Not only did the Cherokee Indians who were herded along the devastating "Trail of Tears" relinquish most of their personal property but also their homes, farms, livestock, crops, and sacred burial grounds. In their wake, they left behind a rich cultural heritage affixed to the very geography of the land itself. This legacy has endured so like the Nation who produced it. The beautiful names of Cherokee County's rivers, streams, valleys, coves, and mountains still whisper of colorful Indian legends associated with them.

Nowhere can one travel in Cherokee County without encountering this heritage. It guides every tourist studying a road map and stares at all passers-by from road signs. Many former Cherokee Indian titles and place names represented indigenous plant and animal life. Examples of these such as Beech Creek, Fox Grape Creek (now Grape Creek), Peachtree Creek, and Persimmon Creek have assumed English translations for Indian names of plants commonly surrounding these creeks. Other examples such as Buzzard Roost, Beaverdam Bald, Owl Creek, and Panther Top referred to typical wildlife.

Some titles commemorate beloved Cherokee chiefs and courageous warriors. Notable among these are Junaluska Creek and Road named for the great Chief Junaluska who lived in that location and so bravely saved General Andrew Jackson's life at the famous Battle of Horsehoe Bend in the War of 1812, thus altering the course of American history.

Other locations relate to legends of Indian names lost in obscurity. A prime example is Vengeance Creek, the south branch of Valley River, so named for the "cross looks of an Indian woman who lived there."

Hanging Dog Creek and Community, often shortened to just "Hang Dog" by locals, has a name bound up in the legend of an Indian brave's devoted hunting dog and its unrelenting pursuit of a wounded buck. In the midst of an extremely bitter winter and harsh famine, the hunter brought meat to the wigwam thanks to the undaunted efforts of his cur. It bravely chased the buck across a swift creek and would surely have been swept away and drowned except it hung on some fallen tree branches. The hunter, later named "Deer Killer," rescued his "hanging dog," and both then tracked their prey.

Ironically, the name "Cherokee has no meaning in the Cherokee language" which is called the Kituwha. Cherokee is of foreign origin to the tribe which uses Tsa-la-gi for the term according to tribal language expert Mary Ulmer Chiltoskey.

Yet, many original Indian titles are still evident today although spellings vary. Hiwassee (Hiawassee) River retains its Indian name meaning "the only one." Nantahala, Nottely (or Notla), Ogreeta, Tomotla, and Wehutta are other geographical titles that followed suit. Frank McKinney wrote, "The Indian gave to these mountains a name, and to the rivers a title expressive of the poetry of his soul . . . ." This poetry and all the myths and legends wound therein form Cherokee County's splendid cultural heritage.

Arthur, John Preston. Western North Carolina a History 1730-1913. Spartanburg, South Carolina: The Reprint Company, 1973-4.

Chiltoskey, Mary Ulmer. Cherokee Words with Pictures. Asheville, North Carolina: The Stephens Press, 1972.

McKinney, R. Frank. Torment in the Knobs. Athens, Tennessee: 1976.

Public Domain, but please include this site in your sources Do not print in publications or for displays of any kind.

Homespun
Graphics
by
Sandra Ratledge

All you kinfolks, put some mail in that old box!