(The photo above is courtesy of Craig Oliver.)
For about 10,000 years, a variety of people have admired this view of Bluff Mountain to the right and the Great Smokies in the background. The Appalachians, of which the Smokies are a part, are the oldest mountain range in North America. They are hundreds of millions of years old. Only three rivers traverse them, of which the French Broad is one. Estimates vary on the age of the French Broad and of its tributaries such as Boyds Creek. The Cherokee people, who arrived a mere 600 or so years ago, called the French Broad and associated rivers Agiqua, the Long Man, with his head in the mountains and his feet in the sea. The tributaries they called the Chattering Children. Boyds Creek is one chattering child of the Long Man. The rich alluvial soil that the rivers bring from the mountains has sustained many generations of inhabitants.
Learn more about the way Native and European people relied on these waters in From the Mouth of Boyds Creek – A History of Seymour, TN and the Boyds Creek Valley. Pre-orders are now being taken for the book, which will be available in October. All proceeds benefit Friends of Seymour Library, a non-profit organization that supports Williams Family Seymour Branch Library.
Comments are closed