If water has a memory, then think about the stories it could tell. The people of the past that water has met, the great events that it has witnessed.
Noccalula Falls in Gadsden Alabama is a 90-foot waterfall. The area was once a Cherokee settlement and ceremonial ground. Above the falls is a nine-foot-tall bronze statue of a young Cherokee woman, Noccalula.
According to legend, she jumped to her death after her father ordered her to marry a man she didn’t love. Originally called Black Creek Falls, Noccalula’s grieving father renamed it in her honour.
It is now a 250-acre public park, with trails featuring highlights of caves, an aboriginal fort, pioneer homestead and Civil War carvings. The park also has a petting Zoo and a mini-golf course.
Noccalula Falls in Gadsden Alabama is a 90-foot waterfall. The area was once a Cherokee settlement and ceremonial ground. Above the falls is a nine-foot-tall bronze statue of a young Cherokee woman, Noccalula.
According to legend, she jumped to her death after her father ordered her to marry a man she didn’t love. Originally called Black Creek Falls, Noccalula’s grieving father renamed it in her honour.
It is now a 250-acre public park, with trails featuring highlights of caves, an aboriginal fort, pioneer homestead and Civil War carvings. The park also has a petting Zoo and a mini-golf course.
Farther north is DeSoto Falls, a 104-foot waterfall on the west fork of Little River, near Mentone, Alabama. Named after Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, though it cannot be proved that he explored this area, only the water knows for sure. One thing that is for sure is that many locations are named after him... parks, caves, schools, streets, etc.
De soto came into the southeastern area of what is now the United States in 1539-1542. Bringing several hundred soldiers, dozens of horses and a herd of swine. They were looking for rumored cities of great wealth. They did not find any but did leave behind parting gifts of disease, rape, murder and enslavement of many Native Americans.
De soto came into the southeastern area of what is now the United States in 1539-1542. Bringing several hundred soldiers, dozens of horses and a herd of swine. They were looking for rumored cities of great wealth. They did not find any but did leave behind parting gifts of disease, rape, murder and enslavement of many Native Americans.
A few miles away is Little River Falls, located in Little River canyon. A 45-foot water fall that has a shared history with Noccalula and DeSoto. All three are in what was once the great Cherokee Nation.
Little River Falls is, to me, the most beautiful. Walking near it, the mist that rises is a cool refreshment on a hot day.
Sometimes I hike a little way down and there are several small rocks that I use as steppingstones. They take me to the middle of the river, and I climb on a large flat boulder and close my eyes. I take in all the sounds of swirling water as it surrounds me, and it takes me to a simpler place and time.
I can see my Cherokee ancestors on the bank. I watch as two women draw water for cooking, three men in buckskins are sitting around a fire talking, while they fashion new arrow heads. Several children are there on the bank, playing with pebbles and skipping them across the water, or at least trying to. An elderly man, dressed as though he is a chief, watches the children and laughs at their antics. Farther back from the water, I see several teepees, behind them are their horses. I watch until a brown dog comes to the water and barks at me, and all of them disappear, gone to bless someone else’s dream.
I am fortunate to live in an area that is abundant in natural beauty and has such a rich history. If you are ever in Alabama, it would be wonderful if you could visit these falls and explore their legends.
Little River Falls is, to me, the most beautiful. Walking near it, the mist that rises is a cool refreshment on a hot day.
Sometimes I hike a little way down and there are several small rocks that I use as steppingstones. They take me to the middle of the river, and I climb on a large flat boulder and close my eyes. I take in all the sounds of swirling water as it surrounds me, and it takes me to a simpler place and time.
I can see my Cherokee ancestors on the bank. I watch as two women draw water for cooking, three men in buckskins are sitting around a fire talking, while they fashion new arrow heads. Several children are there on the bank, playing with pebbles and skipping them across the water, or at least trying to. An elderly man, dressed as though he is a chief, watches the children and laughs at their antics. Farther back from the water, I see several teepees, behind them are their horses. I watch until a brown dog comes to the water and barks at me, and all of them disappear, gone to bless someone else’s dream.
I am fortunate to live in an area that is abundant in natural beauty and has such a rich history. If you are ever in Alabama, it would be wonderful if you could visit these falls and explore their legends.
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Lonnie McKelvey is a freelance writer from Fort Payne, Alabama, and is a regular contributor to Grandparents Day Magazine. |
