Daniel Davis Foute (1799–1865) was an American entrepreneur who did much to develop Cades Cove in Blount County, Tennessee.
After siding with the Confederates in the American Civil War he lost most of his fortune and died insolvent.
Starting in the 1820s Foute purchased large amounts of land in and around Cades Cove with the aim of working the iron.
[7] In the long term the forge became unprofitable because of the low quality of the ore, the high cost of fuel, and competition from other regions made possible by improved transportation.
[8] In 1832 Foute bought 6,300 acres (2,500 ha) of land on Chilhowee Mountain, including a black sulphur spring, and built a ten-room log hotel.
Foute used Cherokee laborers to build roads to connect the hotel to turnpikes to Georgia and North Carolina.
[9] Foute devoted his efforts developing the potential of Cades Cove, which he envisioned as an industrial and commercial center in the rich agricultural land.
[18] The turnpike, later called the Cooper Road, connected Cades Cove to Knoxville via Maryville and his Montvale Springs resort.
[19] In 1852 Foute built a road from Cades Cove through Chestnut Flats to meet Parson's Turnpike to North Carolina.