GATLINBURG

city, Sevier county, eastern Tennessee, U.S. The city lies 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Knoxville, at the western entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was established about 1830 along the Little Pigeon River by English and Scots-Irish settlers. Originally called White Oak Flats, it was renamed in 1860 for Radford Gatlin, who opened a store there in 1855. In an American Civil War skirmish (1863) near Gatlinburg, Federal forces routed a Confederate force of white men and Cherokee Indians, marking what was said to be the last military engagement east of the Mississippi River in which Indians participated. Gatlinburg developed as a resort and convention centre for the Smokies region, with skiing facilities and scenic sky-lift rides. The park headquarters is nearby. The city is noted for its mountain handicraft shops. Points of interest include the Homespun Valley Mountaineer Village and the Christus Gardens, a series of dioramas depicting the life of Christ. Inc. 1945. Pop. (1990) 3,417.