by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“We have witnessed a miracle,” said South Cumberland State Park Manager George Shinn lauding the transformation of South Cumberland into three state parks, a “dream big” project 10 years in the making. Assuming management of TVA property and acquiring new land led to South Cumberland doubling in size to a 30,000-acre park that was a two-hour journey from one end to the other travelling by car. Savage Gulf Natural Area split off from South Cumberland as a separate park in 2022, and just last year Head of the Crow State Park was formed from Buggy Top Cave and the Carter State, Natural Bridge, Hawkins Cove, and Sherwood Forest natural areas. Grundy Lakes, Denny Cove, and the Fiery Gizzard Trail continued to be grouped under the monicker, South Cumberland State Park. On Oct. 20, at an unveiling ceremony at the Foster Falls trailhead, that changed: South Cumberland was christened with a new name inspired by the internationally renowned trail: Fiery Gizzard State Park.

Commending the name choice, Marion County Mayor David Jackson observed he had met trail visitors from as far away as Australia and on weekends the trailhead parking lot was crowded with license plates from all over the country. Park Manager Jacob Young who oversees the Fiery Gizzard Trail celebrated Shinn as the “powerhouse” behind “the vision.”

Shinn credits the transformation from “one into three” to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. “I’ve never seen anything like what’s happening under Governor Lee,” said Shinn who claims a 30-year career with Tennessee State Parks. Under Lee, Tennessee established 14 new parks and funded capital improvement projects and much needed deferred maintenance. “Our cup runneth over,” said Shinn. Head of the Crow received $25 million in funding and Savage Gulf received $100 million.

For Shinn, the division into three parks translated into three times as many staff, three times the amount of equipment and number of computers, and a threefold increase in the operations budget which includes funds for everything from trail markers to toilet paper. Acknowledging financial struggles in the past, Shinn recounted asking to “borrow” a used park-service truck earmarked with an uncertain future when a park service employee retired. The financial impetus coupled with the passion of “conservation minded folks” sparked “a capacity to dream big” about the future, Shinn stressed. He expressed special gratitude to nongovernmental organizations such as the Rock Climbers Association and the Friends of South Cumberland “not only for their leadership, but those they in turn inspired.”

Department of Tourism Director Jenni Veal called the unveiling ceremony a “celebration of the shared commitment of recreation, conservation, and rural vitality through tourism. Tennessee state parks are not just places of natural beauty. They are economic engines that power tourism.” In 2023 outdoor recreation generated $13 billion in revenue for the state, ranking Tennessee second in the southeast for outdoor recreation’s economic impact, with visitors also spending money on dining, lodging, and cultural attractions. “We’re blessed to have the parks in our community” insisted Mayor Jackson. “Folks spend money and leave, and we don’t have to educate them and provide services.”

Diverse legends have evolved to explain the name of the creek that lends its name to the Fiery Gizzard Trail. One ascribes the name to a gizzard shaped blast furnace, a precursor to the Tracy City coke-ovens operation. Commenting on the name, Shinn cited a quintessential Tennessee legend from the past, Davy Crockett. “I like to go with the Davy Crockett story. He was with a hunting party down on the Little Gizzard Creek, and they were cooking a turkey, and he grabbed a gizzard out of the pan and took a bite. But it burned his mouth, and he spit it out and said, ‘Dang that gizzard is fiery.’”

Commenting on the future of Tennessee, TDEC Commissioner David Salyers paraphrased Governor Lee. “We’re growing more Tennesseans, but we’re not growing more Tennessee. The next generations of Tennesseans should be able to enjoy the same beautiful environment and natural resources that we enjoy today.”