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The resort potential of the
mountain was recognized early and many hotels were built on the
mountain in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The first hotel was built
in the 1850s by Col. Whiteside close to where the Scenic Highway tops
the mountain. In the 1880s, the most popular hotel on the Mountain was
The Natural Bridge Hotel. Another large hotel called The Lookout Inn
was built across from the present Incline station in 1890. This hotel
burned in 1908. In 1928, a castle-like hotel called the Lookout
Mountain Hotel was built on the west brow of the mountain. This hotel
is now Covenant College. Most of these hotels were not financially
successful.
The
Current Incline
Incline #2
In 1895,
the Whitesides built Incline #2 (the current Incline Railway). Within
5 years, Incline #1 and the Broad Gauge were out of business. While
Incline #1 and The Narrow and Broad Gauge Railroads are gone, the
National Park incorporates a portion of these railroad lines into its
trail system as well as the site of The Point Hotel.
The Most
Popular Attraction on Lookout Mtn.
The Natural Bridge
In the
late 1800s and early 1900s, the most popular attractions on Lookout
Mountain was The Natural Bridge. Located at the north end of Lookout
Mountain (just a mile from Sunset Rock, The Point, and the Incline
station), people came from far away to see this rock structure and to
drink its youth giving mineral water. In 1884, a religious group
called the Spiritualists purchased The Natural Bridge Hotel and
surrounding grounds. Midnight seances
 and
meetings where mediums talked to spirits were commonplace around The
Natural Bridge during the late 1880s. The Spiritualist sold the
property in 1890, but The Natural Bridge remained popular through the
1920s when it was featured on penny postcards. Development in the area
and the popularity of the commercial attractions has caused this
natural rock phenomenon to be all but abandoned although people can
still visit it if they can find it.
The Birth
of Miniature Golf
In the mid
1920s, two Chattanooga businessmen started the Fairyland development,
an exclusive subdivision situated on the eastern brow of Lookout Mtn.
about 3 miles south of The Point. The subdivision included the
Fairyland Inn and golf course.
One of
these businessmen was Garnet Carter. Before the golf course opened,
Carter set up a putting green and in so doing began experimenting with
using pipes and rocks on a smaller course. Shortly thereafter, his Tom
Thumb miniature golf course was a great success and miniature golf
courses were going up all over the country. By 1930, more than 25,000
miniature golf courses were in place around the world and the Carters
were multi-millionaires.
Rock City
The
Fairyland subdivision included an area on the eastern brow of the
mountain that was well know for its unusual rock formations. This
area, called Rock City, had been a home to Indians in times past and
was on property owned by Garnet Carter and his wife Frieda. Frieda
loved to visit this place. In the late 1920s she began to develop
trails and plant flowers and shrubs in the Rock City. As time went by,
this place became more popular to residents and tourist alike. Garnet,
noticing the popularity of the place, decided to begin charging
admission and opened "Rock City" to the public in 1932.
Carter
began an extensive advertising campaign. His ingenuity at promotion
was unmatched. He gave farmers across the country free barn roof paint
jobs. He designed and made a large number of Rock City mail boxes.
When postal authorities objected, he punched holes in them converting
the mail boxes into Rock City bird houses. At first, he paid for his
advertising, but soon people paid him for his advertising by buying
his Rock City souvenirs.
Ruby
Falls
Lookout
Mountain is known for its many caves. One of the most well known is a
huge, richly ornamented, cave at the north end of the mountain. This
cave was used for hundreds of years, by the Indians and later by the
Confederates during the Civil War. In 1905, the railroad drilled a
tunnel through the mountain which intersected the cave opening. In
1910, the railroad sealed the entrance to the cave.
In the
early 1920s, an entrepreneur named Leo Lambert (who had visited the
cave prior to its closure) decided the cave could be a profitable
tourist attraction if it could be reopened. Lambert decided the only
way to reopen the cave was to drill down to it. In 1928, he purchase
land on the side of the mountain (above the cave) and started to
drill. After a month of drilling through solid limestone, the drilling
crew came upon an unexpected cave (above where they expected the main
cave to be). The next day, Lambert and a few others were lowered down
the shaft. They made their way through the narrow wet passages for
about 600 feet until they could hear the roaring of falling water. It
was here they discovered a 100 foot underground waterfall.
Lambert
decided to name the waterfall after his wife Ruby. Drilling continued
until they hit the main cave. Both caves were opened to the public in
1930, but the depression took its toll and Lambert's company went
bankrupt and Ruby Falls was sold for $25,000 in 1932.
Originally, visitors could chose whether to visit Ruby Falls or the
lower cave (which extended several miles underground). Ruby Fall,
however, proved to be the most popular and the lower cave was
eventually closed. The castle-like building at the entrance to Ruby
Falls (Cavern Castle) was built with limestone taken from the shaft.
Mystery
Falls
About a
mile north of Ruby Falls (next to the river) is a another huge cave
and a spectacular 300 foot underground waterfall called “Mystery
Falls”. This waterfall was once used as a water source for parts of
Chattanooga and is not open to the public.
The
Chickamauga and Chattanooga
National Military Park on Lookout Mountain
In 1893, the Cravens House and 85 acres were deeded to the U.S.
government for a Park. In 1898, The Point and 16.5 acres were
purchased from the Whitesides and became Point Park. These two
properties make up the nucleus of the Park on Lookout Mountain. The
Park also includes thousands of wooded areas along the slopes of
Lookout Mountain including Sunset Rock. The Park is open to the public
year-round.
Miscellaneous Information
Lookout
Mountain
The Narrow Gauge Railroad
Built in
1885-86
The Narrow Guage Railroad went from The Point to Sunset
Rock to The Natural Bridge and in 1894 the track was extended to
Lookout Inn by putting a third rail in the Broad Gauge track.
Incline #1 (The Original Incline)
Built 1885-1887 (18 months to build) Cost about
$150,000 to build
Opened - Mar. 12, 1887 Closed July 3, 1899
4,360 feet long with 3 tracks
150,000 people rode it in 1890
Prices - Adult round-trip 50c Children 25c
33% max. grade (Incline #2 has a 72% max. grade)
The
Broad Gauge Railroad
Built in 1887-1888 (18 months to build)
First ride to top Jan 19, 1889 Closed 1899
Purchased by Incline #1 owners in 1887
Electric Street Car operated along this line from 1913 to 1920
The Point Hotel
4 stories
The Basement housed - Barber Shop - Billiard Room - Bath House
1st Floor - Lobby - Office - Dinning Room - Narrow Gauge Track
2nd Floor - Parlor 28 guest rooms
3rd Floor - 30 guest rooms
$2.50 - $4 per night
The Lookout Inn
360 feet long
Built across from Incline station
Opened June 1890 Burned Nov 1908
Incline #2
(The current Incline)
Opened Nov 12, 1895
4,800 feet long or 9/10 mile
Built by the Whitesides
Owners purchased Broad Gauge in Sept 1897
and Incline #1 in June 1899. They closed both in 1899
The Lookout
Mountain Hotel
(Covenant College)
Opened June 23, 1928
412 foot tower
200 guest rooms
Closed early 1930s
Reopened and closed several times
Renamed Castle Above the Clouds in 1957
Became Covenant College in 1964 |