The New South's New Frontier: A Social History of Economic Development in Southwestern North Carolina (review)

Southeastern Geographer Vol. XXXXII, No. !,May 2002, pp. 141-155 REVIEWS The New South's New Frontier: A Social History of Economic Development in Southwestern North Carolina. Stephen Wallace Taylor, University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 2001. 187 pp., notes and refs. $55.00 cloth (ISBN 0-81302116 -2). Margaret M. Gripshover In his new book, The New South s New Frontier, historian Stephen Wallace Taylor redefines Appalachia within the context ofthe New South, a delicate task yet satisfactorily executed. In seven chapters, Taylor traverses the complex social, political , and economic landscape of western North Carolina as it changed from pristine land of the Cherokee to a valley of industry and recreation. Along the way, he offers an analysis ofprevious works on the region and levels criticisms at others' efforts to formulate a universal theory of Appalachian development. Although the author never clearly offers up any distinct alternatives to the work of such regional scholars as Ron Eller and John Gaventa, the book is a welcome addition to the Appalachian studies literature. There is an inherent difficulty in attempting to craft an overarching theoretical template for development in Appalachia. The region is far too complex for a onesize -fits-all theory. The Appalachia that Taylor speaks of in the rugged wilderness that was western North Carolina in early years of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is not the same Appalachia to be found in urban centers, or highly agricultural regions. In fact, any attempt to identify a single development theory for Appalachia is bound to fail at some level. Taylor's narrative focuses on the upper Little Tennessee River valley of southwestern North Carolina, especially on the towns of Bryson City and Fontana, and how the coming ofTVA was less of a revolution than outsiders may have perceived. His basic argument is that Appalachia was never, as it is sometimes portrayed, an isolated wilderness filled with backwoods mountaineers who feared and rejected progress and were unable or incapable of participating in a capitalist economy. Taylor rightfully points out that North Carolinians and other Appalachians had long histories of seeking off-farm employment in timbering, mining, and services as the opportunities or needs arose. The author also challenges the widely held opinion by Eller and others that Appalachia is not much more than a colony within the South and the United States as a whole. The colonial model assigned to Appalachia, Dr. Gripshover is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department ofGeography at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37919. E-mail: mgripsho@utk.edu. 142REVIEWS Taylor contends, is inconsistent with the region's realities. Unfortunately, this perception has been the basis for policy making and interpretation ofthe region by outsiders . Taylor asserts that Appalachians were complicit in the recruitment of outsiders to exploit resources such as power generation, timber, and minerals. Appalachia, Taylor suggests, has had more control over its destiny than many would have imagined. The major agent of change in the book is TVA, which, in concert with Alcoa and other industrial concerns, radically modified the social, economic, and physical landscape in southwestern North Carolina. The cover of the book shows an image of a sign near Bryson City, North Carolina, directing the traveler to the "Road to Nowhere." This haunting slogan embodies the failed promises to residents of the Little Tennessee Valley by government agencies including the National Park Service and TVA dating back to 1943. The building ofFontana Dam was the beginning of what became the "Road to Nowhere" controversy. TVA made extraordinary demands on local labor and resources, invoking patriotic duty during time ofwar as the rallying cry. What residents gave up in terms of homes, livelihoods, and even ancestral cemeteries was, in their minds, more than their fair share. Over the past six decades, families are still seeking what they believe is just compensation for their lost communities. They continue to wait for the "Road to Nowhere" to be completed . As a geographer reviewing the work of an historian, I naturally craved more illustrations and maps. There is but one map included in the text and it appears in the Preface. It offers nothing more than outlines of the states, waterways and town locations...