Currahee Cherokee

Currahee Cherokee

The Devil's Den

I have visited a place known as "The Devil's Den" many times. It is located beside the rushing waters that the "Pale Faced People" called Middle Broad River when they intruded into the area. Some think that a sheltered area formed into the hillside by a large overhanging rock is the den. This sheltered area is very expansive and large enough to allow horses with riders to be under for protection from a rain storm and at times has served as a camping site. It also has a small hole in the back that extends on into the hillside but this sheltered area is not the den. The den is next to this shelter and can be reached by climbing up the hillside over and between some large boulders. It is a shaft like opening extending downward into the hillside. At a time one could descend into this shaft by climbing down using the extending rock ledges inside shaft for footing. Once at the bottom of the shaft some type of light, possibly a lighter knot, is required to explore the rest of this shaft which extends back and into the rushing waters of river. One could exit there by holding breath and swimming out to the surface of pool in the river. It is unknown why this shaft or cave into the hillside has become known as "The Devil's Den" but it is suspected the name was invented, by parents of children who lived in the area, to keep the children out. It also could have received it's name from the fact that "serpents" were known to inhabit the shaft and just about everyone knew that "serpents" were representives of the evil spirit or the devil himself. My people were made aware of the evil spirit or the devil and about a man named "Jesus" who could save us from the evil spirits or devil. They were made aware of this by a man who would come up the river with the traders. He was usually dressed in black, with a black hat and carried a book with black covers. He would read to my people from this book and tell them about the man named "Jesus" and how "Jesus" could save us from the evil spirit. On my last visit to the den, I discovered that the hillside, boulders and area around the shaft had been pushed down towards the river. The shaft was still visible but I am not sure what condition it was in. It is possible that other passages had been uncovered by the shifting of hillside. I will leave this determination up to someone else.

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