Ravensford is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Swain County Swain County is a county located on the far western border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,117. Its county seat is Bryson City. Four rivers flow through the mountainous terrain of Swain County: t ...

Western North Carolina Western North Carolina (often abbreviated as WNC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains; it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United S ...

. This is within the traditional homeland of the Cherokee people. In a survey and excavation project in the early 21st century, part of the community was found to have archeological resources that were thousands of years old, in addition to more recent historic materials related to the

Cherokee people 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, th ...

. In 1938, the US Government and state of North Carolina negotiated with the

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), (Cherokee language, Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ, ''Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi'') is a Federally recognized tribe, federally recognized Indian Tribe based in Western North Carolina in the U ...

to gain their agreement to transfer some of their land to enable construction of the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenand ...

. In return, lands in Ravensford were transferred to their

Qualla Boundary The Qualla Boundary or The Qualla is territory held as a land trust by the United States government for the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who reside in western North Carolina. The area is part of the large historic Chero ...

property. Ravensord was established as a

company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...

by European Americans sometime between 1900–1910, on the banks of Raven Fork, a tributary of the

Oconaluftee River The Oconaluftee River drains the south-central Oconaluftee valley of the Great Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina before emptying into the Tuckasegee River. The river flows through the Qualla Boundary, a federal land trust that serves as ...

. The lumber mill owned and operated everything, from housing to the school/church building, for workers who numbered 200-1000 people. In 1933, Ravensford Lumber Company sold the town and area to the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

for over $33 an acre. In 1934, it was made part of 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 ...

. In 1938, the U.S. Government, the State of North Carolina, and the federally recognized

made a compromise that transferred land at Ravensford into the latter's

in exchange for land ceded to the US for the

. As part of the compensation, North Carolina constructed a new highway ( US 19) through

Soco Gap Soco Gap (el. ) is a mountain pass between the Plott Balsam Range, to its south, and the Balsam Mountains, to its north. Also known as Ahalunun'yi (), meaning "Ambush Place" or Uni'halu'na (), meaning "where they ambushed;" named after the occa ...

and Qualla Boundary. Ravensford became the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Oconaluftee area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In the 21st century, the EBCI was planning for construction of a new high school to serve their people. The site was in Ravensford, and an environmental assessment was performed (including a document and archeological survey) to determine if the project would affect any historic resources. It developed as one of North Carolina’s largest and most intensive archaeological projects, as a tremendous number of artifacts and resources were found. Discoveries at Ravensford include "114 structures, thousands of features, maybe 500,000 artifacts", including pots from 1450 and 1600 CE. There was evidence that Cherokee ancestors and other indigenous groups may have been living here since 8000 BCE. Cherokee High School, built in 2010, is within the Ravensord area of Qualla Boundary. There are also a few homes dotted along Big Cove Road.

References

Communities of the Great Smoky Mountains Unincorporated communities in Swain County, North Carolina Unincorporated communities in North Carolina {{SwainCountyNC-geo-stub