Arthur Woody (April1, 1884June10, 1946) was an American conservationist and humanitarian. He was born in

Suches, Georgia Suches is an unincorporated community in Union County, Georgia, United States. The local school is Woody Gap School, the smallest public school in the state of Georgia. The historical marker in front of the school lists it as the homestead of J ...

. He saw his father kill the last

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

in the

North Georgia mountains Northeast Georgia is a region of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia in the United States. The northern part is also in the North Georgia mountains or Georgia mountain region, while the southern part (east of metro Atlanta) is still hilly but much fla ...

in 1895. As a forest ranger for the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

, he served in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

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

Chattahoochee National Forest The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a rela ...

. He is credited with bringing deer back to the North Georgia mountains. He also is known for putting rainbow and brown trout in streams, restoring native brook trout, and 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 term ''blue'' generally des ...

(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 Tra ...

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 was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. 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, a tract of prize hardwood that Woody purchased for the Forest Service that is now part of the Blue Ridge Ranger District.

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