Meigs Line: Rangers Rediscover a Two-Century-Old Disputed Boundary Between the U.S. and Cherokee Nation

Rich with ranger lore, wilderness savvy and tracking expertise, Meigs Line follows Dwight McCarter and Joe Kelley, two retired rangers, on their search for Meigs Line, a survey line that resolved for years prior survey controversies between the Cherokee and American nations in 1802. Using an antique compass, cameras, old maps and a copy of what survives of Meigs’ journal, they found very clear, preserved evidence of the survey—albeit only on the mountain tops—and a story to tell about a period in history when two nations worked together to resolve a dispute over territory.

Kelley and McCarter have opened the door to a long-forgotten chapter in the history of the Smokies. --Charles Maynard, founding director of Friends of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and author of Going Along to the Great Smokey Mountains