LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD NOMINEE SAM H. POWELL Sam H. Powell and his wife Emilie started hiking 1955 to 1958 in the Smoky Mountains while students at the University of Tennessee in nearby Knoxville. They left their un-air-conditioned apartment on many weekends to study in the cool Smokies. After graduating in 1958, Sam moved to Chattanooga to work for TVA. He moved to Signal Mountain and began exploring his neighborhood on the bluff. He found an old path that led down into a deep ravine where he discovered an old concrete dam and recreation area that had been built in the early 1900s by a former hotel. The area was in disarray and continuing to deteriorate. Sam went to the town council and got permission to solicit volunteers to restore the area. He promised that it would not cost the town of Signal Mountain any money. He found volunteers and started on the project. An eagle scout, he became scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 130 of Wayside Presbyterian Church in the early 1960s. Some people in the upper Cumberland Plateau who were interested in hiking were instrumental in forming the Tennessee Trails Association. This organization sponsored legislation creating a Tennessee Scenic Trails Act. One of the first proposed trails was the Cumberland Trail that would traverse the Cumberland Plateau from the Cumberland Gap to the southern border near Chattanooga Tennessee. Tennessee Trails Association member Dot Lingerfelt asked Sam Powell, a fellow worker at TVA, if he would help hold a meeting seeking support for developing a
section of the Cumberland Trail from Crossville area to the Southern Border. Sam took two of his boy scout leaders to a meeting on Signal Mountain to hear of the Tennessee Trails efforts to build a trail from Crossville to the southern Tennessee border. Soon after the meeting Sam discussed the possibility of the scout troop adopting an ongoing project for the troop to start building sections of the Cumberland Trail near Signal Mountain. The troop voted to work on building the trail. At that time the trail had been started at Cumberland Gap, a national park. The boys and Sam decided that the Southern starting point would be Signal Point, also a national park on Signal Mountain. They decided to run the trail over the first mountain shoulder and down into Rainbow Lake before climbing the next shoulder to cross the mountain at Edwards Point. The very first building project for the troop was a pole bridge over Middle Creek in the Rainbow Lake area where Sam first built small trails. Troop 130 sponsored weekend scout campo Rees that taught the scouts proper trail building techniques. David Rhyne, recreational forester of Bowater s Inc. provided training in proper trail building. Wide interest developed in learning the techniques. At one time 24 scout troops were working on the Cumberland Trail. Some troops came from as far away as Knoxville, Nashville and Atlanta. Troop 130 led the way by building 13 miles of the Cumberland trail on Signal Mountain in seven years. An additional 20 miles were added as loop trails in Prentice Cooper State Forest. Troop 130 assisted other scout troops and forest rangers in building the 20 miles.
Soon after the loop trails were built, the state had a budget crisis and discontinued their financial input. Since the 13-mile trail was heavily hiked by area Chattanoogans, the state asked Sam to continue maintenance on the trail. He agreed. In about 1987 Sam was appointed to serve as Hamilton County s representative to the Tennessee Riverwalk, a 10-mile trail from downtown Chattanooga to Chickamauga dam. He was appointed at the beginning of construction and still serves. Sam spoke at the annual conference of the Appalachian Trail held in Boone, N. C. His subject was How to recruit trail builders and maintain their interest in trail building. As a result of his building trail along the bluffs overlooking the Tennessee River Gorge, he was invited to attend a special meeting to discuss forming an organization whose mission would be to do whatever was necessary to protect the scenic beauty and cultural heritage of the gorge. At the meeting a committee was appointed to study forming an organization. Sam was on the committee which recommended forming an organization to accomplish protection of the gorge. The result is the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, now in its thirtieth year. Sam was a founder and longtime director. In two cases Sam was directly responsible for the Tennessee River Gorge Trust acquiring two large properties that had become important in their conservation mission. One effort required three years to get the owners to even discuss the idea of selling. The other effort required 25 years. Currently Sam is heading up efforts to
acquire a large tract of property including a large archeological specimen to add to the Cumberland Trail State Park lands. As a result of his work on the Cumberland Trail and the trust, Sam was appointed to serve on the Tennessee Sate Conservation Commission in 1994. He served on the commission for 15 years, traveling all over the state to check on conservation progress. While serving on the Conservation Commission, Sam and other members of the commission worked to form the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. It has become one of the most successful organizations in the country purchasing land and land conservation easements. The foundation also annually provides small grants to statewide environmental organizations. The governor has a parks and greenways commission which promotes greenways and trails with a mission of connecting all trails and greenways in Tennessee. Sam feels that he is one of the first to accomplish this by having Signal Mountain trails, Hamilton County trails and state trails (the Cumberland Trail) all interconnected. Other projects of Sam include building trails for he Chattanooga Audubon Society and the Tennessee River Gorge Trust. After Sam s retirement from TVA in 1994, he was asked by Hamilton County parks to be an onsite volunteer to monitor the environmental aspects involved in building Shackleford Ridge Park on Signal Mountain, which would include soccer fields, baseball and softball fields, and other recreational activities. Sam realized that the area had great potential for a walking trail system, including an outdoor
classroom. Sam and the County were able to obtain a state grant to help build the trails and necessary bridges. Sam was able to obtain donations of building materials including lumber and hardware, which greatly complimented the grant money. Sam worked very hard leading the building of five miles of hiking trail. He was commended by the County Commission which named a street that runs through the park Sam Powell Trail. Rob Weber, a pharmacist, arrived in Nashville and got interested in the Cumberland Trail. He volunteered to lead the rebuilding of the trail under the title of Cumberland Trail Conference. The state had resumed financial support. Rob asked Sam to serve as chairman of the board. Work on the Cumberland Trail progresses every day and annually students come from colleges all over the country to work on building the Cumberland Trail instead of taking breaks in warm sunny climates. At age 78 Sam Powell is still planning trails for the Tennessee River Gorge Trust and Shackleford Ridge Park and keeping up with progress on the Cumberland Trail.