The Rural Communities Initiative Foundation had an adventurous outing recently during their monthly men’s food and fellowship event.

After lunch, the group traveled to the old Haynie Ranch of some 6,000 acres, located about four miles northwest of the Sallie Byrd Sevenstar Community Center in Belfonte/Nicut. The ranch now belongs to Bryant Reeves. Roger and Donna Belt live at and manage the ranch.

Roger and Jerry Wayne Prewett then led them on about a 20 minute side-by-side ride up Salt Hollow to the historic site of one of George Guess’s, (Sequoyah) Salt Works. They stopped by Stink Springs, where sulphur water oozes out of a small slope as their first sight on the trip. They definitely got the name correct.

They then slowly moved on to the really rough terrain, even with 4-wheel drive machines. About half a mile further up Salt Hollow running alongside Salt Creek/ Branch, they arrived at the old encampment and former business site of Sequoyah.

In the mid – 1800’s and then later in the early to mid – 1900’s, a man named Colsarts financially backed a business effort to turn the site into a mineral bath operation, similar to Hot Springs, Ark. He built a couple cabins for tourists to stay in, a little dance hall with access to liquid spirits, etc.; four structures in total is the local lore. The Great Depression, World War 2, and the remote location made it extremely difficult to make the venture successful.

The group viewed some of the foundations of the old building sites. Down below the buildings some 75 yards, was Salt Branch/Creek. Just beside the creek or in it, was a concrete water storage tank. A white, filmy liquid about 2 to 3 inches deep surrounded the tank, and the smell coming from the liquid was the same as came from Stink Springs. Yep, strong sulphur water.

Fifteen feet away was the creek, the water in it was a little cloudy, but clear enough to see the bottom through some 2 feet of water. One group member said they were told it was customary, according to Cherokee tradition, for them to drink from both the bottom of the storage tank area and the much clearer water in the creek.

The group member said they did, but in the wrong order. They said the creek water wasn’t quite as strong as what their mom made them gargle with when they had a sore throat, but the white, filmy water was a different story. It tasted worse of sulphur and the smell at Stink Springs.

Thanks goes out to Roger Belt, Jerry Prewett, Danny Hill and Bryant “Big Country” Reeves for their tour guiding, historic information, and access to the property where the history occurred.