The Sinks this Fall:
A Little Background on The Sinks:
The Sinks is one of the most visited attractions in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park each year and has been a key site of interest to tourists since the creation of its access road, Little River Road. After logging ceased in the valley that surrounds The Sinks around 1925, the land was leased to private citizens mostly interested in cabins, hunting, and other residential or recreational use. It was during this period of logging and splash dams between the late 1800s and early 1900s that this hidden gem came to life and earned its place in the Smokies today, but just how did The Sinks take shape?
From my conversation with one of the rangers at the Sugarland's Visitor Center this afternoon, The Sinks was a site of substantial flow from Little River, which made the site especially useful for loggers in creating splash dams. For those of you like myself who had never heard of a splash dam before today, this is what that process would have looked like:
1. Loggers first create a temporary dam out of less valuable wood in a region of heavy flow in order to raise the water level. 2. When the water level is higher, loggers are able to float timber down the river and transport it to the nearest railroad tracks without the need for rainfall or land-based labor. 3. Workers used these artificial dams for 4-6 days before breaking them down and moving onto the next site.
Although these splash dams greatly helped to expedite lumber production, they were certainly not without fault, often ending prematurely due to log jams. These jams occurred when one or more logs got caught further downstream, or even in splash dams, slowing down or bringing production to a halt. To fix a jam, several workers would have to resort to using heavy tools, horses, small boats, and dynamite to break up these jams, which brings us to our headline, "HOW DYNAMITE AND LOGGING CREATED ONE OF THE SMOKIES MOST FAMOUS WATERFALLS: THE SINKS".
Our beloved sinks were created by that latter tool I mentioned earlier, dynamite. After severe natural flooding in the region occurred and was worsened by a splash dam, a massive log jam occurred that couldn't be broken by other means, so the logging company working at the time had to resort to using dynamite and sacrifice their perfect launching point along the Little River. It's due to this use of explosives that The Sinks have such a unique clash of natural and unnatural erosion, rock patterns, and beautiful water flow. It was shortly after this event that the Great Smoky Mountains National park opened its trails in May of 1926, and the rest is history. Aside from the addition of a small gravel parking lot, paved roads and bridges, and a few informative signs, The Sinks of today are The Sinks of the twenties, standing still nearly one century later.
The Sinks continue to bolster their historic current and are one of the only waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains that carry the full flow of the Little River. Carrying the scars of history and displaying them in shimmering color, The Sinks are one of the many beautiful waterfalls in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and one of my personal favorites for many years. Their beauty can be appreciated just feet from the parking lot with no hills or slopes in the way. If you're suffering from mobility issues, tired after a long day, or have any free time in your schedule, I whole-heartedly believe The Sinks are out there for you! If you manage to make it there before the end of fall, feel free to tag @theamericanobserverIG in your photos to be featured on our Instagram. Thank you for reading and we'll see you on our next adventure!
From my conversation with one of the rangers at the Sugarland's Visitor Center this afternoon, The Sinks was a site of substantial flow from Little River, which made the site especially useful for loggers in creating splash dams. For those of you like myself who had never heard of a splash dam before today, this is what that process would have looked like:
1. Loggers first create a temporary dam out of less valuable wood in a region of heavy flow in order to raise the water level. 2. When the water level is higher, loggers are able to float timber down the river and transport it to the nearest railroad tracks without the need for rainfall or land-based labor. 3. Workers used these artificial dams for 4-6 days before breaking them down and moving onto the next site.
Although these splash dams greatly helped to expedite lumber production, they were certainly not without fault, often ending prematurely due to log jams. These jams occurred when one or more logs got caught further downstream, or even in splash dams, slowing down or bringing production to a halt. To fix a jam, several workers would have to resort to using heavy tools, horses, small boats, and dynamite to break up these jams, which brings us to our headline, "HOW DYNAMITE AND LOGGING CREATED ONE OF THE SMOKIES MOST FAMOUS WATERFALLS: THE SINKS".
Our beloved sinks were created by that latter tool I mentioned earlier, dynamite. After severe natural flooding in the region occurred and was worsened by a splash dam, a massive log jam occurred that couldn't be broken by other means, so the logging company working at the time had to resort to using dynamite and sacrifice their perfect launching point along the Little River. It's due to this use of explosives that The Sinks have such a unique clash of natural and unnatural erosion, rock patterns, and beautiful water flow. It was shortly after this event that the Great Smoky Mountains National park opened its trails in May of 1926, and the rest is history. Aside from the addition of a small gravel parking lot, paved roads and bridges, and a few informative signs, The Sinks of today are The Sinks of the twenties, standing still nearly one century later.
The Sinks continue to bolster their historic current and are one of the only waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains that carry the full flow of the Little River. Carrying the scars of history and displaying them in shimmering color, The Sinks are one of the many beautiful waterfalls in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and one of my personal favorites for many years. Their beauty can be appreciated just feet from the parking lot with no hills or slopes in the way. If you're suffering from mobility issues, tired after a long day, or have any free time in your schedule, I whole-heartedly believe The Sinks are out there for you! If you manage to make it there before the end of fall, feel free to tag @theamericanobserverIG in your photos to be featured on our Instagram. Thank you for reading and we'll see you on our next adventure!