Cherokee Indian Fair

Cherokee Indian Fair

Amusement parks

Automobiles

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

Events

Fairs

Ferris wheels

Tents

Transportation

Booths

People are gathered at the Cherokee Indian Fair in Cherokee, NC. The fair is an annual event that formally began in 1914, lasting from the first Tuesday in October through Friday. Historically, the fair has been an important social and cultural gathering in the life of the Cherokee community with competitions for food, clothing, and crafts. This early 20th century image shows booths and a Ferris Wheel. The photograph was taken by “Doc” Kelly Bennett (1890-1974), a prominent pharmacist in Swain County, NC. Owner of the Bryson City Drug Company, Bennett served as alderman and mayor of Bryson City, on the Swain County Board of Education, as well as several terms as NC State Senator and NC State Representative. He participated in numerous other initiatives and organizations. Known as the “Apostle of the Smokies,” Bennett was an instrumental figure in the movement to create the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He was also an avid photographer, skillfully documenting a wide variety of people, places, and events in Swain County and the surrounding area.

Bennett, Kelly, 1890-1974

Kelly Bennett Collection

Hunter Library Digital Collections, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

jpg;

slides (photographs)

eng

StillImage

42587

https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/object/42587

2021-05-21

All rights reserved. For permissions, contact Hunter Library Special Collections, Western Carolina U, Cullowhee, NC 28723;

Qualla Boundary

Cherokee (N.C.)

3.5" x 5.75"(dimension)

Picturing Appalachia