Lodging, dining and horseback riding. Visit us at www.cataloocheeranch.com
Cataloochee Ranch was founded by “Mr. Tom” and “Miss. Judy” Alexander in 1933, and was originally located in the serene, and beautiful, Cataloochee Valley. In 1938, Mr. Tom purchased a large part of the present Ranch property on Fie Top Mountain from Verlin Campbell, the “Potato King” of Haywood County. From Verlin he inherited a sturdy stone and log cattle barn, now the main Ranch house, and several derelict cabins and sheds. The eroded pasture land was littered with stumps and old potato crates, but it provided a number of excellent “bold” springs. Its 5,000-foot elevation bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park also created the ideal combination of extraordinary mountain views and wonderfully cool summer temperatures.
Mr. Tom died in 1972; Miss Judy remained a gracious hostess until her death in 1997. To this day, the Ranch is still managed by the third and forth-generation Alexander family members.
Cataloochee Cooking by Judy Alexander Coker
From wild boar, ramps, and plain old biscuits and gravy, to roast leg of lamb, snow peas and chocolate soufflé, this collection of recipes also serves up a delicious helping of the Ranch’s rich history and a glimpse of mountain life in simpler but harder times.
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Mountain Fever by Tom Alexander
Edited by Tom Alexander, Jr., and Jane Alexander
Bright Mountain Books, Fairview, North Carolina, 1995
Mountain Fever chronicles one man’s love affair with the vanishing human culture and verdant natural history of the southern Appalachian mountains. This account by Cataloochee Ranch co-founder Tom Alexander, enhanced by bountiful photographs, tells the story – and the stories – of a traditional way of life that is rapidly disappearing from the modern world.
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Order Cataloochee Cooking OR Mountain Fever on our website! www.cataloocheeranch.com
