Horace Sowers Kephart (September 8, 1862 – April 2, 1931) was an American
travel writer
The genre of travel literature encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs.
One early travel memoirist in Western literature was Pausanias, a Greek geographer of the 2nd century CE. In the early modern period ...
and
librarian
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
, best known as the author of ''
Our Southern Highlanders
''Our Southern Highlanders: A Narrative of Adventure in the Southern Appalachians and a Study of Life Among the Mountaineers'' is a book written by American author Horace Kephart (1862–1931), first published in 1913 and revised in 1922. Insp ...
'' (a
memoir
A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...
about his life in the
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge ...
of western
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
) and the classic outdoors guide ''
Camping and Woodcraft''.
Biography
Kephart was born in
East Salem, Pennsylvania
East Salem is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Delaware Township, Juniata County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located at the junction of Pennsylvania Routes 333
__NOTOC__
Year 333 ( CCCXXXIII) was a common y ...
, and raised in
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
. He was the director of the
St. Louis Mercantile Library
The St. Louis Mercantile Library, founded in 1846 in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, was originally established as a membership library, and is the oldest extant library west of the Mississippi River. Since 1998 the library has been housed at the ...
in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
from 1890 to 1903; during these years Kephart also wrote about
camping
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...
and
hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
trips.
Earlier, Kephart had also worked as a librarian at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
and spent significant time in Italy as an employee of a wealthy American book collector.
In 1904, Kephart's family (wife Laura and their six children) moved to
Ithaca, New York
Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...
, without him, but Laura and Horace never divorced or legally separated. Horace Kephart found his way to western North Carolina, where he lived in the
Hazel Creek section of what would later become the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an American national park in the southeastern United States, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, whi ...
I took a topographic map and picked out on it, by means of the contour lines and the blank space showing no settlement, what seemed to be the wildest part of these regions; and there I went.
Later in life Kephart campaigned for the establishment of a national park in the Great Smoky Mountains with photographer and friend
George Masa
George Masa (c. 1881 – June 21, 1933), born Masahara Izuka, in Osaka, Japan, was a businessman and professional Large format, large-format photographer. He lived and worked in the United States.
Creating a new life in America
Masa arrived in ...
, and lived long enough to know that the park would be created. He was later named one of the fathers of the national park. He also helped plot the route of 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 the Smokies.
[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6759/is_30/ai_n28413324/ Horace Kephart and Thomas Wolfe's "abomination," Look Homeward, Angel, ''Thomas Wolfe Review'' - 2006] Kephart died in a
car accident in 1931, and was buried near
Bryson City, North Carolina
Bryson City is a town in Swain County, North Carolina in the United States. The population was 1558 as of the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Swain County.
Located in what was historically the land of the Cherokee, Bryson City was founded a ...
, a small town near the area he wrote about in ''
Our Southern Highlanders
''Our Southern Highlanders: A Narrative of Adventure in the Southern Appalachians and a Study of Life Among the Mountaineers'' is a book written by American author Horace Kephart (1862–1931), first published in 1913 and revised in 1922. Insp ...
''. Two months before his death,
Mount Kephart
Mount Kephart is a mountain in the central Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. The Appalachian Trail crosses the mountain's south slope, making it a destination for thru-hikers. The Jumpoff, a cliff on the northea ...
was named in his honor.
The Mountain Heritage Center and Special Collections at
Hunter Library
Hunter Library is the university library at Western Carolina University and is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina. Hunter Library supports Western Carolina University's mission of teaching and learning. The Library provides intellectual content ...
,
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system.
The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU was founded t ...
have created a digitized online exhibit called "Revealing an Enigma" that focuses on Horace Kephart's life and works. This exhibit contains documents and artifacts (photos and maps) that can be browsed or searched.
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...
' multi-part documentary, ''
The National Parks: America's Best Idea'', features Horace Kephart in the fourth episode (1920–1933), which was initially broadcast on September 30, 2009.
Kephart is a character in Ron Rash's novel ''Serena'', as well as Walt Larimore's novels, ''Hazel Creek'' and ''Sugar Fork''.
Writings
![Horace Kephart cooking](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Horace_Kephart_cooking.jpg)
He wrote of his experiences in a series of articles in the magazine ''Field and Stream''. These articles were collected into his first book, ''Camping and Woodcraft'', which was first published in 1906.
While mostly a manual of living outdoors, Kephart interspersed his philosophy:
He also published some more books of the same theme such as ''Camp Cookery'' (1910) and ''Sporting Firearms'' (1912). In addition, he wrote ''The Hunting Rifle'' section of ''Guns, Ammunition and Tackle'' (New York: Macmillan, 1904), a volume of Caspar Whitney's prestigious
American Sportsman's Library
The ''American Sportsman's Library'' is a series of 16 uniformly-bound volumes on sporting subjects, from an American perspective, published by the Macmillan Company (see Macmillan Publishers) in the period 1902-1905. Caspar Whitney, the owner/ed ...
.
Combining his own experience and observations with other written studies, Kephart wrote a study of Appalachian lifestyles and culture called ''
Our Southern Highlanders
''Our Southern Highlanders: A Narrative of Adventure in the Southern Appalachians and a Study of Life Among the Mountaineers'' is a book written by American author Horace Kephart (1862–1931), first published in 1913 and revised in 1922. Insp ...
'', published in 1913 and expanded in 1922.
He wrote a short history of the
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
and other books which became standards in the field.
Kephart completed a typescript for a novel in 1929. However, the book was not edited and published until 2009, when it was published under the title ''Smoky Mountain Magic'' by Great Smoky Mountains Association.
[ OCLC Number:462873637,
Description:xl, 205 pages,1 illustration, map; 24 cm; Responsibility:Horace Kephart, with an introduction by George Ellison and foreword by Libby Kephart Hargrave; Publisher description: "When a mysterious (though familiar looking) stranger arrives on Deep Creek, he immediately encounters a vast cadre of characters that includes earnest mountaineers, a murderous land baron, a family of treacherous ne'er-do-wells, a beautiful botanist, a Cherokee Indian chief, and a witch. A search for hidden treasures leads a community to erupt into violence while the hero comes to realize that what he truly seeks may be more animal than mineral"
]
Kephart never left the Great Smokies, having been instantaneously killed in a mountain-road automobile accident on April 2, 1931.
See also
*
Woodcraft
The term woodcraft — or woodlore — denotes bushcraft skills and experience in matters relating to living and thriving in the woods—such as hunting, fishing, and camping—whether on a short- or long-term basis. Traditionally, woodcraft per ...
References
External links
*
*
*
Horace Kephart: Revealing an Enigma (from Hunter Library Special Collections, Western Carolina University)Camping and woodcraft; a handbook for vacation campers and for travelers in the wilderness (1921)*
by Horace Kephart, Outing Publishing Companybr>
''Camp Cookery (1910)'' , by Horace Kephart, Outing Publishing Company*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kephart, Horace
1862 births
1931 deaths
People from Juniata County, Pennsylvania
People from Bryson City, North Carolina
Lebanon Valley College alumni
American travel writers
American librarians
American non-fiction outdoors writers
American male non-fiction writers
Appalachian writers
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Road incident deaths in North Carolina