Our Southern Highlanders

"Our Southern Highlanders" by Horace Kephart is a detailed look at the people and places of the Appalachian South in the early 1900s. It shows the reader the world of the mountain people, their habits, and their special culture, all set in the rough, but beautiful, mountains. It begins by talking about how these people are seen by others, often in a way that's not correct. Kephart wants to share what he has learned from knowing them, showing their strength and isolation, and pointing out how different their lives are from the rest of the country, while highlighting the unexplored beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains.