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HISTORY CLOSEST FREEWAYS: I-75, I-40, & US 441 APPROXIMATE POPULATION: 4766 Looking for more freedom and room to roam, sturdy English and Scotch-Irish adventurers began to make the rugged trip to the foothills of the Smokey Mountains in the late 1700s. Once they arrived here and began settling in, they worked their farms, raised their families, and enjoyed an isolated existence from the rest of the world. About 1855, Radford Gatlin, from North Carolina, showed up in the area and set about building a store with the help of his wife. Five years later, the area had grown so much there was a need for a post office and Radford agreed to let the town folk have space for it in his store on the condition that they named the town after him. Dick Reagan, the newly appointment post master agreed to this bargain, and so the town of Gatlinburg was born. There was only one problem. Gatlin was an outspoken proponent of slavery and even owned a female slave. This didn't set well with the local folk and eventually he was run out of the very town named after him. ADD YOUR EXPERIENCES Copyright© 1998-2012 Wynmor Inc. with all rights reserved. American Journeys Terms & Conditions of Use