Herald's history series:

Part 4 of Series: Audio-Visual Aids

By J.D. McRorie - Jan. 18, 1968

Some today live within rock throwing distance of a creek and don't know its name. Or within an echo of a towering mountain - that is just another think of embarassing beauty.

Mountain names are as varied as the shapes and sizes. They are named for trees: Cherry, Sassafras, Laurel, Balsam. There's Round, Double and Doubletop. And colors: Yellow, Black, Green. For people: Carver, Thomas, Bell Coney, Shelton.

And the mountain names range from Little Terrapin and Bearpen to Whiteside and Chimney Top, and from Bald Rock to Little Hogback. And they include these: Rye, Rattlesnake, Buck, Sheepsback, Sugarloaf, Fern, Rich, Wolf, Hogback, Horneyhead, Old Rocky. And there are many more.

Most knobs are descriptive, such as Grassy, Pine, Waterrock, Rocky, Bald, Wolf, Eagle, Buck, Panther, Sheep, Alum. Or they have names such as Corbin, Kirby, Jones, Neddie, Moss.

Ridges have such names as Scotsman, Tennessee, Big, Dark, Dodgen, Sugar Creek.

Mysterious balds are called such names as Laurelpatch, Snaggy, Rough Butt, Little, Lone, Soco, Charlie, Caney Fork.

Individual names of gaps imply fascinating stories. They include Mayapple, Licklog, Pinhook, Betts, Deep, Buckeye, Wolfpen, Balsam, Flat, Sugar Creek, Cullowhee.

Wildcat, Sheep, Cedar and Bald are among cliff names in Jackson County.

The rivers, creeks and branches have many family names, or or named for wildlife and other animals, for trees, or tell a one- or two-word story describing environment.

Some of the streams have forks: East, West, North and Middle, but no South. Other include Brushy, Raven, Bearwallow.

Here are some of the creek names: Crooked, Rough Run, Flat, Shoal, Rough Butt, Buff, Cold, Slickens, Shut-In, Dodgen, Jacks, Abbs, Johns, Dicks, Sols, Al, Jeff, Charley, Neddie, Gladie, Hunter Jim, Trout, Bear, Beetree, Cow Mountain, Little Trout, Sheep Cliff, Panthertown, Wolf, Bearwallow, Packs.

Also, Fowler, Norton, Robinson, Mill, Craig, Frady, Moses, Wilson, Tilley, Pressley, Tatham, Greens, Jones, Henry, Dills, Cope, Nations, Connelly, Hornbuckle, Washington, Wrights, Jenkins, Froleictown, Bracken, Shelton Kiesee, Jackson, Taylor, Coggins, Dickson, Webster, Fisher, Bradley, Barker, Hall, Scotts, Gunter, Chastine, Frady, Deets.

And the creeks include: Coppermine, Ochre, Soapstone, Flint Spring, Gem, Laurel, Pine, Locust, Cedar, Beechflat, Licklog, Birch Ridge, Chestnut Ridge, Woodfin, Little Pine, Blackrock, Whiterock, Grassyrock, Big Witch, Hurricane, Cane, Caney Fork, Sugar, Cabin, Canoe, Gage, Rich, Rich Mountain, Savannah, Little Savannah, Pumpkintown, Dark Ridge, Cullowhee, Wayehutta, Soco, Greenland, Little Green, Grassycamp, Camp, Knob, Tennessee, Doubletop.

Branches include Betty, Rhoda, Betsy, John Brown, Joe, Woods, Bryson, Long, Reed, Brook, Sutton, Cagle, Buchanan, Blake, Carson, Blanton, Allens, Monteith, Kitchen, Lewis, Mack Town, Hornbuckle, Williams.

And there are Mine Branch, Goldspring Branch, Beefcattle Branch, Turkey Branch, Bearpen Branch, Yellow Bird Branch, Cub Branch, Doe Branch, Laurel, Big Laurel, Dryland Laurel, Ash, Sassafras, Sugar, Cane, Big, Peewee, Honeycamp, Yellow Patch, Cranberry, Indian, Indian Camp, Cherry Gap, Camp, Slipoff, Rocky, Rocky Face, Flat, Bell Coney, Em, Cashie, Shell, Lone.

Some streams aren't called a river, creek or branch. For example, Cox's Brook. In Jackson, they eventually flow into the Tuckaseigee, Whitewater or Oconaluftee rivers.

Not many people today can truly say they know the country like the back of their hand. There perhaps are only a few who can give a general idea of where those streams and mountains listed here are all located.

Editor's note:This is the weekly installment of a review of our back issues as The Sylva Herald and Ruralite celebrates its 75th anniversary throughout 2001.

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