The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-12-29
BY-WAYS OF STATE HISTORY
Along the Keeowee Trail-By DR..
J. w. Daniel

extreme northeastern part OF Ieor-
eia, and followed the old survey of
the Blue Ridge railroad from Clay
ton, Ca, to Belton, its terminus.
The Cherokees were composed OF
two settlements, the O-tar-re. The
Over-Hills and the Ay-ra-te, The
Under Hills This trail connected the
two divisions of the nation. These
two great bodies of the Cherokees
differed somewhat in dialect and
each had it's own capital. The differ
ence in dialect is forcibly illustrat-
ed by one of their place names
which still survives Conneross, the
name of a creek in Oconee county.
The name was derived from an incl
dent that no one but an Indian, per-
aps, would have dignified by a
name. There was located, some
where on the banks Of this creek, a
cliff which projected over the creek
"a rock of considerable size. A
wild duck usually built her nest
high up on this cliff and directly
under the projecting rock, When the
duck flew from her nest she was
compelled to drop downward until
she cleared the over-hanging rock.
The Indians noticed this peculiar
flight of the duck and called the
point where the cliff was located by
a name which the creek still bears.
The Under-Hill Cherokees called it
Ka-wan-u-ra-su-i, where the duck
drops. The Over-hills called it Ka-
wan-u-la-su-i. One may readily see
the slight difference in dialect as
brought out in this word. The word
was abbreviated by the lower Cher
okees to Ka-wan-n-ras.
The capital of the over-hills was
Echoe. The capital of the Under
hills, Keeowee, was located in a
large valley on the Keeowee River,
about twelve miles west of Pickens
and in Pickens county. It gave the
Keeowee river it's name. Fort
Prince George was built in 1751,
just opposite this old capital but
acoss the river in what is now Oco-
nee county. 1t was in rifle shot OF
the Indian capital.
The old Keeowee trail was, there
fore, at first a trail across the
mountains into our state, which was
true of a number Of other trails
which developed into roads cross
ing at other gaps, as we shall notice
in treating other old roads. 1t was
at first the highway between these
two ancient capitals. The trail be-
tween Keeowee and Stump-house
mountain passed Tamassee. AS this
Indian town was about nine miles
east of Walhalla it will be noticed
that the trail deflected eastward
from what is now the old survey OF
the Blue Ridge railroad. This was
necessary to reach the capital Of the
Under-hills on Keeowee. From Kee-
owee the trail is almost an airline
southwark to where Pendleton Is
now located and then down the line
of the Blue Ridge railroad and the
Columbia and Greenville railroad to
the vicinity of Honea Path. From
this point it followed almost a
straight course to De Wits Corner,
now corrupted into Due West where
there was afterward a trading post
and camping ground for the pack
horse trains. have heard a tradi-
ton that De Wits Corner was cor
rupted into it's present name, Due
West, by the traders in after years
when, owing to the rather sharp
turn westwad near Honea Path,
they called De Wits Due West
from the point of turning of course.
I do not vouch for the truth of it,
though it may have been possible
that the name was thus changed by
the droll humor of the old traders.
From Due West the trail defect
ed eastward till it again reached the
crest of the ridge that divided the
watersheds of the Savannah and tint
Saluda, near the headwaters of Mul-
berry creek, passing a little west OF
Cokesbury through Greenwood to
Coronaca. "At that point" says Lo-
gan. "the creek here was shaded by