The History of Pigeon Forge The
history of Pigeon Forge is rich in tradition and mountain spirit. The
land that is now Pigeon Forge and the surrounding area once was used as
hunting grounds by the Cherokee and other eastern tribes of American
Indians. A treaty was signed in the late 1700's that opened the land
for settlement. One of the initial businesses in the history of Pigeon
Forge was a furnace and iron forge. Beechnuts, which were very
plentiful along the banks of the river in earlier years, were a
mainstay in the diet of Passenger Pigeons. This made the river a
natural stopping point for huge flocks of the now-extinct species. The
name Pigeon Forge is a combination of the iron works and the Little
Pigeon River that flows through the town.
As late as 1907, population records indicate Pigeon Forge with a paltry 154 residents. Pigeon Forge continued as a quiet agricultural locality until the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was dedicated in 1940. A little more than a quarter of a century ago, Pigeon Forge was a small, peaceful community where cornfields were interrupted only by the occasional business establishment and two traffic lights along Highway 441. In the early 1980s, with a firmly established city government and a new Department of Tourism, Pigeon Forge began to make its voice heard in an expanding tourism market. 
The tourism boom hit the city in 1982 and since then, growth has been rapid and Pigeon Forge has become one of the most popular vacation destinations in the Southeast United States. A major turning point in the city's quest for a flourishing tourism industry occurred in 1986 when Dolly Parton applied her name, energy and talents to Dollywood, a theme park on the site of the former Silver Dollar City. As of June 1997, the most recent census indicated 3,975 permanent residents within the Pigeon Forge city limits. Just as Pigeon Forge today stands proudly on its legendary history, it also looks forward to the unfolding of its future as a lively, constantly growing tourism mecca for as long as the Smokies entice visitors to the natural beauty found in their peaks and valleys.  The history of Pigeon Forge is an
interesting story about a quiet time in a mountain valley. But today,
Pigeon Forge is a town built for family fun. The climate in Pigeon
Forge is almost perfect. Its one place that you can get back to nature
with the family, while enjoying many modern conveniences, is in the
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee. A vacation to the
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area will leave you and your family with
memories that will not soon be forgotten. Pigeon Forge, one of the
fastest growing tourist cities in the South, is filled with
action-packed entertainment, natural beauty, and lots of old-fashioned
mountain hospitality.
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