Indian Mountain State Park

State park in Tennessee, United States

Indian Mountain State Park

Indian Mountain rising above Indian Mountain Lake

Type| Tennessee State Park
Location| Jellico, Tennessee
Coordinates| 36°35′05″N 84°08′31″W﻿ / ﻿36.58466°N 84.14184°W﻿ / 36.58466; -84.14184
Area| 213 acres (0.86 km2)
Created| 1971
Operated by| Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Website| Indian Mountain State Park

Indian Mountain State Park is a state park in Campbell County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Established in 1971, the park consists of 213 acres (0.86 km2) situated at the base of Indian Mountain, a 1,949-foot (594 m) summit that overlooks the Elk Valley in the Cumberland Mountains. The park is located immediately west of the city of Jellico, and the history and development of the two are intertwined to a great extent.

Indian Mountain State Park is unique in that it was developed upon an abandoned strip mine, and serves as an example of how strip-mined land can be reclaimed and used for recreational and other purposes. The park is located amidst the floodplain of Elk Creek, and a small lake and several large ponds flank the park's central area. The Tennessee-Kentucky state line forms the park's northern boundary.

## Geographical setting[edit]

Ballard Lake

Elk Creek flows northward from its source on the slopes of Braden Mountain to the southwest, slicing a 15-mile (24 km) valley between the Jellico Mountain uplands to the west and Pine Mountain to the east en route to its mouth along Clear Fork just north of the Tennessee-Kentucky border. As the creek descends to the Oswego area south of Jellico, the valley expands into a marshy floodplain approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) wide. Jellico occupies the northeastern part of this plain, and extends up the slopes of the valley's northernmost hills. Indian Mountain State Park occupies the northwestern half of the valley between Jellico and the base of Indian Mountain.

Elk Creek splits Indian Mountain State Park into eastern and western halves. The western half is dominated by the 6-acre (0.024 km2) Indian Mountain Lake, which spans the base of Indian Mountain and forms the southern and western boundary of the park's campground. Ballard Lake, a large pond slightly smaller than Indian Mountain Lake, dominates the park's eastern section. Several smaller ponds are scattered along the park's northern and southern boundaries. Elk Creek, which drains the park, is part of the Cumberland River watershed.

Interstate 75 passes through the Clear Fork Valley just east of the park, connecting the area to Lexington to the north and Knoxville to the south. Tennessee State Route 297, which intersects U.S. Route 25W in Jellico, connects the area with Huntsville to the southwest.

## History[edit]

Indian Mountain State Park visitor center

Although the Cherokee transferred possession of what is now Campbell County to the United States in 1805, the northern Elk Valley remained sparsely populated for most of the 19th century. A road connecting Campbell County with Kentucky passed through the area, and may have been used by a detachment of the Confederate Army of East Tennessee to invade Kentucky in 1862 during the U.S. Civil War.[1] A village known as "Smithburgh" eventually developed in the vicinity of this road, but by 1878, Smithburgh consisted of little more than a post office and a half-dozen houses.[2]

In the early 1880s, a high quality type of coal was discovered on Jellico Mountain. Jellico coal, as it came to be known, burned relatively slowly and had a low ash content.[3] In 1883, Smithburgh changed its name to Jellico in part to capitalize on the new demand for this coal. The discovery of coal coincided with the arrival of the railroad, making large-scale mining in the area economically feasible, and mining operations sprang up throughout the Elk Valley.[2]

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, most coal mining operations focused on underground mining. With the success of Jellico coal, Campbell County became the largest coal producer of any county in Tennessee, producing over one million tons (appx. 900,000 metric tons) per year between 1912 and 1924.[2] By the 1940s and 1950s, however, surface mining had become the mining companies' preferred coal extraction method.[4] During this period, the Saxton Coal Company operated a large surface mine at what is now Indian Mountain State Park.[5] In 1960, after the mine's coal resources had been exhausted and the mine abandoned, the City of Jellico obtained ownership of the mine and with the help of several state and federal agencies, began restoring the denuded, unattractive land. Indian Mountain State Park opened in 1971.[6][7]

## The park today[edit]

Bridge over Elk Creek, leading to the Ballard Lake area

Indian Mountain State Park currently maintains a campground with 49 fully equipped campsites, three picnic pavilions, and 3 walking trails. Indian Mountain Lake and several ponds in the park are stocked with catfish, bluegill, large-mouthed bass, and crappie to provide fishing opportunities. Pedal boats, kayaks, and paddle boards are available for rent to use on Indian Mountain Lake.

Two official walking trails meander through the park on both sides of Elk Creek. The Indian Mountain Lake Trail is a paved 1-mile (1.6 km) loop that wraps around the east bank of Indian Mountain Lake. The .75-mile (1.21 km) Ballard Lake Nature Trail loops along the forested banks of Ballard Lake. A third unmarked half-mile trail wraps around the pond in the southeast section of the park.[5]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Information obtained from Tennessee Historical Commission marker ID 17 on Main Street in Jellico, Tennessee, October 5, 2008.
2. ^ a b c James Hayden Siler, "History of Jellico Archived February 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine." Unpublished manuscript, c. 1938. Retrieved: October 15, 2008.
3. ^ The WPA Guide to Tennessee (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1986), 334. Originally compiled by the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Projects Administration as Tennessee: A Guide to the State, and published in 1939.
4. ^ United States Department of Agriculture, E.A. Carr, Soil Survey of Campbell County, Tennessee (National Resources Conservation Service, 1990), 12.
5. ^ a b John Clifton, "Jellico News - Mayor's Column Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine." November 18, 2005. Retrieved: October 15, 2008.
6. ^ Campbell County Chamber of Commerce - Tourism Archived September 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved: October 13, 2008.
7. ^ Some information in this section obtained with the help of Mark Tidwell, Jellico Public Library.

## External links[edit]

* Indian Mountain State Park -- official site

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Protected areas of Tennessee

Federal|

| National parks|

* Great Smoky Mountains National Park

|

National historical
parks and sites|

* Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
* Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
* Manhattan Project National Historical Park

National Military Parks|

* Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
* Fort Donelson National Battlefield
* Shiloh National Military Park
* Stones River National Battlefield

National recreation areas|

* Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area

National Trails System|

* Appalachian National Scenic Trail
* Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail
* Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
* Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

National forests|

* Cherokee National Forest

National Wild and Scenic Rivers|

* Obed River

National Wildlife Refuges|

* Chickasaw
* Cross Creeks
* Hatchie
* Lake Isom
* Lower Hatchie
* Reelfoot
* Tennessee

Wilderness areas|

* Bald River Gorge
* Big Frog
* Big Laurel Branch
* Citico Creek
* Cohutta
* Gee Creek
* Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock
* Little Frog Mountain
* Pond Mountain
* Sampson Mountain
* Unaka Mountain

Other protected areas|

* Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
* Foothills Parkway
* Gatlinburg Bypass
* Natchez Trace Parkway

State|

| East Tennessee
state parks|

* Big Ridge
* Booker T. Washington
* Cove Lake
* Cumberland Mountain
* David Crockett Birthplace
* Fall Creek Falls
* Fort Loudoun
* Frozen Head
* Harrison Bay
* Hiwassee/Ocoee
* Indian Mountain
* Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail
* Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork
* Norris Dam
* Panther Creek
* Red Clay
* Roan Mountain
* Seven Islands
* Sycamore Shoals
* Warriors' Path

|

Middle Tennessee
state parks|

* Bicentennial Capitol Mall
* Bledsoe Creek
* Burgess Falls
* Cedars Of Lebanon
* Cordell Hull Birthplace
* Cummins Falls
* David Crockett
* Dunbar Cave
* Edgar Evins
* Fall Creek Falls
* Harpeth River
* Henry Horton
* Johnsonville
* Long Hunter
* Montgomery Bell
* Mousetail Landing
* Old Stone Fort
* Pickett
* Port Royal
* Radnor Lake
* Rock Island
* Sgt. Alvin C. York
* South Cumberland
* Standing Stone
* Tims Ford

West Tennessee
state parks|

* Big Cypress Tree
* Big Hill Pond
* Chickasaw
* Fort Pillow
* Meeman-Shelby Forest
* Natchez Trace
* Nathan Bedford Forrest
* Paris Landing
* Pickwick Landing
* Pinson Mounds
* Reelfoot Lake
* T. O. Fuller

State forests|

* Bledsoe
* Cedars of Lebanon
* Chickasaw
* Chuck Swan
* Franklin
* John Tully
* Lewis
* Lone Mountain
* Martha Sundquist
* Natchez Trace
* Pickett
* Prentice Cooper
* Scott
* Standing Stone
* Stewart

State natural areas|

* Auntney Hollow
* Barnett's Woods
* Bays Mountain
* Beaman Park
* Big Bone Cave
* Campbell Bend Barrens
* Carroll Cabin Barrens Glade
* Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Carter
* Chimneys
* Colditz Cove
* Couchville Cedar Glade
* Crowder Cemetery Barrens
* Devils Backbone
* Dry Branch
* Duck River Complex
* Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade
* Falling Water Falls
* Fate Sanders Barrens
* Flat Rock Cedar Glade & Barrens
* Gattinger’s Cedar Glade & Barrens
* Ghost River
* Grundy Forest
* Hampton Creek Cove
* Hawkins Cove
* Hicks Gap
* Hill Forest
* Honey Creek
* House Mountain
* Hubbard’s Cave
* John & Hester Lane Cedar Glades
* John Noel at Bon Aqua
* Langford Branch
* Laurel-Snow
* Lost Creek
* Lucius Burch Jr. Forest
* Manus Road Cedar Glade
* May Prairie
* North Chickamauga Creek Gorge
* Old Forest
* Overbridge
* Ozone Falls
* Piney Falls
* Pogue Creek
* Powell River Preserve
* Radnor Lake
* Riverwoods
* Roundtop Mountain
* Rugby
* Savage Gulf
* Sequatchie Cave
* Short Mountain
* Short Springs
* Sneed Road Cedar Glade
* Stillhouse Hollow Falls
* Stinging Fork Falls
* Stones River Cedar Glade & Barrens
* Sunk Lake
* Sunnybell Cedar Glade
* Taylor Hollow
* Twin Arches
* Vesta Cedar Glade
* Vine Cedar Glade
* Virgin Falls
* Walker Branch
* Walls of Jericho
* Walterhill Floodplain
* Washmorgan Hollow
* Watauga River Bluffs
* William B. Clark
* William R. Davenport Refuge
* Wilson School Road
* Window Cliffs

Other|

* Buffalo Ridge Refuge
* Catoosa Wildlife Management Area

* Tennessee Department of Agriculture
* Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

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