State

Page Two THE STATE July IB, 1935 First Across the Blue Ridge A Divi -torv ХОТИ К К millin' •f Xorth II n s n n g i* Samuel «w tragic rs up in ALTHOUGH not цЧчитлИг know n. it was Colonel Sniiiiiel Davidson who h I s i /.c*cl the troll for the first per¬ manent settlement across the» lilac lti<lf£c. He met a tragic fate. old-tim i he “Land of the Skv*' nro recalling on I hi*, the 150th anniversary of the establish¬ ment of the first permanent settlement West of the Blue Ridge. Though the fir*t permanent settler# receive all the glory for having fir*t colonized this then-wild and desolate section of Western North Carolina, if is to Samuel Davidson, the pioneer who blazed the trail, that tlm real honor i* due. Buried Near Bee Tree Creek Several mile# from the mouth of H« «• Tree Creek, where the first permanent colonists settled and which became known later a* the Swann a non Settle¬ ments, is a grave marked by a granite monument bearing this simple in¬ scription : “Here Lies Samuel Davidson First White Settler of Western North Carolina Killed Here by the Cherokecs, 1784.“ That, in brief, is the tragic story «f the attempt of Colonel Samuel \V. Davidson, from the Catawba River set¬ tlements, t" settle in this beautiful, historic and fascinating section of our state. Incidentally, there is an interesting little event connected with the naming of Bee Tree Creek. One of the mem¬ bers of the permanent colony cut down a bee tree on the banks of the at renin on which they settled. The tree fell into the water and split open, the honey spilling into the water. To com¬ memorate the incident, the stream was then and there christened Bee Tree ( 'reek. But to got back to the storv of Colonel Davidson: Samuel Davidson, with his wife and infant daughter and a woman servant, crossed the Blur Ridge in July, 174. and *cttlod at the foot of Jones Moun¬ tain. where he built a cabin. It was the custom of tho*e early pioneers not to feed their cattle, but to turn the animal* loose at night to feed on cane, pea-vine and other ex¬ cellent cattle food which grew so abundantly in the woods. To make it easier to find his horse «!/ MAJEL IVEY SEAY in the mornings. Samuel Davidson tied a boll around its neck. After several days had been spent at the cabin, he heard the ringing of the hell one morn¬ ing just before day, the sound seeming to come from the top of the mountain. Naturally supposing that the horse had wandered up there during the night, lie went in search of it. He followed the sound until he came to the Indian Trail which runs along the crest of the mountain. Here, without warning, ho was shot down by the Cherokee Indians, who were hiding in the bu-hos waiting for him to appear. They had remove*! the Ml from the hor«**s neck in order to lure him to the #|*ot where his death was planned and carried out. Mrs. DnvMson heard the shots but know that there «a* nothing she could lo among such a savage band so she friends. And what a flight it was! Over densely wooded hills and through almost im¬ penetrable forest jungles she fought her way for the dis¬ tance of about 15 miles, carrying her baby to safety. In some way, the servant had become separated from her and took a different route to Old Fort. Here. Mrs. Davidson was kindly re- ■wived by her friends who immediately formed a party to go to the scene of the shooting and if possible, avenge the death. Searching for the Murderers Davidson's body was found lying ap¬ parently where it had fallen. Members -f the party hastily dug a shallow grave and buried it and then went on to find the murderers, whom they sup¬ posed to be members of a hunting party from the band of Cherokee Indians who lived a short distance away. About a mile wot of the spot where the shooting took place, they found the party, killing many of them and driv¬ ing the remaining ones back into the mountains. It was a year later that the first took her tiny daughter and fled ю Old permanent settlement of white peopl Fort, where she had relatives and * *’ THE COMING OF THE STORM Do you see the trees a-suaying ? ill praying Do you hear the limb With moaning erj/t Do you see Hit brown leaves scurrying, la if in terror hurrying Because the storm is nigh? Do you see /he sea gulls flying. And the frightened overs crying .1* they rare by? And the heavy dust clouds dashing. And Ihc distant lightning flashing Against the darkened sky? cry earth seems startled, he ring clouds are hurtled ek hanks! dee n It And the r Is the gat) Into hla. But. in their deep, tense silence. The great oaks breathe defiance Т» the storm demons’ ranks! Let the storm come! There's shelter and home. And. harbored within. Well fear not its din. Aiiouff J. Howki.u west of the Blue Ridge was established at the mouth of Bee Tree Creek, a tributary of the Swannanoa. Among the colonists was Samuel Davidson's twin brother. Major Wil¬ liam R. Davidson and a sister, Rachel Alexander. They and the relative* who accompanied them eared for the grave of Samuel Davidson while they lived, and their descendants did the same after them. Permanent Marker I’nlll 1913. a pine tree, in which the initials S. I». Were cut. stood at the head of the grave a* the only monu¬ ment to the memory of this brave pioneer. In that year, some relative* erected a monument at the grave on which was placed the before-mentioned inscription. Few historian* mention the name of Samuel Davidson in recording the his¬ tory of our state but his name has been handed down “by word of mouth" for generations by the mountaineers, who delight in telling "fiirriners” of hi* courage and daring.