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The Trail of Tears
The Cherokee tribe's forced removal -
Civil War
The civil war begins -
Luray Caverns Discovery
In 1878, five men from Luray, Virginia, discovered a tiny hole in a big hill in the Shenandoah Valley. After working many hours pushing loose rocks aside, they had cleared an opening large enough to slide a rope down into the unknown. They found a remarkable world of stalactites and stalagmites below. -
United Mine Workers of America formed
United Mine Workers of America, A North American labor union best known for representing coal miners, is formed -
Chestnut blight first noticed
First noticed in NY, it kills virtually all the chestnut trees -
Battle of Blair Mountain
A battle erupts in West Virginia over coal mining rebellions, creating the biggest battle since the civil war. -
Appalachia Timber Boom
Timber production in Appalachia reaches it's peak -
Doc Watson's birth
Doc Watson, "The father of bluegrass", is born -
Peak employment
Appalachia reached its peak employment of coal miners. -
Blue Ridge Parkway Begins
The Blue Ridge Parkway's construction begins. This employs many people -
Appalachian Trail completed
2,200 miles of trail from GA to Maine is finally completed, forming the Appalachian Trail -
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Formed
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is formed -
ARC founded
John F. Kennedy starts ARC as an economic council for Appalachia -
Farmington Mine Disaster
Causes 78 coal miner's death -
Appalachian Studies Association
Formed to help regional scholarship and activism in the area -
Blue Ridge Parkway Completed
After 52 years of construction, the parkway is finished -
TAC started
TAC, which stands for The Appalachia Culture program, was founded by Collin Stedham