Marshall McClung
While growing up on Atoah, I spent a lot of time playing with neighborhood children – whites and Cherokees, as both were our neighbors.
One such family was the Bridges, who lived across a ridge from us near I.U. Gap.
We followed a well-worn path through the woods to the Bridges’ home – they would do the same to reach ours – never wondering when and why it had gotten so much use.
I recently had a conversation with Clifford Bridges and told him about playing with his older brothers long before he was born. I told him about the old trail we used and he said the old trail was a trail used by the Cherokees and that the initials I.U. in the name “I.U. Gap” was actually Indian Union Gap – so named because it was a gathering place for the Cherokees.
We would follow the trail down into the cleared fields on the Snowbird side of said gap and onto the Bridges home. At this point, the old trail veered off to the left toward the Atoah side of the gap.
Bridges went on to say that the late Mike Lewis – who lived on the Atoah side of I.U. Gap – had done some research, which gave more information on the area including an old map of the trail. The map showed the trail coming by Goat Knob then by our Cherokee neighbors John and Florence Rattler, where it followed our property line with Cherokee land to the top of the ridge overlooking I.U. Gap. The trail crossed the ridge and on toward I.U. Gap and Cornsilk Branch in the Snowbird area.
In the vicinity of I.U. Gap, a number of arrowheads from different stones have been found. This would lead one to believe that perhaps this area served as a trading ground for Cherokees. I regret not getting to talk with Lewis about this matter.
Several years ago, part of the McClung property – which had a section of this old trail on it – was logged and a skidding road to remove timber from the forest took out this portion of the trail. Had I known the history of the trail at that time, I would have attempted to save it.
Marshall McClung is the historical columnist for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, mcclungs@email.com.