▁a ▁third ▁wife , ▁Mary ▁M oll ▁St in nett . ▁ ▁Walker ▁eventually ▁father ed ▁a ▁total ▁of ▁ 2 6 ▁children , ▁although ▁several ▁died ▁in ▁inf ancy . ▁ ▁He ▁allowed ▁ten ant ▁far mers ▁to ▁move ▁into ▁Walker ▁Valley , ▁and ▁a ▁small ▁community ▁developed . ▁ ▁Walker ▁constructed ▁three ▁gr ist m ills ▁to ▁accommod ate ▁the ▁growing ▁community . ▁ ▁Early ▁logging ▁ ▁As ▁large - scale ▁logging ▁operations ▁left ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁Eastern ▁United ▁States ▁def or ested ▁by ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁logging ▁companies ▁turned ▁to ▁the ▁remote ▁vir gin ▁for ests ▁of ▁Southern ▁App al ach ia ▁to ▁meet ▁the ▁nation ' s ▁growing ▁demand ▁for ▁tim ber . ▁ ▁T aking ▁advantage ▁of ▁recent ▁band ▁saw ▁and ▁logging ▁rail road ▁innov ations , ▁small ▁logging ▁fir ms ▁began ▁to ▁spring ▁up ▁around ▁the ▁Great ▁Sm ok ies . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁logging ▁vent ure ▁to ▁reach ▁Walker ▁Valley ▁and ▁the ▁Middle ▁Pr ong ▁area ▁was ▁that ▁of ▁John ▁English , ▁a ▁Kno x ville ▁business man ▁whose ▁company ▁began ▁cutting ▁tim ber ▁in ▁nearby ▁T uck ale e che e ▁C ove ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 8 8 0 s . ▁ ▁English ▁used ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁spl ash ▁d ams ▁to ▁move ▁the ▁logs ▁down ▁Little ▁River ▁to ▁a ▁mill ▁on ▁the ▁out sk ir ts ▁of ▁Kno x ville . ▁ ▁One ▁such ▁spl ash ▁dam ▁was ▁located ▁at ▁the ▁mouth ▁of ▁Spr uce ▁Fl ats