Seen Rock City?

Have you seen Rocky City?

If not, surely you’ve seen the barn roof advertising for it.

Rock City is located on Lookout Mountain in Lookout Mountain, Ga., near Chattanooga, Tenn. Its notoriety as a world-famous tourist attraction dates back to the days of the Great Depression. Its status as a geological marvel reaches back several million years before that.

Gaining attention
Historical evidence shows that Native Americans inhabited Lookout Mountain. In 1823, missionaries Daniel S. Butrick and William Chamberlain arrived in Lookout Mountain to minister to them.

On Aug. 28, 1823, Rev. Butrick made an entry in his diary describing “a citadel of rocks” atop the mountain, noting the immense size of the boulders and stating that they were arranged in such a way “as to afford streets and lanes.”

By the time the Civil War reached the slopes of Lookout Mountain, more and more people had discovered what was already being called “the Rock City.” During the famous battle of Lookout Mountain, a Union officer and a Confederate nurse speculated in separate diary entries that one could see seven states from atop the summit.

Rock City remained well-known to hikers and geologists throughout the latter portion of the 1800s, but it would take the dawning of a new century before Rock City would reach its full potential.

‘Born promoter’
The man who would eventually make Rock City a household name was, appropriately enough, himself a product of the Tennessee hills. Garnet Carter was born in Sweetwater, Tenn., in 1883. At age 11, he and his family took up residence near Chattanooga on Lookout Mountain.

A born promoter, Carter had succeeded at a number of business ventures before coming up with the idea to develop a residential neighborhood on top of Lookout Mountain.

Launched in 1924, the new community was to be known as Fairyland, named so because of his wife Frieda’s longtime interest in European folklore.

One of the enticing features of Fairyland was to be a golf course, but construction took considerably longer than planned. To appease golf enthusiasts, Carter created a miniature golf course. Because of its popularity, he decided to franchise his Tom Thumb Golf concept all over the United States.

Frieda’s rock garden
While Garnet Carter was “putting” around with Tom Thumb Golf, Frieda Carter had begun a project of her own. The 700 acres of Fairyland also encompassed the legendary Rock City, and Frieda set out to develop this property into a rock garden to end all rock gardens.

When the Depression hit, Tom Thumb Golf fell to the “rough,” and Garnet focused on his other business interests. It appeared to him that Frieda’s endeavor with Rock City had possibilities.

Using string, Freida had marked a trail that wound its way around the giant rock formations, ending at the giant outcropping known as Lover’s Leap. She had also collected wildflowers and other plants, and transplanted them along her trail.

Freida’s gardening was supplemented by imported German statues of gnomes and famous fairytale characters, which were stationed at points along the trail. Entrepreneur that he was, Garnet realized his wife had something there and that lots of people might be willing to pay to see it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Barn advertising
Rock City officially opened as a public attraction on May 21, 1932. It got off to a slow start, because advertising in those days was difficult, especially since Carter’s mountain-top attraction was not located in a place that people would just happen to be passing by and take notice.

At that point, Carter enlisted the help of young sign painter. He hired Clark Byers to travel the nation’s highways and offer to paint farmer’s barns in exchange for letting him paint three simple words: See Rock City.

The distinctive black-and-white signs appeared as far north as Michigan and as far west as Texas. The advertising soon began to produce the desired effect, and by the close of the 1930s, more travelers than ever had seen Rock City Gardens.

Creating memories
Rock City Gardens continues to attract an increasing number of tourists from all over the world. Each year, more than a half million people visit the attraction to enjoy the many natural splendors. Some claim it’s possible to see seven states from Lover's Leap, a huge outcropping that takes its name from a Native American legend.

Over the years, several features have been added to the original Rock City attraction, including the popular Fairyland Caverns, Mother Goose Village and Cornerstone Station. Myriad shops and restaurants have been added as well. And the gardens Freida so lovingly planted now include more than 400 different species of native wildflowers, shrubs and trees.

Rock City Gardens celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007. Under the leadership of Bill Chapin, a third-generation descendent of Garnet and Freida, Rock City’s mission is to “Create Memories Worth Repeating.”

Rock City
www.seerockcity.com

Chattanooga’s official travel site
www.chattanoogafun.com