Tennessee farmer refused $20 an acre for national park land
This historical piece recounts the 1929 legal battle of Tennessee farmer John W. Oliver, who resisted the government's acquisition of his land for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The case highlights the tension between federal eminent domain and private land ownership.
Why it matters
It serves as a case study on the historical conflicts involved in the creation of major U.S. national parks.
In 1929, Tennessee farmer John W. Oliver refused an offer of $20 an acre for his 375-acre farm in Cades Cove, land that officials wanted to acquire for the proposed Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Oliver took the fight to court, but after years of legal battles, he was ultimately forced to give up his property and received $17,000 in compensation.The case became one of the best-known examples of the conflict between the creation of the national park and the mountain families who had lived on the land for generations.Why John W. Oliver refused to sell his Cades Cove farmAccording to the U.S.
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