The state of Tennessee is in the process of buying up land on Signal Mountain along the Cumberland Trail, which traverses the Cumberland Plateau in a piecemeal fashion.
“They’re trying to buy land that they don’t have ownership of right now here on the mountain, but I’m not at liberty to say some of it,” said Sam Powell, who has tirelessly volunteered to build the trail on Signal Mountain and nearby for 40 years.
He said some land has already been purchased where North Chickamauga Creek comes up Signal Mountain near Lone Oak. Other parcels have been donated.
“The state feels they would rather own it because then it’s there and it controls what’s going to be there,” Powell said. “If you own it then you control it and can use it for what it’s made for.”
The trail got its start from a group of hikers near Oak Ridge who were tired of clearing trails only to find they had been replaced with strip mines in their absence, according to Powell. Having the state own the trail’s right of way further cements the trail’s state supported existence.