Hazel Creek: The Life and Death of an Iconic Mountain Community, by UNC Asheville history professor Daniel Pierce, explores the complex history of the so-called “Road to Nowhere” and the people it was meant to serve. Released in April, the book details the multifaceted and often overlooked story of the ill-fated town of Proctor and its inhabitants.
The effort to secure compensation for Swain County from the federal government for a road it never completed has been a long and twisted tale, full of contentious political debate among Western North Carolina congressmen both old and new. The issue is now back in the news, as current GOP Rep. Mark Meadows has joined […]
Near the tunnel at the end of the “Road to Nowhere” in Swain County, this maple’s fading red-and-yellow leaves brightened an otherwise brown landscape in mid-November. 
To manage an anticipated monetary settlement in the long-standing “Road to Nowhere” controversy in Swain County, the state legislature has approved the establishment of a Swain County Settlement Trust Fund, to be managed by the state treasurer. The bill has moved now to the governor’s desk.
New federal spending bill includes funds for a settlement with Swain County.
Good things come to those who wait—but sometimes they have to wait almost 60 years. Last week, Dale Ditmanson, superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, announced that the National Park Service will recommend paying a cash settlement to Swain County instead of building the so-called Road to Nowhere in the southwestern corner of […]
It’s nearly official: The so-called Road to Nowhere will forever be just that, and a monetary settlement will be granted to Swain County in lieu of construction of the once-promised 34-mile road through the Great Smokies.
In statements issued this week, Sen. Elizabeth Dole supported and Sen. Richard Burr opposed a cash settlement for Swain County.
