Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 5-2011 Every Day Is Fire Day: A Study of Historic Fire Towers and Lookout Life in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Laura Beth Ingle Clemson University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Ingle, Laura Beth, "Every Day Is Fire Day: A Study of Historic Fire Towers and Lookout Life in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park" (2011). All Theses. 1130. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/1130 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. EVERY DAY IS FIRE DAY: A STUDY OF HISTORIC FIRE TOWERS AND LOOKOUT LIFE IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK A Thesis Presented to The Graduate Schools of Clemson University and the College of Charleston In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Historic Preservation by Laura Beth Ingle May 2011 Accepted by: Ashley Robbins Wilson, Committee Chair Barry Stiefel, Ph.D. James Liphus Ward ABSTRACT When the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) was established in 1931, complete fire suppression was the fire management philosophy and goal in all national parks and forests across the country. Debris and undergrowth was cleared, fire breaks and manways were created, and thousands of fire towers were constructed. The young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided much of the manpower to complete these tasks, and the group’s signature rustic style left its mark on structures throughout the park.