Cataloochee Ranch was founded by “Mr. Tom” and “Miss Judy” Alexander in 1933 and was originally located in the serene and beautiful Cataloochee Valley. In 1938 Mr. Tom purchased a large part of the present Ranch property on Fie Top Mountain from Verlin Campbell, the “Potato King” of Haywood County. From Verlin he inherited a sturdy stone and log cattle barn, now the main Ranch house, and several derelict cabins and sheds. The eroded pasture land was littered with stumps and old potato crates, but it provided a number of excellent “bold” springs. Its 5,000-foot elevation bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park also created the ideal combination of extraordinary mountain views and wonderfully cool summer temperatures.
They say these mountains are 250 million years old. They’ll get no argument from us. Only time could have rounded their contours, carpeted their slopes with ancient hardwoods and their hidden trails with snowy trillium blossoms, and sent their blue peaks rolling away into the distance like a vast, eternal sea. In fact, one translation of the Cherokee word “Cataloochee” is “wave upon wave.” And that’s a translation that gets no argument from us, either.
For more than 75 years, the Great Smoky Mountains have been our home. And people like you have been our guests, often returning again and again to establish their own family vacation traditions and help us preserve the heritage of this very special corner of western North Carolina.
If you’re one of those old friends, we look forward to welcoming you back to Maggie Valley this year. If not, your welcome is waiting. You may be a first-time guest, but we promise, you’ll never be a stranger. We invite you to come and discover for yourself what makes a vacation with us an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
Even if, like the mountains, you live for a long, long time.
Cataloochee Ranch Website - http://www.cataloocheeranch.com
Cinematography by Chibi Moku - http://www.chibimoku.com
