It seems that the problematic behavior coming out of the top ranks at Sugarlands is unending. I have recently learned, and it has been confirmed by multiple sources, that someone (read Ditmanson almost of a certainty) is denying researchers access to old maps of pre-Park locations (houses, mills, farms, and the like). These documents are public property and are not under any State Department 30- or 50-year rule or anything like that. In other words, they are in public domain and denial of access to them is illegal. Yet that is what is being done.
My educated guess is that the top-level bureaucrats fear that the information found in these maps might lead to off-trail exploration and discovery. Obviously citizens exploring the Park other than under mandated restrictions (and soon, fees) just won't do.
The Park has done an absolutely miserable job of preserving its human past, yet what little surviving manuscript material is available to delve into it is being controlled for petty reasons.
Will someone not rid us of this wretched bunch of bureaucrats?
Jim Casada
You need to be a member of GotSmokies to add comments!
Join GotSmokies