Remembering Myrtle Brown

Myrtle and Herrick Brown in the 1960s (Brown family photo)

When Myrtle Brown was growing up in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina, her grandmother taught her how to build a fire and maintain kerosene lamps. Those old-fashioned skills served her well, as she and her husband Herrick Brown operated LeConte Lodge from 1960 to 1976.

When they retired, they expected the lodge lamps and wood-burning stoves to be snuffed out, as the national park implemented the 1964 Wilderness Act, which was designed to protect places like Mount Le Conte from environmental ruin and commercial exploitation. The lodge survived only through a political compromise.

Yet the lodge lived on, and so did Mrs. Myrtle, who died June 29, just a few weeks short of her 99th birthday. Her lifespan parallels that of the lodge, which will celebrate its 100th birthday on July 16.

Herrick Brown and Myrtle Graybeal shared a deep love of the Smoky Mountains. They met on a wildflower hike to Gregory Bald. He had been fascinated by the Lodge since he was a 14-year-old Boy Scout who climbed Mount Le Conte during an October 1927 snowstorm and camped in Jack Huff's original 1926 cabin.

Jack Huff's original cabin was located near the site of the current Cabin 3 (University of Chicago archives)..

In 1959, when Brown heard that Huff was ready to retire, he convinced Myrtle that they should take over the business, giving up his job as an industrial salesman.

As a mother, she had her concerns, but they were a resourceful team and the lodge thrived under their management, with improved plumbing and kitchen facilities. Herrick built the office cabin, and even opened the lodge during the winter. The Browns raised three children on the mountaintop. Herrick operated the lodge in the spring and fall, while Myrtle stayed in town so the children could attend school.

In 1976, they sold the lodge contract to Jim Huff Jr., Jack's nephew, who renovated some of Jack Huff's buildings, after park officials decided the lodge could continue to operate under the Wilderness Act. Jim Huff replaced the pack horses with llamas, which spared the trails of wear and tear.

Herrick Brown died at 73 in 1986, but Myrtle kept on hiking to the lodge into her 80s. She climbed the mountain at least 168 times, which would rank in the Top 10 among women hikers. We've credited Herrick with at least 700 climbs, based on an estimate by Paul Dinwiddie.

As the co-author of the LeConte Lodge centennial history, I was glad to be able to interview Mrs. Myrtle, who lived in a retirement home near my home in Boone, North Carolina. Her memories brought life to the story, and I was delighted to present her with one of the first copies of the book. --Tom Layton