Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is an iconic American road trip destination with gorgeous Great Smoky Mountains views and attractions.
But in its earliest years, Pigeon Forge was an unincorporated rural community. Great Smoky Mountains National Park changed that. Then Dolly Parton's Dollywood changed it again.
Parton and herbeloved theme park − roller coasters, live music, Southern delicacies and all − cemented the city as a booming hub visited by people from across the world.
The name "Pigeon Forge" was established in 1841, at a time when most residents ran small logging operations or family farms, according to a 2011 Knoxville News Sentinel article.
By the early 1900s, the landscape was characterized by rolling farmland and towering mountains. Businesses
in that era included blacksmith shops, a mill, a cannery, and a feed and grain business, according to cityofpigeonforge.com.
Pigeon Forge began to grow with the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934, but even then, its tourism was largely overflow from Gatlinburg, where most national park visitors preferred to find lodging and activities.
In the 1950s, Pigeon Forge attractions such as Hillbilly Village and the Smoky Mountain Car Museum hoped to catch visitors' eyes on their drive to the park, but tourism still wasn't a primary industry for most residents. The community of Pigeon Forge wasn't incorporated until 1961, the same year Rebel Railroad opened in the spot that would later become Dollywood.
Pigeon Forge said 'yes' to Dolly
In 1964, Rebel Railroad became Goldrush Junction. In 1976, it evolved again, into Silver Dollar City. But it took Dollywood's arrival on the scene to shake things up for good.
In September 1983, Parton announced plans to open a theme park in her native Sevier County. She described a "fantasy mountain park, to be completed within three to five years," the News Sentinel reported. A few days later, the park's name − known worldwide today − was confirmed: Dollywood.
The pace of the project began to pick up in 1985 when Parton entered into negotiations that led to a partnership with Silver Dollar City, which would soon be transformed into Dollywood. Because the scale of the new park necessitated new roads and amenities, negotiations included local leaders as well.
Parton appeared before the Pigeon Forge City Council shortly after to share more details about Dollywood, including a plan for the project's first phase, a $5 million expansion of Silver Dollar City, the News Sentinel reported July 23, 1985.
Pigeon Forge leaders took a chance on the park and threw the city's weight behind Parton's vision. A resolution was approved Sept. 23, 1985, and committed the city to "joint marketing, road and utility upgrading and beautification," the News Sentinel reported the following day. The city invested $600,000 in these improvements.
Parton said Pigeon Forge had the three top qualities she sought in a location for Dollywood: "progressive city government, community involvement and a cooperative spirit."
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Sept. 27, with Parton on a bulldozer to turn over a few scoops of dirt. At a press conference afterward, park officials predicted Dollywood would create 150 new permanent jobs, along with 150 temporary jobs during construction. Peter Herschend, owner of Silver Dollar City, estimated Dollywood would bring in an additional 250,000 Pigeon Forge visitors annually, on top of the 750,000 who already visited the existing park.
"I'm real proud of Tennessee and I want to do something to help bring employment and attention to the state," she told United Press International in March 1986.
Pigeon Forge undergoes big changes
Parton opened the park on May 3, 1986, celebrating with a red ribbon-cutting alongside Gov. Lamar Alexander. "I feel like today is the first time I've really come home," she told the crowd.
During the newly renamed and refurbished park's first season, approximately one million people visited Dollywood, according to Dollywood public relations director Wes Ramey.
By May 1986, visitors could stay in their pick of over 3,300 hotel and motel rooms in Pigeon Forge, according to an ad for the city in the News Sentinel. For comparison in 1982, the Hotel and Motel Association represented just 1,500 rooms in Pigeon Forge.
The city's population boomed during the new Dollywood era, too. In 1980, the city had just 1,822 residents, according to the 1980 census, and by 1990, just four years after the park opened, the population had almost doubled to 3,027. "Five years ago, no one knew where Pigeon Forge was unless they stumbled onto it on (Highway) 441," developer Johnny Walker told the News Sentinel in 1986.
In 1986, Pigeon Forge saw a 46% increase in sales tax revenue and 37% increase in lodging tax revenue. In 1987, building permits were issued in Pigeon Forge for almost $26 million in nonresidential projects, according to a January 1988 News Sentinel article.
Today, Dollywood employs about 4,000 during peak summer season, and approximately 3.5 million visitors came to Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country water park in 2023. Season passholders routinely flocked to opening day each spring not only to enjoy the park's newest and familiar offerings but for the chance to see Dolly herself speaking at opening ceremonies and then riding through the park in an afternoon parade.
The tourism industry, now anchored by Parton's other businesses, continues to drive the city's economy.
The arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services industry employed about 38% of Pigeon Forge's population, according to data collected over the past five years in the 2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Pigeon Forge is home to about 6,343 people, according to 2020 census data.
"Of the millions of tourist tax dollars that flow into our county every year, you can bet Dolly Parton is a major force behind them," Brenda McCroskey, CEO of the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce, told the News-Sentinel in 2013. "Even if a visitor isn't crossing the turnstiles at Dollywood, they are still affected by Dolly. She is a legend and her name is spoken with pride by local business merchants in Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
"Her contribution is immeasurable. We don't understand the impact Dolly Parton has had on our area and East Tennessee. Sometimes we take that for granted, and it speaks to her and her humble nature. We could use a few more like her."
Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email: hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com. Instagram: @knoxstoryteller.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Dolly threw her heart and soul into Dollywood: 'I'm real proud of Tennessee'
