Mention the word Obadiah and Bible scholars will likely think of the shortest book in the Old Testament bearing that name.
The book of Obadiah was thought to have been written around 586-587 B.C. and prophesied the destruction of the Edomites, who were descended through Esau.
But Graham County has its Obadiah also, at least two of them. There is Obadiah Gap, on the dividing ridge between Big Santeetlah and Little Santeetlah. It can be viewed from an overlook on the Cherohala Skyway.
According to Cherokee historian T.J. Holland, it is probably named for John Obidiah – note slight difference in spelling – who was a chief of the Cherokee town of Cheoah in Graham County.
The Cherokee Removal had occurred in 1838. During the spring of 1871, Obadiah led a group of around 90 local Cherokee’s on a voluntary removal west to the Cherokee Nation, probably due to the fact that so many of their friends and relatives were there.
The group reached Loudon, Tenn., where they ran out of supplies and became stranded.
They requested help from the Indian Agency and were finally able to reach the Cherokee Territory by train in October
of that year. By that time the group had grown to 125, as other Cherokee’s joined them along the
way.
Then there is Obadiah Cove, located on Huffman Creek (shown as Hooper Mill Creek on the map.) Heath McGuire told me of a waterfall on the stream that flows through the cove and into Huffman Creek, which Hoot Gibbs and I of course had to go see. Strangely enough, the stream is not called Obadiah Creek, but is shown as Little Creek on the map (not to be confused with Little Santeetlah Creek, which is referred to as “Little Creek” by locals.)
If there is a connection between Obadiah Cove and Obadiah Gap – which are in two entirely different locations – it may have been lost in time.
Marshall McClung is a columnist for The Graham Star.