission right.
00:12:26.430 –> 00:12:39.360 Butch Mcdade: Right yeah it’s a full scale National Park very rare no admission fee and that that’s been that’s been with the smokies ever since its inception in 1934.
00:12:39.870 –> 00:12:41.940 Joseph McElroy: And how long did you work for the great smoky.
00:12:43.530 –> 00:12:44.760 Butch Mcdade: Five years of my career.
00:12:45.240 –> 00:12:58.080 Butch Mcdade: yeah five years yeah yeah i’m 2005 up to 2010 but I hadn’t visited here, of course, since the 1950s my parents, I have pictures of us being.
00:12:58.560 –> 00:13:10.530 Butch Mcdade: up with a picture of the chimney tops behind us in about 1955 or six somebody coming up here for decades, but made it unfortunately to my last stop on a 30 year career.
00:13:11.190 –> 00:13:18.810 Joseph McElroy: Now there’s multiple you know facilities in the park right did you work at all of them or did you have one that you were associated with.
00:13:19.410 –> 00:13:24.570 Butch Mcdade: Now I say you pretty much at the sugar land visitor Center which is right there outside of not gatlinburg.
00:13:25.740 –> 00:13:30.240 Butch Mcdade: south of gatlinburg to me we call it, you know there’s no one main visitor Center, but it certainly was.
00:13:31.170 –> 00:13:45.960 Butch Mcdade: Had the biggest visitation there’s another one over it, oh con lefty and a smaller one out in kate’s co but I was at your sugars visitor Center my whole time which gets a lot of us, you know it gets a lot of us me and your gatlinburg.
00:13:46.380 –> 00:13:51.750 Joseph McElroy: So we will be a great smokies National Park, made the mistake of making gatlinburg the main entrance.
00:13:51.750 –> 00:13:54.270 Joseph McElroy: Right, it should have been in near Maggie Valley, I think, but.
00:13:57.180 –> 00:13:59.610 Butch Mcdade: i’ll let you i’ll let you have that comment.
00:14:00.600 –> 00:14:02.520 Joseph McElroy: That would be my argument to win right.
00:14:05.610 –> 00:14:12.450 Joseph McElroy: Well, we come back we’ll talk about more about the national parks and what you’ve done there what you know all right.
00:14:12.780 –> 00:14:14.730 Butch Mcdade: every section of the park is fabulous.
00:17:13.920 –> 00:17:25.650 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklin McElroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcast and my guest butch mcdade Hello books so.
00:17:26.820 –> 00:17:36.180 Joseph McElroy: I wanted to ask you, after you spent 30 years in the park service last five of this was with the great smoky mountains National Park.
00:17:36.630 –> 00:17:46.440 Joseph McElroy: So you decided to retire, and you decided to live in East Tennessee but you could have been anywhere because he’d been traveling around a lot, why did you decide to stay in East Tennessee near the smoke you.
00:17:47.610 –> 00:17:55.620 Butch Mcdade: Know it’s so great it’s someplace I want to write about what I still you know I always tell people, you can learn something about the smokies.
00:17:56.070 –> 00:18:01.620 Butch Mcdade: All the time you never find out everything so having an interest in the smokies way back.
00:18:02.220 –> 00:18:08.670 Butch Mcdade: You think, by now, you know it all are kind of have a grasp, but every time you find something to like they find new species.
00:18:09.510 –> 00:18:18.840 Butch Mcdade: You find new historical facts but it’s home, I have a tendency and by birth, then, as I said earlier, i’ve always thought the smoky mountains.
00:18:19.410 –> 00:18:33.210 Butch Mcdade: or my balance my mountains, I love the Rockies gotcha nothing more spectacular than the Rockies or the Sierra Nevada it’s out West but these are home mounts I think everybody has to have a home range, and this is my home range.
00:18:33.810 –> 00:18:36.930 Joseph McElroy: There you go that’s my home range too, so we got something in common.
00:18:39.270 –> 00:18:50.580 Joseph McElroy: So um you know we I had a section on hiking, but I want to know from manage lived there, what are some of your favorite trails and places in the great smoky mountains National Park.
00:18:51.420 –> 00:19:02.430 Butch Mcdade: Now hello, the appalachian trail I, like any of the high country mount look on chimneys clemens Dome anything along the high country I love.
00:19:02.820 –> 00:19:11.220 Butch Mcdade: I love all the park, so you have to start out sometimes the low country to get up there, but boy once you get to 5000 foot level and above.
00:19:11.790 –> 00:19:31.200 Butch Mcdade: Joe says it’s so different person record a lot cooler up there’s hardly gets over about 8 million in December, when was 95 down here and edge of the smokers, you might be, you know upper 70s, or low 80s, I was in high cost of smoking so i’m really prone to love the high country.
00:19:32.220 –> 00:19:42.420 Butch Mcdade: Fortunately, the smokies you know there’s a couple sheet routes or you can grow right up the newfound gap and be at 5000 feet you don’t have to slug up at a valley and you can grab up to clean was.
00:19:43.440 –> 00:19:44.700 Butch Mcdade: She kind of parsing start on.
00:19:45.720 –> 00:19:48.660 Butch Mcdade: A weekend and you’re already hi there still.
00:19:50.070 –> 00:19:52.110 Butch Mcdade: People I say once you get up there is a flat.
00:19:55.350 –> 00:20:04.920 Butch Mcdade: top of the mountain there’s undulations nothing yeah nothing there’s no real plants that stretch to go run very far in the smokies unless its way down and then.
00:20:05.280 –> 00:20:14.820 Butch Mcdade: The lower elevations so i’m prone to the appalachian trail with trail up, to say the chimney the trailer all the five trails up the mountain because.
00:20:15.870 –> 00:20:21.000 Butch Mcdade: growing up to cleveland’s going out on the appalachian trail either West or.
00:20:22.320 –> 00:20:34.170 Butch Mcdade: East you just can’t beat the high country plus I love kate’s go the beauty of that valley What a beautiful place and cat lucci on your side of the mountain to that beautiful Valley.
00:20:35.280 –> 00:20:35.700 Butch Mcdade: catalog.
00:20:36.780 –> 00:20:42.660 Joseph McElroy: If you had if you had advice for a tourist This shows you know also trying to attract tourists.
00:20:43.980 –> 00:20:50.220 Joseph McElroy: And they were wanting to have, and they were in for a weekend and they had one day what would you recommend they do.
00:20:51.660 –> 00:20:57.300 Butch Mcdade: Well, in the old days arrangers where I sell people you got to see a claim as Dome you gotta see canes Co.
00:20:57.840 –> 00:21:08.940 Butch Mcdade: And in the old days I need y’all to go over to the cherokee Indian reservation all those are great ideas and great destinations I would tell people, those are great destinations don’t go on a weekend.
00:21:09.390 –> 00:21:14.520 Butch Mcdade: don’t go on Saturday and Sunday, to be a lot of people there, try to get a Tuesday trip into.
00:21:15.000 –> 00:21:26.820 Butch Mcdade: Kato try to get a Tuesday drive up to cleveland’s Dome and get early to and you’ll enjoy it, so I still like those big destination places, even though they every lots of people go there.
00:21:27.240 –> 00:21:32.820 Butch Mcdade: Why not why wouldn’t we why why wouldn’t we tell a visitor go to the to get the great view at the top of.
00:21:33.930 –> 00:21:39.540 Butch Mcdade: A milestone, why not tell us in on the case co you just have to plan that some days are going to be busy.
00:21:40.020 –> 00:21:48.360 Butch Mcdade: The way to talk like noon is always going to be busy you get out there right when you know daybreak when they open up kate’s glow cold, except on the days when they close it for bikes.
00:21:49.980 –> 00:21:59.430 Butch Mcdade: And do a week day trip you’ll find that, with a little patience and that’s one thing about all of our national parks i’ve been to the grand tetons i’ve been to yellowstone and they were.
00:22:00.690 –> 00:22:02.220 Butch Mcdade: backed up cars.
00:22:02.460 –> 00:22:02.880 Butch Mcdade: it’s not.
00:22:03.240 –> 00:22:13.770 Butch Mcdade: too big to the smokies these basically places are our national traders sure people are going to come there just try to play in it on a day when they be less people and get an early start.
00:22:14.250 –> 00:22:18.210 Joseph McElroy: Is there any is there anything on a Saturday that you think would be.
00:22:20.220 –> 00:22:23.700 Joseph McElroy: Less traveled it’d be worthwhile with you and say go see this.
00:22:24.300 –> 00:22:34.200 Butch Mcdade: yeah there’s still some place i’d go to cause beyond the Tennessee side cosby facility or cosby there’s some trails are like the hidden waterfalls and and other trails.
00:22:34.740 –> 00:22:46.560 Butch Mcdade: And i’d go over to big creek on your side, I take a trip into cattle Luciano on maybe on a Saturday that road that grandma rogen there doesn’t get as crowded, but even then get an early start.
00:22:47.730 –> 00:22:55.020 Butch Mcdade: i’d go into places like if you make it go all the way over to 20 mile My point is go to the periphery of the park.
00:22:55.440 –> 00:23:05.400 Butch Mcdade: Right ages and do a little map study it’s your facts, you know learn your routes and go with a group of people, but i’d never shy away from saying don’t come there on a Saturday.
00:23:05.880 –> 00:23:14.760 Butch Mcdade: I wouldn’t do to some of the more popular spots on a Saturday, because there’d be lots more people and the quality of visit might suffer.
00:23:15.420 –> 00:23:29.490 Butch Mcdade: But, are you can do if that’s all you can do a Saturday to go to where you want to go just be patient always come to the smokies and all our national parks with patients on your side and you’ll enjoy it so.
00:23:29.550 –> 00:23:30.060 You.
00:23:31.110 –> 00:23:37.080 Joseph McElroy: You have been involved with a smoky mountain field school field, sport, so you can you tell us about that.
00:23:37.680 –> 00:23:50.310 Butch Mcdade: yeah yeah sure yeah probably had about a 12 year relationship with the University of tennessee’s smoky mountain fields go they started that school back in 1975 so that’s been around a while.
00:23:51.030 –> 00:24:00.270 Butch Mcdade: and its goal is to bring people into the smokies with knowledgeable guides who would discuss the history of the of the smokies and the southern appalachian.
00:24:01.620 –> 00:24:13.950 Butch Mcdade: They will discuss the natural history in the human history they’ll discover some places of historic value and scenic views talk about science in the park, it is very.
00:24:14.850 –> 00:24:25.950 Butch Mcdade: It is a classroom and assets, a field school and they’ve been true to that ever since they started I got involved by be invited my wife and I, like the Wilson, we were invited.
00:24:26.460 –> 00:24:41.670 Butch Mcdade: Oh, eight years ago 10 almost to read for five years we led a smoky mountain field school October hike up to the lodge a top look mount like on the can’t live.
00:24:42.270 –> 00:24:52.830 Butch Mcdade: And it was great we usually had about 20 people who had signed up through the smoky mountain field schools web page, which is again, you can Google it by just doing.
00:24:53.580 –> 00:25:10.620 Butch Mcdade: smoky mountain field school and they do have a agenda that we’re classes that are available, and you can online register, so I was doing one with my wife for five years or so, going up to malecon in October, which is fantastic we’ve got snowed snowed in a couple times.
00:25:12.390 –> 00:25:15.930 Butch Mcdade: October, and then I also do a an annual.
00:25:17.010 –> 00:25:23.520 Butch Mcdade: Alkmaar tour the historic elk my district for the smoking minefield school i’ve been doing that for over a decade.
00:25:24.180 –> 00:25:28.230 Butch Mcdade: Now, which is always exciting because I love that history i’m a historian history.
00:25:29.220 –> 00:25:35.790 Butch Mcdade: Major and a historian, is my ilk and also, I do i’m going to have another one coming up this year in September.
00:25:36.450 –> 00:25:55.200 Butch Mcdade: For the smoky mountain field school, which is a hike out to the Walker sisters home site in little greenbrier section of the park and that’s all i’ve been doing that for about a decade also so basically out my hike every every year, five years leading the overnight hike up to.
00:25:56.220 –> 00:25:59.580 Butch Mcdade: mount work on to the account lodge with my wife and then doing.
00:26:00.660 –> 00:26:07.620 Butch Mcdade: The Walker sister several times, including this coming Sep tember and everybody can join in, by going to.
00:26:08.760 –> 00:26:18.870 Butch Mcdade: I think it’s like www smoke SF s.org just do a search and you can register online and see the schedule see what’s coming up.
00:26:19.290 –> 00:26:21.420 Joseph McElroy: What are the kinds of topics, what kind of topics.
00:26:21.900 –> 00:26:26.850 Butch Mcdade: which I have things on bear bear management bears deer management.
00:26:28.350 –> 00:26:33.870 Butch Mcdade: The geography, the geology of the part of the biodiversity.
00:26:34.950 –> 00:26:51.900 Butch Mcdade: There must be probably Joseph in there before coven last year we really the smoking map fields go ahead and stop most of their outings until I think probably the latter part of the year, but there’s probably i’m going to guess 60 different topics, ranging from salamanders to.
00:26:53.670 –> 00:27:11.550 Butch Mcdade: Biology botany cultural history architectural history and even hiking this recreational opportunities, how to hike safely, the whole range of activities in the smokies a whole range of topics are covered by that Program.
00:27:11.850 –> 00:27:13.080 Joseph McElroy: what’s your favorite topic.
00:27:13.950 –> 00:27:22.170 Butch Mcdade: Well imma imma imma i’m i’m pretty much a mountain icon guys I said earlier, I gave up that high to a younger person my buddy of mine.
00:27:22.680 –> 00:27:28.200 Butch Mcdade: But if I could do it over again if I was younger I would continue to do that math work on overnight here, which I think they.
00:27:28.530 –> 00:27:35.610 Butch Mcdade: During Kobe they may have canceled that temporarily so again, I would caution people to check with their website, but also like elfman.
00:27:36.240 –> 00:27:46.080 Butch Mcdade: And i’ve also done one other favorite topic of mine, Joseph he is a hike in a talk about homeless kept part.
00:27:47.040 –> 00:27:53.070 Butch Mcdade: One of the great writers, of the smokies who wrote a number of good books and I might just show one I have it here how.
00:27:53.490 –> 00:28:00.060 Butch Mcdade: Our southern Highlands if anybody wants to read a great book on the smokies written in 1913 and still in print the day.
00:28:00.360 –> 00:28:14.070 Butch Mcdade: Read hordes kept ours, our southern highlanders read his camping and woodcraft which came out in 1906 and still in print i’ve had the occasion of taking numbers of people in on hikes in deep creek and other places where kephart had.
00:28:15.390 –> 00:28:20.070 Butch Mcdade: Somebody who’s activities as he lived in and around this area proud of the National Park i’ve even had the.
00:28:20.310 –> 00:28:35.850 Butch Mcdade: Great honor of going into some of those places which are today inside the park with his great grand daughter named libby kephart hargrave got to explore, a number of places with her and she is one of the great biographers and documentarians of her.
00:28:36.660 –> 00:28:45.420 Butch Mcdade: ancestor and it’s kept that horse kept our tradition alive and there are quite a few people out there who really admire Horace kept.
00:28:45.930 –> 00:28:55.260 Butch Mcdade: In his life and his work for the smoky so he did a lot to help protect this part, even though he was an outsider he was not from here so it’s a fascinating topic that’s one of my favorites too.
00:28:55.350 –> 00:28:57.060 Joseph McElroy: he’s he’s like considered like the.
00:28:57.090 –> 00:29:01.590 Joseph McElroy: grandfather or something of the smoky mountain Parker is some sort of thing like that he’s like the.
00:29:02.220 –> 00:29:02.640 Joseph McElroy: Is one.
00:29:03.000 –> 00:29:08.820 Butch Mcdade: yeah i’d say he’s one of the beacons one of those grand figures in the early days prior to the park actually he died in 1931.
00:29:09.060 –> 00:29:14.580 Butch Mcdade: So he the park was established in 34 but he knew that was kind of my day was authorized he saw it was coming.
00:29:14.970 –> 00:29:26.700 Butch Mcdade: And he spent his whole life here, he he lived in the smokies in places like hazel Cree in bryce and city and in the deep creek area, the north Carolina side, particularly was he has a the week.
00:29:27.210 –> 00:29:35.790 Butch Mcdade: And he gave us these early books that talked about the pre National Park people that’s the value and addition to that he was a fascinating outdoorsman.
00:29:36.120 –> 00:29:45.480 Butch Mcdade: He was a master of equipment and how to handle it and how to use it that’s his book here can’t begin with craft which, even though it’s printed in 1906.
00:29:46.110 –> 00:29:54.750 Butch Mcdade: And some of it is outdated as far as the modernity, of the new equipment, this is a Bible for the outdoors people ought to read it, they sell these books.
00:29:55.530 –> 00:30:03.960 Butch Mcdade: caving in woodcraft our southern highlanders and even a new biography on Horace kat bar and even libby kept arts documentary on.
00:30:04.530 –> 00:30:07.650 Butch Mcdade: Our ancestor they sell those items in our visitor centers.
00:30:08.040 –> 00:30:21.720 Butch Mcdade: In the park so go by the visitor Center so people, what do you have on horse gephardt you’ll find there’s some great stuff and it’s well worth reading and watching in any purchases you make help the national park, to the great smoky mountains association like you had.
00:30:22.650 –> 00:30:26.700 Butch Mcdade: Francis fighter on last week, you did a great job of explaining fine agency.
00:30:27.270 –> 00:30:34.860 Joseph McElroy: So when we come back i’m going to talk we’re going to talk more about your literary literary ventures, as well as your knowledge of just the area in general.
00:33:25.410 –> 00:33:32.640 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklin McElroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcast with my guest.
00:33:33.300 –> 00:33:38.310 Joseph McElroy: which make baby, who is a retired park ranger and expert on the smoking out narrative.
00:33:38.820 –> 00:33:51.660 Joseph McElroy: So butch you know we’ve talked that we talked about the great smoky mountains, but you know I like a lot of other places, you know, in the mountains like I like the pisco national forest and I like to go over the nano hail and do some wrapped and.
00:33:52.050 –> 00:33:53.910 Joseph McElroy: What are some of the other places, do you like in the.
00:33:53.910 –> 00:33:56.820 Joseph McElroy: Smoke here in terms of natural wonders.
00:33:57.420 –> 00:34:00.600 Butch Mcdade: Well, you just hit upon to there are some great places, you know the smokies has.
00:34:01.590 –> 00:34:05.940 Butch Mcdade: 500,000 acres over that and then we’ve got the pisco national forest nearby.
00:34:06.360 –> 00:34:14.190 Butch Mcdade: we’ve got the NASA HALO national forest nearby and we got the cherokee nation, of course, all adjacent to the smoky so like you’re just alluding to.
00:34:14.490 –> 00:34:21.300 Butch Mcdade: My goodness that’s that’s a couple of million acres of public land, so, in addition to the smoky.
00:34:21.570 –> 00:34:30.720 Butch Mcdade: You can go to places like your own mountain up here in East Tennessee above Johnson city to these to Johnson city and you’re on the west of boone and fabulous area.
00:34:31.080 –> 00:34:40.020 Butch Mcdade: You can go paddling in different places like South of US there’s the old Cooley river down and polk county Tennessee I was just a couple of seasons as a guy they’re.
00:34:40.290 –> 00:34:46.290 Butch Mcdade: lovely stuff you got the digital river here got the ninja HALO river, we got the how Rossi river down below we got.
00:34:46.650 –> 00:34:54.000 Butch Mcdade: The various other refunds north of us like a not like chucky in the old bed wild and scenic rivers, a big South horse with this is.
00:34:54.540 –> 00:35:05.610 Butch Mcdade: Like you’re alluding to Joseph we’re in a Mecca of outdoor activities here with several million acres, and I mean million acres of public lands available to the public.
00:35:06.360 –> 00:35:14.760 Butch Mcdade: For mountain biking for fishing for hunting for hiking so my favorites again, as you just said, are some of the high country like it over there round grandfather mountain.
00:35:15.420 –> 00:35:22.890 Butch Mcdade: Like it over there by mount Mitchell state parks, well, I get off the blue Ridge parkway in places like shining rocks wilderness.
00:35:23.280 –> 00:35:38.550 Butch Mcdade: Like it down south of us at a place called the big fall big frog name wilderness area city code wilderness area south of the smokies it’s it’s it’s a lifetime of activity, I mean if you want to get into the outdoors.
00:35:40.650 –> 00:35:48.690 Butch Mcdade: You can find it here your guide books read those books go with getting get in touch with people in hiking club, they can get you started.
00:35:50.190 –> 00:35:54.630 Butch Mcdade: He might hiking club out in knoxville the asheville hiking club.
00:35:56.130 –> 00:35:57.720 Butch Mcdade: The high country around here lovely.
00:35:58.260 –> 00:36:02.820 Butch Mcdade: yeah so much of it is free the national forest lands usually are free.
00:36:03.840 –> 00:36:09.750 Butch Mcdade: In a park in the smokies is free, except for overnight backpack and all you have news and invest in some good equipment.
00:36:11.880 –> 00:36:15.810 Butch Mcdade: or it’s kept would tell us go to the mountains, but also have some good equipment.
00:36:15.960 –> 00:36:17.970 Joseph McElroy: And know has a good a good shoes.
00:36:20.040 –> 00:36:21.330 Joseph McElroy: Plenty of water yeah.
00:36:22.140 –> 00:36:26.280 Butch Mcdade: Actual waters extra food and some rain here.
00:36:26.790 –> 00:36:31.530 Joseph McElroy: yeah oh yeah that’s a that’s a that’s a feat, you know why it’s called the smokies because.
00:36:31.650 –> 00:36:33.600 Joseph McElroy: ability and why we don’t.
00:36:33.630 –> 00:36:44.490 Joseph McElroy: Rain all day, every day, many days I mean it’s very seldom that we get a day, where you run rain all day long but to us, it will get during the summer special you usually get an hour break.
00:36:46.050 –> 00:36:55.950 Butch Mcdade: 8580 inches of rain up on the high country like a clean mother don’t know the valley and I get cherokee you might get 45 inches so it does get more.
00:36:56.490 –> 00:37:04.650 Butch Mcdade: snow in precipitation and rain up there, but just be prepared for my little boy scout girl scout slogan be prepared that’s that’s good stuff.
00:37:05.160 –> 00:37:12.960 Joseph McElroy: And I know one of my favorite places to take kids to speaking of scouts I remember this is is to go up to slide rock right.
00:37:14.070 –> 00:37:18.060 Joseph McElroy: It is like what is it like 100 feet of a waterfall it’s not like a.
00:37:18.120 –> 00:37:31.110 Joseph McElroy: Direct drop it’s like 100 feet slanted drop and it’s been worn so slits so smooth, as you can just get on it in the water i’ll just take you on a slide into a deep pool and the kids just love it.
00:37:31.530 –> 00:37:38.280 Butch Mcdade: I think we have not gone over there, but I understand it’s very crowded on weekends, but it looks like a heck of a lot.
00:37:39.030 –> 00:37:44.070 Joseph McElroy: Well, you go up that I think it’s 276 from waynesville all the way to hendersonville.
00:37:44.310 –> 00:37:58.800 Joseph McElroy: And it goes up this little winding road through for us it’s very backwoods and then you go I think there’s a couple places along the way, but slide rock is one so there’s like all these hidden gems little waterfalls things like that, but to.
00:38:00.180 –> 00:38:15.840 Butch Mcdade: be safe around those places, you know you can get hurt sliding off rocks and stuff and most waterfall areas are pretty prone to getting hurt, but I know I know the forest service, I think, allows that that use there so as long as you’re in harmony with all the the land agency management.
00:38:16.710 –> 00:38:18.030 Butch Mcdade: and be careful enjoy.
00:38:18.450 –> 00:38:22.290 Joseph McElroy: I think slide rock is designated as being something that people can do, and they.
00:38:22.740 –> 00:38:23.790 Joseph McElroy: made it pretty safe.
00:38:24.060 –> 00:38:24.270 Joseph McElroy: yeah.
00:38:24.750 –> 00:38:32.370 Joseph McElroy: Well, besides that the wilderness word of your fleet, what are your favorite towns to go visit, what are your favorite things not in the wilderness to go doing the smoke here.
00:38:33.000 –> 00:38:38.700 Butch Mcdade: So we like Townsend over here my wife and I we go over there, like a bicycle ride on that about 11 mile.
00:38:39.210 –> 00:38:47.880 Butch Mcdade: Road I should say pay path I don’t get much on the main road leads with like such a dangerous, but it is lovely over towns in area.
00:38:48.390 –> 00:38:56.610 Butch Mcdade: I like the area around a real you guys are in a show having a great town, we like boone North Carolina.
00:38:57.000 –> 00:39:04.080 Butch Mcdade: I like up there at hot springs North Carolina off the appalachian trail that’s a nice little town we’re like the Nana hey la area.
00:39:04.380 –> 00:39:22.860 Butch Mcdade: I do a lot of used to do a heck of a lot of bodie she’ll do some canoe trips and do some rafi creates a beat the Nana HALO in the net then he’ll national course a bunch of outfitters there you can get a trip on so anywhere that’s not too crowded but scenic and that you can come on.
00:39:24.540 –> 00:39:31.980 Butch Mcdade: Every day of the week, not just on weekends, again I try to stay away from weekends for much of a our destination, because of the crowd.
00:39:32.430 –> 00:39:41.430 Butch Mcdade: But boy Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday where everybody arrived, so we can you can have in you can enjoy the heck out of these guys just be safe in anything in the background.
00:39:42.000 –> 00:39:56.400 Butch Mcdade: Let people know where you are you careful watch her dangers and take that extra food an extra clothing, if you go into the wilderness and just be safe area or say get learn how to use it and be prudent.
00:39:58.830 –> 00:40:08.460 Joseph McElroy: So you are a good writer you’ve already mentioned the book right you mentioned one book but you’ve written quite a number of books and articles what God.
00:40:08.550 –> 00:40:09.930 Joseph McElroy: tell us a little bit about those.
00:40:10.770 –> 00:40:17.490 Butch Mcdade: yeah Thank you Joe I did this first book oh way back in the 90s it’s called old smokey mountain days.
00:40:18.150 –> 00:40:27.090 Butch Mcdade: And it’s an anthology little survey varieties of a guy just mentioned a moment ago, or skatepark who wrote those find early books about outdoor life and the smokies.
00:40:27.810 –> 00:40:36.810 Butch Mcdade: profile him and his fascinating not only the smokies but in the wilderness of other places, and also profile in this little book.
00:40:37.320 –> 00:40:54.030 Butch Mcdade: The great work of a man named Joseph sergeant all i’ve read some articles about him here’s an article over the picture of go heart, he was he came here in the 1930s and a temporary employee during the Great Depression and he started to.
00:40:55.470 –> 00:41:03.060 Butch Mcdade: interview the mountain people, some of the people that were still in this in the smokies before they were moved out and some that had just been moved out.
00:41:03.570 –> 00:41:11.250 Butch Mcdade: and his goal was to interview these mountains smoky mountain peak on both the north Carolina and the north and the tenancy side.
00:41:12.090 –> 00:41:17.280 Butch Mcdade: and get their stories and let them talk and hear their voices he actually recorded these people.
00:41:17.730 –> 00:41:22.950 Butch Mcdade: On portable tape recorders that he took into the back into the into the back roads of the smokies.
00:41:23.370 –> 00:41:30.390 Butch Mcdade: And we have those recordings still today here in the park in the archives and the REP at the smithsonian institution and in the library Congress.
00:41:30.780 –> 00:41:40.620 Butch Mcdade: So we have real smoking amount people on tape from the 1940s, particularly done by this man named Joseph saw your House I profiled him because he is really.
00:41:40.980 –> 00:41:48.870 Butch Mcdade: A pioneer linguist and folklorist of the smokies and he was doing this work way back in the 30s and he kept coming back here, even though he lived.
00:41:49.320 –> 00:41:56.100 Butch Mcdade: Much of his life in California as a college Professor who kept coming back you’re fascinated by the mountain people in their language.
00:41:56.670 –> 00:42:02.880 Butch Mcdade: And then I profound and, lastly, but not least in this book a man from knoxville Tennessee I lawyer.
00:42:03.750 –> 00:42:10.920 Butch Mcdade: University of Tennessee graduate became a lawyer, but who became a great leader in wilderness conservation I got him Harvey burnham.
00:42:11.370 –> 00:42:18.840 Butch Mcdade: Our brains, not that well known, sadly, I think he merits more consideration from our our readership and our readership.
00:42:19.230 –> 00:42:28.320 Butch Mcdade: But he was a fascinating fellow who helped found the wilderness society, which is a major national conservation outfit he helped found the.
00:42:29.010 –> 00:42:38.760 Butch Mcdade: smoky mountain hiking club, he was an inveterate hiker along with his wife and and they love the smokies and he wrote some fabulous books that were published after his his dad.
00:42:39.090 –> 00:42:49.590 Butch Mcdade: mainly from his notes and from his journal, which I recommend to everybody, in addition to reading the books of course gephardt I recommend a book called out under the sky of the great smokies.
00:42:50.070 –> 00:43:00.330 Butch Mcdade: Which is a mountain journal published after the authors death and the author was none other than Harvey brew be our own.
00:43:00.840 –> 00:43:09.660 Butch Mcdade: Oh me and it’s a fascinating personal perspective on the smoky so check yeah people should check the literature, the smokies out there’s a lot of books out there.
00:43:10.410 –> 00:43:23.130 Butch Mcdade: plethora of them, but you can’t go wrong by reading horoscope arts works Harvey brooms works and Laura thornburg and many others, though 30 books, give us a flavor for what smokies were like.
00:43:24.810 –> 00:43:29.730 Butch Mcdade: say in the 40s and 50s and how we interpreted them at that time.
00:43:30.360 –> 00:43:33.900 Joseph McElroy: Now, you also have contributed to a book about the appalachians right.
00:43:34.860 –> 00:43:37.470 Butch Mcdade: Yes, Sir, I did I I hadn’t have it right here.
00:43:37.770 –> 00:43:38.340 Joseph McElroy: alright.
00:43:38.730 –> 00:43:46.560 Butch Mcdade: The encyclopedia of appalachia big thick tone put out by the University of Tennessee so I didn’t write all of this, Joe I just run the part of it.
00:43:48.540 –> 00:43:57.870 Butch Mcdade: But there were a number of collaborators or contributing writers, I was invited to participate, that on this APP in the early 2000s and I wrote several.
00:43:58.290 –> 00:44:07.170 Butch Mcdade: A handful of entries on this tome and it is a tone which is a real comprehensive guide to the history of the southern appalachian.
00:44:07.620 –> 00:44:20.790 Butch Mcdade: And the literature, the smell of the southern appalachian region and the recreational activities my contributions were mainly on the recreational themes of mountain biking hunting and fishing and whitewater so.
00:44:21.240 –> 00:44:26.070 Butch Mcdade: that’s Those are my interest I, my main interest is conservation history i’m fascinated by what.
00:44:26.550 –> 00:44:37.320 Butch Mcdade: happened here in the smokies how we got a National Park, mainly because North Carolina people and mainly because Tennessee people wanted apart, not some federal bureaucrats.
00:44:37.650 –> 00:44:43.350 Butch Mcdade: In Washington local people wanted this part local people put up much of the money.
00:44:44.070 –> 00:44:48.510 Butch Mcdade: Local people states bought the land North Carolina Tennessee bought a lot of the land.
00:44:48.810 –> 00:44:57.480 Butch Mcdade: And the feds came in and managed it so it’s a great conservation victory, I also always say to this, even though we got a National Park, which is the most visit in the nation Joseph.
00:44:58.140 –> 00:45:05.490 Butch Mcdade: We all, also have to always take our head off and i’m doing it right now to the mountaineers of North Carolina and Tennessee you had to leave.
00:45:06.120 –> 00:45:17.610 Butch Mcdade: When the park was established, we owe those people a lot they had to give up their phone, I think you would agree as a local person North carolinians gave up a lot kind of seems gave up a lot to move up.
00:45:18.240 –> 00:45:20.700 Joseph McElroy: And don’t forget the cherokee had to give up as well.
00:45:20.760 –> 00:45:27.810 Joseph McElroy: You know they and then they had to they had to lead lands and things like that, and they also had to contribute to it as well.
00:45:28.290 –> 00:45:29.670 Butch Mcdade: In my head.
00:45:30.600 –> 00:45:33.930 Joseph McElroy: So when we come back we’ll talk about the future.
00:45:34.170 –> 00:45:36.300 Joseph McElroy: And what’s coming up for you in the park.
00:47:54.960 –> 00:48:02.580 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklin mcilroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcast and my guest glitch mcdaid of.
00:48:03.180 –> 00:48:12.540 Joseph McElroy: Part of the entire park ranger with the great smoky mountains national park and also author of many great books and articles so.
00:48:13.020 –> 00:48:19.350 Joseph McElroy: Books before we get into the future, I was quickly that was doing some research on you and came across an article that couldn’t read it really.
00:48:19.920 –> 00:48:29.610 Joseph McElroy: It was interesting to me it looked like you were done something cleaning the marker marker of the wandering boy, and I was wondering what that was.
00:48:30.570 –> 00:48:43.800 Butch Mcdade: yeah yeah that was an interesting i’ve been fascinated by that young man named ED mckinley it’s one of those sad stories of the smokies of a young boy band is basically died trying to go over the mountains.
00:48:44.910 –> 00:48:52.830 Butch Mcdade: And in the early 1900s and he got caught in a snowstorm and died and nobody could identify this kid.
00:48:53.640 –> 00:49:02.040 Butch Mcdade: Until about 1975 when his sister younger sister made an inquiry to the park ranger buddy of mine and mine I knew for a guy.
00:49:02.550 –> 00:49:14.460 Butch Mcdade: named Glenn cardwell at trivalent visitor Center 1975 this young lady comes in, or this one young man she’s middle 80s and she asked the Rangers there did they have any records of her or other.
00:49:15.180 –> 00:49:22.740 Butch Mcdade: And the Rangers at that time said well when did it occur, and I said what’s in the early 90s about 1912 to 15 that’s what you told them.
00:49:23.310 –> 00:49:36.000 Butch Mcdade: And they said, well, we don’t have those records here, because the park and come into being, until 1934 so that young lady was about ready to leave or that lady, but one of the Rangers said hold on a minute, let me check her one of the long.
00:49:37.440 –> 00:49:49.830 Butch Mcdade: Standing Rangers here, who was a man a gland cardwell and Glenn was from this year Glenn has worked his whole career 34 years in the trigger and visitor Center and make a long story short.
00:49:50.910 –> 00:49:51.330 Butch Mcdade: This woman.
00:49:52.530 –> 00:50:02.640 Butch Mcdade: articulate what happened to her brother, for what she knew and that led Lynn cardwell this ranger to call around some of the people, he knew.
00:50:03.300 –> 00:50:08.160 Butch Mcdade: Particularly a lady named Lou Center oval and Gavin and you make a long story short.
00:50:08.610 –> 00:50:28.290 Butch Mcdade: by getting together with her sisters and getting together with these people in gatlinburg who were from that Community of the sugar land they finally resolved that this young man who had been buried in unmarked grave for 660 years was indeed the brother, the one that came in.
00:50:29.100 –> 00:50:42.000 Joseph McElroy: was a great coach that’s a great story i’d also I I think you I don’t want it, we can’t get into we don’t have time, but I think that ranger you actually wrote about and he’s the man that never got mad right, I thought that was a beautiful Testaments.
00:50:42.690 –> 00:50:47.340 Joseph McElroy: Fine, so people can look online to find out more about that yeah.
00:50:48.690 –> 00:50:52.140 Joseph McElroy: So do you have any upcoming literary projects you’d like to tell us about.
00:50:52.980 –> 00:50:59.970 Butch Mcdade: Well yeah Thank you, I do have a great a help contribute to a great smoky mountain association.
00:51:00.930 –> 00:51:13.920 Butch Mcdade: blog that Francis fired puts out called smokies live like I got one that she had are good people put out today article short article I wrote about john viewer and his conservation legacy people can find that.
00:51:14.340 –> 00:51:20.790 Butch Mcdade: On the great smoky mountains association web page under the heading of smokies live, which is a online.
00:51:21.390 –> 00:51:28.050 Butch Mcdade: magazine for articles, so I work with Francis on on a monthly blog a monthly posts.
00:51:28.380 –> 00:51:33.030 Butch Mcdade: Also, by the way, if I mention one other thing about the great smoky mountain association, in addition to working with.
00:51:33.330 –> 00:51:41.100 Butch Mcdade: The smoky mountain field school i’ve done a number of hikes over the years, with great smoky mountain association taking their members in two.
00:51:41.370 –> 00:51:51.690 Butch Mcdade: backs and precise and on historical to her, so I want to mention that about having worked with a number of people in great smoky mountain association on getting their members out then always those alignment fun to.
00:51:51.750 –> 00:52:01.050 Joseph McElroy: Well that’s one of the benefits of membership, I don’t think we even talked about that so, but the benefit of membership is to get those tours and high so it’s a very experienced guys like yourself so.
00:52:01.050 –> 00:52:02.160 Joseph McElroy: I think that’s fabulous.
00:52:02.730 –> 00:52:04.230 Butch Mcdade: Now, also I also work.
00:52:04.470 –> 00:52:12.270 Butch Mcdade: do a number of articles for my i’m a contributing writer to a magazine in your backyard over there and wayne’s nail called smoky mountain liddy.
00:52:13.680 –> 00:52:23.010 Butch Mcdade: yeah Jonathan Austin and his good folks they put out a great magazine every every two months, and it is time it’s got features on the cultural heritage.
00:52:23.820 –> 00:52:32.130 Butch Mcdade: shopping places to go to my my contributions have been mostly in the historical Ram on the history of this area i’m going to be doing one.
00:52:32.550 –> 00:52:37.950 Butch Mcdade: just got a project from them about the Frederick law olmsted in his work on the biltmore.
00:52:38.520 –> 00:52:52.530 Butch Mcdade: estate in asheville that’s going to be a fine project so i’ll work with that magazine quite a bit and also a contributing writer pretty regularly to a magazine called the tenancy concert vacation is out of nashville so I stayed relatively busy so i’m working.
00:52:52.530 –> 00:52:53.730 Joseph McElroy: On yeah.
00:52:54.120 –> 00:52:58.050 Joseph McElroy: yeah if people want to get Ahold of your books, they go to Amazon right.
00:52:58.410 –> 00:53:04.710 Butch Mcdade: yeah most of my Amazon that’s the best way you can go to university of Tennessee CREST or Amazon or eight books and get that.
00:53:05.400 –> 00:53:08.190 Joseph McElroy: National and then they’re under your formal name, which is.
00:53:08.400 –> 00:53:12.000 Joseph McElroy: which took me a second figure out it’s not much mcdade it’s off the author.
00:53:12.030 –> 00:53:12.960 Joseph McElroy: Arthur mcdade.
00:53:14.160 –> 00:53:14.700 Butch Mcdade: i’m an artist.
00:53:17.430 –> 00:53:19.890 Butch Mcdade: But it is Arthur mcdade ar Th you are.
00:53:20.400 –> 00:53:24.090 Joseph McElroy: Now, do you have a website or a white people can reach out and say hey.
00:53:24.750 –> 00:53:43.770 Butch Mcdade: I do not have a website per se, I do a post a or I have a page called smokies guide smokies guide, which people can comment on, I even posted this podcast today, so if anybody has any concerns or questions, please post on a comment and and i’ll be glad to get up with them.
00:53:44.040 –> 00:53:46.680 Joseph McElroy: that’s hokies guide COM or is that Facebook page.
00:53:46.890 –> 00:53:48.840 Butch Mcdade: The Facebook yeah it’s a Facebook page.
00:53:48.930 –> 00:54:01.710 Joseph McElroy: Right great well we brought in time I mentioned a few other sponsors that I really appreciated you coming on today it’s been wonderful your books will be up also with Amazon links on our website.
00:54:02.130 –> 00:54:08.040 Joseph McElroy: Which i’ll mention just a second and and I hope to meet you and maybe meet you when I come down there all right.
00:54:08.250 –> 00:54:10.020 Butch Mcdade: let’s do that another good Irishman.
00:54:10.140 –> 00:54:11.070 Joseph McElroy: mcilroy yo.
00:54:14.400 –> 00:54:21.900 Joseph McElroy: So this this podcast is on the talk radio dot nyc network there’s a lot of great.
00:54:23.430 –> 00:54:24.330 Joseph McElroy: A lot of great.
00:54:26.010 –> 00:54:27.780 Joseph McElroy: podcasts on this network I would.
00:54:28.980 –> 00:54:38.910 Joseph McElroy: I would appreciate, if you go and listen to one there’s one after this program that explores New York City, so you can go from the urban from the rural to the URBAN.
00:54:39.660 –> 00:54:47.880 Joseph McElroy: To find out wonderful things to do this podcast you can find out more information about this podcast by going gateway to the to the smokies Doc fun.
00:54:48.630 –> 00:54:59.730 Joseph McElroy: which has a subscription to our newsletter will allow you know when new things are coming up, and when new episodes are coming up and where we also have links to various books of our guests and things like that.
00:55:01.320 –> 00:55:11.790 Joseph McElroy: I want you to imagine a place evocative of the motor courts in the past, yet modern and vibrant with the chic appalachian feel a place for adventure and for relaxation.
00:55:12.300 –> 00:55:21.660 Joseph McElroy: Imagine a place where you can fish in a mountain heritage trout streams grill the catch on fire and eat accompanied by fine wine or craft beers imagine.
00:55:22.170 –> 00:55:29.550 Joseph McElroy: place of the old time music and world cultural sounds there’s no other place like the metal lark motel in Maggie valley North Carolina.
00:55:30.030 –> 00:55:39.570 Joseph McElroy: And it’s in the gateway to the smokies we are the spark that we are the starting point for all your smoky mountain adventures, and your smoky mountain adventure starts with where you stay.
00:55:40.980 –> 00:55:53.940 Joseph McElroy: And then another sponsor is smokies adventure calm, which is a vent information listing site for the smokies where you can find information about hiking and weddings venues and other great things to do.
00:55:55.170 –> 00:56:06.090 Joseph McElroy: And it’s smokies plural adventure calm and you can go there and also sign up for a newsletter and find places to stay and places and things to do.
00:56:06.570 –> 00:56:20.310 Joseph McElroy: I want to thank you, we haven’t we’re having a great guest next week on this podcast it’s the same time Tuesdays from six to seven and we’ll be exploring other aspects of the great smoky mountains and it’s been good talking to you today.
