Arthur Woody (April 1, 1884 - June 10, 1946) was born in Suches,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. He was an American conservationist and humanitarian who saw his father kill the last

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

in the

North Georgia mountains The Georgia Mountains Region or North Georgia mountains or Northeast Georgia is an area that starts in the northeast corner of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, and spreads in a westerly direction. The mountains in this region are in ...

in 1895, and is credited with bringing deer back to the North Georgia mountains. As a

forest ranger A ranger, park ranger, park warden, or forest ranger is a law enforcement person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Description "Parks" may be broadly defined by some systems in thi ...

for the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

, he served in

from 1912 to 1945 and was involved in the acquisition of land in what became the

Chattahoochee National Forest The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the con ...

. He also is known for putting rainbow and brown trout in streams, restoring native brook trout, restoring turkey and black bear populations and was the driving force behind

Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ob ...

(established 1936), the first of its kind in Georgia and the nation. He built lakes, fire towers, brought roads to the area, built Woody Gap School in Suches, Georgia (1940), was instrumental in building the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

through Georgia, and did much to help his

mountain people Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains. This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation. The climate is generally harsh, with s ...

during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. Woody was known as the "Barefoot Ranger," "Kingfish," or simply "Ranger." He, along with "Ranger Nick" Nicholson of Clayton, Georgia, are considered to be the two most important early figures in the history of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Among the landmarks in the Chattahoochee National Forest honoring Woody is a trail through the

Sosebee Cove Sosebee Cove is a high-elevation, north-facing, cove forest found in the Chattahoochee National Forest. The trail through the cove is dedicated to Arthur Woody, who negotiated the Cove's purchase for the United States Forest Service. Located ne ...

, a tract of prize hardwood that Woody purchased for the Forest Service that is now part of the

Brasstown Ranger District Brasstown may mean: *Brasstown, Georgia, United States, for which Brasstown Bald was named *Brasstown, North Carolina, United States, located in Clay County, North Carolina on the North Carolina-Georgia border. *Brasstown Township, Clay County, Nor ...

Sources

History of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests

Arthur Woody and the Legend of the Barefoot Ranger
by Duncan Dobie, Bucksnort Publishing, Ltd., Marietta, Georgia, 2016. 1884 births 1946 deaths American conservationists People from Union County, Georgia {{environmentalist-stub