The Walker Sisters: Life and legacy in the Smokies
The story of the Walker Sisters who continued living in the Great Smoky Mountains after it became a national park still fascinates visitors. This WBIR documentary explores their lives and legacies in the nation's most visited national park. MORE: bit.ly/2ttDF6u
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00:00 Intro
00:35 Life before the park
04:26 Life in a new national park
08:19 Life after death
This is my family! I’m so proud. These are my great aunts!
This is a beautiful story 🖤 One to definitely be proud of.
Aren't you lucky!
Wonderful family! ❤
I have to give credit to old Mrs Walker, gave birth to all those children. and raised them, educated them. She must have been a very strong woman.
Yes I agree 👍 and Old man Walker had be a strong man to have worked and provided for such a large family 👪 A loving MA and PA 💙 ❤ God blessed this family and may they all RIP 🙏 🕊 ❤
The Walker sisters were my great great aunts. My great grandfather was their oldest brother. They were strong, brave women, and I'm proud to be their great awesome nephew.
Who were the brothers? What were they names
@@sherispradling7203 I don't remember. sorry
It was in the mid 1950s when my parents drove us across country through the Ozarks. We stopped in the Ozarks to find something to eat as a black family of nine. While at a country store a white man in overalls and told my father to come to his house to eat. My father agreed. His home was a small shack but his wife throw a large spread with my mother and us girls helping her while the men say on ths porch and talked. Her home looked like the Walker home but much smaller. The family asked us to stay the night since it was late. Us children to slept outside with their children that night. While my parents slept in the house. We played almost the entire night. My brothers went hunting. We loved those people since they were so kind and friendly. Many years later I asked my father why did he agree to stay with strangers. Be said because he asked and they seem kind. Those days are gone.
What a Beautiful Story. Thank you for sharing. I pray Our Country stands up & stop letting Government divide us. America could be like your story once again.. Most of us have kind hearts.
I love your story ❤
In the 50s. Wow. Great story
I think they treated others the way they wanted to be treated...like loving Christians. 🥰
Sadly so..if society lived that way and got along, the world would be a much better place!!
This lady needs a golden grammy for this story because she told this story so well and I would love to see this as a movie .
Why would anyone give this a thumbs down let alone 35+thumbs down??? It was a beautiful story!
I'm thinking it might have been those who maybe didn't like the family.
I know an older man who ran an antique shop and the government ran him out of his home when he refused to sell. They just took it after offering more money and he refused again. Always felt bad for him and the many others this happened to. It's not right. This story is wonderful. Those sisters are just awesome.
My people were of the same Smokey Mountains and I bet the Walker Sisters had some deep Cherokee and English/Scots-Irish roots! Lovely people, thank you for allowing us to share their story. God bless their souls.
I feel their pain, I'm almost 80 years old. I grew up in a Holler that had at one time belonged to my family. I still live here and remember when someone came when I was very young to ask my Daddy about buying our place. Seemed like he studied about it a long time before he said, some things are just not for sale!
Hello granni anni i love talking and learning about old timey ways frim older generations, i hope you are well and id love to hear from you. we were.raised here in Tennessee mountains and miss our people who have gone on and their ways of life with them. We have so much to learn and so little resources from the old days .
I was born in 1962 wow
The Walker sisters were my great aunts. My grandfather was their oldest brother. They were strong, brave women, and I'm proud to be their great niece.
I love this story 💜
You should be very proud. What awesome women they were.
And you are beautiful, just like them.
I knew a man here inKentucky, he passed away five years ago,his name was Denzel King,he was related to the sisters,his mother was a walker.
@@danielmeadows1114 Denzil King's mother was Zora Cooper King. Denzil is related to the Walker Sisters through his father Frank King's line. This is Denzil's line: Wyley King, John Nicton King, George Washington King, Christopher Joseph "Columbus" King, Frank Reuben King and Denzil King. The Walker Sisters mother was Margaret King, dau of Wyley King.
R.I.P. Walker Sisters. They did alright. They lived their lives. They believed in what they believed in. Kinfolk was their bedrock. From cradle to grave let today’s world know and remember the Walker Sisters. Respect, love, land and God. Truly I say, that the Walker Sisters were the richest sisters in the Smokies. A big shoutout from Australia.❤️🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🇦🇺
There ought to be more people like this. It would have kept folks honest.
"Mountain" people knew a whole lot more about living and life than other people. Smart, sensible, and hard working.
How lovely! We’re so lucky the filmmakers featured Robin Goddard, who grew up with the sisters, through their friend Elsie Burrell. She speaks with conviction about the Walker sisters.
My grandparents were still living like that in 1965. He died and she continued to live that way until 1981. Yes 1981 and still no electric and running water. She never wanted it.
We so enjoyed visiting their home in the Smokies about 3 years ago. We thought we had seen everything in the park in Our 60 years of annual trips and then we happen to see a sign for their house. What a wonderful story. A time that must have been a wonderful time to live back in those mountains. My Grandparents lived not quite so far removed but in the mountains of east Tenn. The Smokies are my favorite place on planet earth.
When I was a young girl my family and I were camping and touring in Cade’s Cove. We walked in to see the school house and ended up meeting the last living Walker sister. I must’ve been eight or nine, and it made an impression on me that I remember to this day. She showed us that her bed was a trundle bed and told us that when the Indians came her parents hid the children in the trundle part of the bed. Though it may be unacceptable to speak about it that way now, as a child, that’s the part I remember. This lovely piece brought back those memories of our childhood camping vacations in the Smokies.
Nothing wrong with the truth! Thank you for sharing
How amazing and what a wonderful memory.
They were a different breed of people back then...tougher, nicer, more honest, simple in some ways, more welcoming and more protective of their families! They worked hard for what they got. They were decent human beings. We could learn a lot from our ancestors...good and bad. You knew where you stood with most of them, unlike today. Many had hard lives!
@Makeup Minion If you're going to be mean why don't you sure your real face and address?! Unless of course you're scared, chicken, troll hiding behind a screen!
Is that where this is located. Cades cove?
I love that this lady who knew them so well is able to greet visitors and explain the legacy of the Walker sisters as it truly is. This is a fascinating story!
Can you imagine being the last sister to survive? How lonely she must have been.
My grandmother was the last to go out of 9 and it was quite sad 😥 she lost a little more each time one passed.
Being alone doesn’t necessarily mean being lonely!
@@nicholaszozar2709 THANK YOU, FOR SAYING THAT. IT SO TRUE. PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE YOU CAN HAVE A CROWD AROUND YOU AND STILL BE LONELY, BUT BEING ALONE DOES NOT, IN ANYWAY MAKES YOU LOWLY AT ALL.
Plus knowing the min she passed,they'd snatch her out of there and dust their hands off and pat each other on the back saying " What great men we are!" Disgusted!!!
@@sissiesook2385 I completely agree with you. However, I’m sure she missed those who were gone before her, especially in an empty log house that she had shared with so many for so long.
Beautiful people beautiful sisters I love to hear stories like this I hope I meet them in Heaven someday
I can't imagine everything you had ever known was going to be taken away for other people's pleasure. I'm glad they kept the home and lived out their remaining years .
I absolutely love how you put that. They took the land away for OTHER peoples pleasure. That was their life the govt. took away, not just land.
It's called Socialism. And they did it to the Native Americans, too, only worse.
@@bailey1000100 to
That's our government for you.
How is it the government can come in after all these years this family tended this land and take ownership.....? It really grinds my gears! Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful story 🖤 God bless them for standing their ground!
It just lets you know we can’t ever own anything here in USA. So disrespectful to build on their land. & then take it.
@@angelastewart1450 🇺🇸It’s called GREED! Many have it, but it’s worse in other countries, trust me. Times are a changin.
Louisa pronounced lew I za I love that!
I Grew hearing there Story These Sisters..Were The America Dream. Iam from East Tennessee... And i grew up in those Breath Taking Mountains ..and They will always be Home To Me. They just Loved there Home And were proud of that..and you just dont see that today. Thank you Sisters
This story is so heart touching. They were devoted to each other, and lived a happy simple life. You can't get much better than that, now days people are whining because they can't have everything under the sun. These ladies were strong, and smart unlike your average person. They knew what real happiness was.
And just think, No Cell Phones!! How in the Hell did they Manage Daily Life??
@@gailcurl8663 wish sometimes they never invented the cell phone, it's like your being followed by the FBI. HA!
@@patricialenaburg6553 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@seeker of the stars I truly admire them & hope you do as well. I was adopted & have NO idea about my roots but would hope they were as pure as this family.
I too come from pioneer stock we gardened and canned pickle preserved as a child till eyes went bad I tried so hard to pass on family traditions no one wants to know how to do laundry by hand make homemade soap do butter make sour cream it was second nature to me non of cousins interested yet moving off grid
More people should be like this. Living like this teaches us valuable lessons.
No thanks. I appreciate being married with kids living in a house with plumbing and electricity. I do admire folks who lived like this and it makes me appreciate the modern conveniences that we have today.
They had a Beautiful life until big Government stole it. What ashame!! I pray we rid our Government of many powers & size. Pres. Trump is getting rid of many Government restraints on the American people & has been reducing the size of Government!! It's why he ran for office..to try & save America from its evil deep state cabal. I love how these ladies provided everything they needed pretty much or maybe traded for what they needed. God Blessed them until evil money hungry government came along!!
I agree!
@@luvjesuslee2033 lol
@@KimbradleyMasterGardener ok
I pray everyday that education will return to this country God knows now 95% of college student couldn’t pass an 8th grade examination from back then.God save this country.🙏🏼
Amen!!! 🙏
Thor. Same in the U.K. Probably applies to all western countries.
@@HDDREAMIN That's right Bruce-- Burn the books, indoctrinate, and then subjagate.......
Look at the dear leader, he couldn’t pass it.
3/25/2023. You are right! Just reading some of these posts makes me shiver.
So lovely to see the lady who is a descendant of the only Walker sister who married. So sweet and special.
I've been there about month ago and I've met the gray haired gentleman at the near by historic mill. He told me and others some wonderful stories about sisters, mill and the area. I will never forget this adventure in the smokies and for sure I will be back there sooner or later 💚
What a wonderful story! Back then it was a hard life. We are so spoiled, I don't know that we could do what it took to live back then.
Born an raised in hayesville nc 1985 I remember my great grandmother still lived in her little cabin and the damn state done whatever they had to too get her land smh we really never own anything
Sadly, the guys with the guns own whatever they say they own
ronett04 Government been stealing land for centuries. Remember when the travelers settled they would only say. I put my stake here. And than they Homestead.
This is the absolute truth. If you think you own your home, you don't if the government wants it for any and all (even made up) reasons. They will even take it if a private corp or individual wants it and will turn around a give (or sell) it to them.
@@rubyruby6358 Yep, and that's definitely an abuse of eminent domain.
Yes. And soon we will own nothing and be happy, according to the World Economic Forum. SMH
What a blessing it would have been to have known that family.
I'm really glad that they got to stay on their land until the day they died. God bless them🙏❤️💐😊
It's wonderful that they lived out their lives there.
I have decided to adopt them as, "Sisters of my Heart". Love their strength, their wisdom, the I dependance/independence of their lives.
My mother had some Walkers in her mother's people. Mama was born in the Rudd Hollar and her daddy (Jim Rudd) worked at the 'Little River Lumber Co.' as an edgerman at the mill until the great depression came. (There is a tourist stop in Townsend which contains a history on it and in the visitors center in Townsend has a book called 'Whistle Over the Mountain' which contains a brief history of the people there.) I lived in Maryville in the 1970s as a kid. My brothers still live there. The story of these sisters are typical of the people that lived and made these mountains there home. It is great that the history is preserved for generations to see. My grandparents were in there 90's when they passed and are buried at the Bethel.
What a great family.
Real history, a bite of Americana. Stories to feed a lifetime and leave you wanting more.
I grew up on the ball and cup toy. What a great story.. I have learned so many things about my family lineage they seem so familiar to me. Poor sister Polly. I know her pain.
Robins' storytelling was amazing.
Heartwarming story... and Thank You to the people carrying it on...
Now that's a piece of history . What a great hard working family . We could all learn something from them .
These Ladies remind me of my Grandma, born 1896,,,,died 1989, they were from the Smokie Mts,,,, Native Americans and Irish, Scots, Germans,,,, grandfathers side from Essex, England. But Grandmas people fought in the American Revolution and every war after that.
My great grandfather was born in 1896.
Sweet and kind story of country family.
I'm glad they got yo to live out their lives there. I have visited their place and its haunting beautiful.
Thank you for the beautiful story of the Walker sisters. How nice to have lived the life you love.
I had not heard of these beautiful strong women and “happened upon” this story. What wonderful history and I am glad that, even though the government grabbed the homestead, they have taken care of it. So interesting and I am glad I now know about them.
Thankyou for sharing absolutely a beautiful story. I loved it. Beautiful hard working lovely people
Charming, charming, charming! Brought tears to my eyes 💕🕊️
It is so awesome to hear things like this. They had love and lot's of it.
Oh my gosh, I love this story!!!
I studied under Inez Burns and even took her little Ford Falcon and 3 others to Cades Cove and other places making tracings and chalking tomb stones. Also many times we met with Ms Elsie at the College Woods. I learned more about Blount County History than many will ever know. Thanks for your history of the Walker sisters. I was also a close friend of Lester Shields.
I can only imagine what a unique and delicious treat to have visited them at meal time. I would’ve found a way to stop by at breakfast, lunch and supper
Thank you so much for protecting and sharing the story of the Walker Sisters!!!!!
Such a beautiful heartwarming story. Bittersweet! Our Government can be ruthless and with the Walker Sister’s they were just that!
Simply beautiful people.
What a fabulous group of ladies. I’d love to hear more of there story. So much we could learn from them on our own land and homestead. Sad there land was taken from them and not passed on to their family/sister Caroline’s children. But at the same time wonderful it’s been preserved for other’s to see and enjoy. How wonderful if their legacy and knowledge could be passed on to other’s including sewing, quilting embroidery basket making and all the survival skill’s. Thank you for sharing these strong women’s story.
Just imagine all the knowledge and life skills those ladies had between them. These are the type of people you want with you during a crisis.
What a wonderful story of great, strong, productive women. Thank you for posting.
Even though it's probably been 30 years Since I was there, holy cow i totally remember that ladder! I was so fascinated by it! LOL I really need to take my kids to visit this place!
Wow! How wonderful was this story.
I love watching videos like this a learning about people who were the foundation of what our country is today
We should all learn from this a very valuable lesson. God bless these women❤
I am so glad the cabin and artifacts were saved. If I get a chance I would like to visit the Smokies.
Beautiful woman beautiful souls ❣️
*Life teaches us valuable lessons, like NEVER trust the government!*
Amen.
Maybe there was no family left........in that case it automatically goes to probate!!??
Just ask native indians
First thing my father taught me, and its very true....
Who, exactly, is “the government”?
My family battled the Park Service too. Grand Teton tried off and on oust our family from the inception of the park. It became a big part of your family story, and probably is not over yet.
What a group of strong ladies! I would love to read their stories in a book series. I love history. I enjoy reading about others. I hope someone will put their stories in a book.
I wish I would have lived back in those days. I want to see it all. Those are the true ways to live
The grand daughter looks like her late aunts. What a wonderful family history and great legacy.
This is such a wonderful story . These ladies are the epitome of dedication to their land their families legacy and to one another! Very inspiring!
As a kid I got to meet Miss Elsie and get to be in a spelling bee she would have. And the Walker Sisters cabin is an amazing sight!
This is about 25 minutes from my house(all My life)I go there once a year.We have a church get together at Little Greenbrier school on the anniversary of the pastor's father's birthday,who went there as a child.The pastor's father's name is carved into a desktop there
Is this called Cades Cove ?
Where is this located? I am in Nashville. Thanks.
@@lorettatayor5840 it's in the Smokey Mountains.If you travel up hwy 321 going in to Cade's Cove,about 15 miles before you get to the cove,on the left side of the road you will pass a Sunoco gas station,turn beside the station and go up,up,and up the mountain (stay to the right)you should see signs saying little Greenbrier school.Rhey will lead you to the old school.The gravel road leading to it is very narrow (one car width only)Once at the school you will see signs pointing to the Walker sisters cabin.If you are looking at the school,the trail and cabin will be behind you.For some reason,at the school,there is a small graveyard that you may also find interesting
Remarkable sisters who kept their land in spite of the cruel government. They were courageous and admirable. May they rest in peace.
GOD BLESS THEM ALL
A wonderful life story about strong brave women Perfect that everything has been kept the way it was for their memory to live on I really enjoyed learning about the family
I love visiting there. It is so peaceful if you go in the winter when others are not there.
I can understand their desire to continue to live the way they did. I'd want to as well. Beautiful story & happy to know they at least were able to live out their lives their way where they wanted to & be buried together. Modern families could learn a great deal from these people.
I swear I hate the government. How can you just take someone’s land without the owners permission? It’s disgusting
How? Because the representatives that Americans voted into office at state and federal levels not only maintain eminent domain, they expand it - for example, by broadening the concept of "public use" to mean things like tearing down your house in order to build a Walmart. If you hate the government, change it!
💯Percent correct luv!
They did it to the original owners of the land and countless others throughout American history under the guise of what was best for the country.
Government first started it with natives!
Land ownership is merely stewardship of said property. Eminent domain is done for the greater good of society.
It happened in the Ozarks in Missouri to my aunt and uncle on the current river. Government stole all the land along the river. It was heartbreaking especially for the people that it was family land. Now it's Ozark scenic riverways.
It wasn’t fun living back then... don’t let the narrators fool you... it was a hard hard life!
The government should never be able to just take the land like that.
SWSIREN That is a shame! The federal government has no Constitutional authority to own all of that land. It should begin selling it off to pay towards the national debt. Starting with offering it to the families from whom the farms were taken, and then to the general public. I wonder if those ladies were descended from the heroes of Kings Mountain, who were not going to let themselves be bullied by the government of their day.
They did it to my grandmother saying a highway was coming through. When all was said & done the land sits vacant now & only a portion of the front of the property wad cut off to widen the street& re route the street around a curve. Stupid.
@@richardhaywood9474 Doesn't All this land belong to the Native American Tribes Who have lived there for thousands of Years ?????
Rage.ModelsInc Do you mean the last tribe that occupied that area before the Europeans arrived, or the tribe that was driven out by that tribe, or the tribe before that, and on and on into the forgotten history of tribes and peoples that existed and warred amongst each other long before that? The truth is that the land belongs to God.
Kind of the way colonizers took the natives land. Hypocrites.
Such a great story and they were definitely pioneer women!
I love this so much. I have 11 kids. 7 boys and 4 girls 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Holy Father. Thank you for these beautiful folks.👏👏🙏
Beautiful. Gave me chills and teary eyes. You can feel the love within that family.
Very interesting and special family. I deeply respect them and the way they took care of each and the respect they had for their homestead. Wish the world could be more like that today.
This is one of the best story I had the pleasure to watch. The walker sisters where such beautiful hard working women. I'm glad they where able to live out there life in the home their father built. Thanks for sharing this wonderful story of the Walker sisters...Blessings to everyone!
Outstanding story! I've spent a lot of time hiking in GSMNP. It is more priceless than any jewel!
This family, as well as many others, were a different breed back then. They were simple, friendly down to earth, loyal, hard workers and simply fine Christians. There was greed back then as there is today, but they dealt with things like that in a different way. Some of their ways were better! 🧐 It’s a bitter/sweet story, but yet one that still touches your heart! We could learn from them yet! They gave up a lot so that we all could have a better life. Amen and that’s my story! 🇺🇸
What a wonderful story!! ❤️❤️❤️
Absolutely love these little bits of History that aren’t in the school books. TY 🙏
Great story of Americans I knew nothing about. Thank you for sharing.
Everyone involved in telling this story has done a great job with this story and I love it and this would make a great movie told exactly the way it was with women making baskets and so forth. 5 Star's it would be .
Great history, so glad this was told and their land is being preserved. Great story!
I love the history of these magnificent people
What a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing!
I love this story about their land and how proud the sisters were of the land. Also keeping their heritage alive! I imagine the father was quite strict in order to keep all the sisters ( minus one) spinsters! There isn't anything like that anymore!!
The sisters valued family and this video shows their love for family , Friends and strangers, There isn't to many families so close net as these ladies had for one another , I wish I could have met them but they were born and died before my time , just a beautiful family
God bless them all!!! So sweet
This reminds me of my Aunt Susie's three sisters. All were never married and they lived in an old Victorian house. Kerosene heaters and stove and slept on the first floor in the winter. I recall when my Aunt got a new roof for them - what a big deal !