author
Horace Kephart
1862–1931
Remembered as a pioneering outdoors writer and a passionate advocate for the Smokies, he turned hard-earned wilderness experience into books that still speak to readers who love mountains, camping, and American nature writing.
1 Audiobook
Our Southern Highlanders
by Horace Kephart
About the author
Born in Pennsylvania in 1862 and raised in Iowa, he built an early career as a librarian before his life took a dramatic turn in the early 1900s. He is best known for Our Southern Highlanders and Camping and Woodcraft, books that grew out of his years in western North Carolina and helped make him a lasting voice in outdoor literature.
After settling near Bryson City, he wrote vividly about the people and landscape of the Great Smoky Mountains. His work blended close observation, travel writing, and practical field knowledge, which made him popular with both general readers and campers looking for real advice.
He is also remembered for helping build support for what became Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That mix of literary skill, backcountry know-how, and conservation work has kept his reputation alive long after his death in 1931.