Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1927-07-28
LEGEND NAMED
BLOWING ROCK
Beautiful Indian Story Tells of the
Naming of Watauga's Most Scenic
Wonder; Knoxville Lady's Volume
Tells of Incident
By ]. C. FLETCHER


bell Larew of Knoxville, is the au-
thor. The scene of this legend is la
Gated two miles from the village of
Blowing Rock. In the preface to the
beautifully and handsomely illustrat-
ed verse is told the legend of the
tragic fate of the beautiful Indian
maiden Wauhonhasee, daughter of a
Chickasaw chieftain, and her Chero-
kee lover.
"Then to craggy cliff-a lovely
sight,
Where the wind blows day and
night"
Back in the days when travelling
through the mountains of North
Carolina was done by coach and COW
cred wagon, the author states that
she had remarkably interesting ex-
perience. To explore the wilds, to
study the beauty of the glorious
mountain scenery, to come in close
contact with the natives and to wan
der in a terrestrial paradise that had
been the haunts in bygone days of
the Indian, was a dream fulfilled. In
the land of towering peaks, winds
the Yonahlossee Road from which
road leads to the crest of Blowing
Rock, and this road traverses land
of surprising grandeur. Here are
many waterfalls, eventually tribu-
taries to distant sea. Here the pine
and balsam perfume the air with
sweeter fragrance than oriental in
cense. Here the calyx carpet the
loamy earth in bronze and green and
dark ravines produce the loveliest
wild flowers Here is the land of In
dian legends and myths.
Nesting upon an elevation which
enables the traveller to view one of
the grandest mountain kingdoms in
all the world, nothing could be more
inspiring than this scenic grandeur.
No wonder the Indian was inspired
to believe in supreme Being, one
whom they worshipped in faith that
was strangely beautiful. No wonder
the author was inspired to write of
the legend-forgotten almost in the
passage of time. No wonder the
mountaineer is the most deeply re-
ligious of all peoples-for who could
look on the mighty works of nature
and doubt for one moment the exist
ence of a supreme Being?
AS the story goes, she was sitting
upon great rock gazing into space
where the profile of Grandfather
Mountain towers to the sky, when
she was approached by haIf-breed
Indian who had a basket of fragrant
balsam to sell. 1t was he who re-
cited the legend of the rock, le-
gend which will ever live in the MEM
ory of his people, so long as rem
nant of them is left.
When the white man entered the
wilderness of North Carolina and
Tennessee, invading the happy hunt
ing ground of the Indian, what more
natural than that he should be irri-
tated, resentful and suspicious. Aris-
tocrats of all the tribes were the
Cherokees. Perhaps the most war
like were the Chickasaws. A Chick
asaw chieftain had beautiful
daughter, so runs the legend, and in
fear of the white mans admiration
of his beautiful Wauhonhasse, he
journeyed far from the plains to the
mountain top-Blowing Rock-with
Wauhonhasse and her mother; left
them and returned to his tribe. One
day Cherokee brave wandered into
the wilderness below, and from a
lofty craig was espied by the lonely
maiden, and in innocent play she
shot an arrow in his direction. The
arrow shot by the maiden whom he
had also seen, figuratively pierced his
heart, and that night he appeared be-
fore her wigwam and in song, told of
rowing far from home and tribe in
search Of lovely bride.
"Then the Cherokee's arden wooing,
His sweet and arden wooing,
With the wind and distant thunder
And spirit to forever wander,
They bounded gaily DER rock ano
| rill,
Never weary, never still,
Then to Craggy Cliff-a lovely sight
Where the wind blows day anG
! night"
But even lovers trysts, lovers de
claration of undying love, must some
times be rudely interrupted, so it wa:
with the Indian maiden and her war
i Iex kn h.