Cataloochee traps

This series of 10 photographs documents various traps used in the Cataloochee Valley. The images were made in 1937 by Hiram Coleman Wilburn (1880-1967). As an unofficial historian of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Wilburn spent time identifying historic structures, collecting artifacts, and researching local history. A native of South Carolina and graduate of Clemson College, Wilburn worked as a land surveyor for the North Carolina Park Commission before being employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a trail foreman. When the CCC dissolved in 1942, Wilburn’s official work with the park was ended. He maintained a home in Waynesville and became the unofficial historian for the North Carolina side of the park. Wilburn is credited with curating the earliest collections that would form the nucleus of the park’s museum