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The Story of a River, Its History, Features, Moods, People and Places with Particular Reference to Rock Island and the Area Above Great Falls Brought Together By
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| It is through the generosity and sense of history that his son and heir, Ed Crouch has given his permission to reproduce here excerpts from his Father's book. We thank him. |
~*~PEOPLE and PLACES on the CANEY FORK |
| ARCH CAVE | |
| Discovered in 1806 and located about 600 or 800 yards from Bone Cave according to Goodspeed's History. | |
| ARMSTRONG, JOHN | |
| A grant to John Armstrong was entered in 1807 and surveyed in 1809 calling for 200 acres at the mouth of Rocky River on both sides of Caney Fork including improvements made by Terry in the center. Apparently Terry did not have title to the land on which his cabin stood. The grant included the Island. The property went to the Martin Family and then to Thomas Hopkins about 1830. (See Martin Family) Hopkins sold 250 acres including the bridge, mills and other improvements to General John B. Rodgers in 1834. On Rodger's death the land went to his heirs. In 1888, C. Arnold, W. Murray and Frank Spurlock bought the land, including the Island, with the mill race, but the old mill was gone. They paid $134 for the Island and land in the immediate area. Later Arnold bought out his two partners and operated the ferry. (See Rock Island Ferry) Arnold sold the property on the north side to Isam Odle, but reserved ferrying privileges to the high water mark. The above traces the ownership of Rock Island briefly. | |
| ARNOLD, C. | |
| He was the last regular operator of the Rock Island Ferry. His widow was still living in the village of Rock Island in 1925. | |
| BAKER, JAMES A. | |
| Jim lived most of his life in the Rock Island area.
He knew the Caney Ford River from the mouth to most of the small tributaries
and he knew the people. He rode many rafts down the River to the
Cumberland and on down to Nashville. He was a reliable source of
information and ha been quoted several times in this book.
He worked with each survey crew as rodman or chainman in 1912, 1915-16 and 1923-25. One day in 1923 while we were eating lunch on the bank
of Caney Fork, the writer pointed to a piece of copper tube that had been
fitted around one leg of the transit tripod and asked Jim if he knew anything
about it. He gave me a keen, sharp look from under the brim of his
black felt hat and said,
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| BIG BOTTOM | |
| An area beginning at the headwaters of the Reservoir at the Mitchell Bridge and extending up the river for a mile or more which at one time was fine farming land and supported several families. The flood of 1929 left an almost solid layer of sand, gravel and boulders over all the fields from hillside to hillside and completely ruined them. | |
| BIG FALLS | |
| Grant No. 14143 issued in 1815 referred to the Great Falls at Rock Island as the "Big Falls." Later they were referred to as the "Horse Shoe" and still later "Horseshoe Falls." | |
| BOB and HIS TRUCKS | |
| Soloman's child, a bound boy, had a small wagon he had built and played with on the Old Kentucky Road. He died and after that when folks heard strange sounds on the road, but could not see any one they would say, " It's Bob and his trucks going up the road." | |
| BONE CAVE | |
| A large cave in the northwest corner of Van Buren County near Arch Cave and not far from Rocky River discovered in 1816. 400 or more people paid $16,000 for shares in the property at an early date. Later Col. Ross of Virginia bought up all the shares. The 15 acre tract sold for $20,000 in 1838. during the Civil War large quantities of powder was made in this cave and Arch Cave. The supply of saltpeter was almost unlimited. | |
| BOULDIN HOUSE | |
| A tavern on the headwaters of Rocky River close to Hill's Trace. It was close to or at Rocky Ford. (Probably outside present Warren County.) | |
| BROOM FACTORY | |
| In 1887, Capt. George Hash operated a broom factory at Rock Island. | |
| BURAM, PETER | |
| Sometimes spelled Burem. He is mentioned in several
books as being an early settler at Rock Island. The first land record
the writer found was in 1825 when he received a grant to 1,000 acres extending
from the Walling Spring up Caney Fork including all the land between the
river and the Sparta Road. This grant also refers to the Old Kentucky
Road. He sold the land to Joseph D. Walling in 1841. He also
had a grant to land on the south side of the river entered in 1826 which
he sold to John B. Rodgers in 1838. This deed mentions Laxton's Fish
trap across the Caney Fork River.
Buram was a well known preacher in that part of the country. He was buried at Camp Ground. See notes under Rock Island Bridge, also. |
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| CALHOUN CREEK | |
| The writer found only one reference in the early 1800's to this name. It refers to Rocky River. | |
| CAMP GROUND | |
| On the Old Kentucky Road about 2 1/2 miles north of Walling and where the Walling and Quebeck roads met. It was a great place to hold meetings. Families often stayed for a week. The first person to be buried there was a Revolutionary soldier. It is reported that Jasper Knowles of White County knew the location of 14 other soldier's graves but he died before they were ever marked. | |
| CARNES ROCK DAM | |
| This was a loose rock dam on Caney Fork about 1/2 mile below the mouth of Lost Creek to improve the fording above the present Butts Bridge. It washed out once but was rebuilt. | |
| CARTER, ABE | |
| See Steam Boats on the Caney Fork section. | |
| COFFEE, JESSE | |
| The Jesse Coffee House was an early tavern on the north side of the Old Kentucky Road about 3/4 mile west of Viola in Warren County. | |
| COW GAP | |
| On the Hodges Ferry-McMinnville Road. | |
| CUNNINGHAM FAMILY | |
| John Cunningham was born in Charlotte County, Virginia,
September 12, 1783. He was the son of a Revolutionary soldier of
the same name. John moved to Warren County prior to 1810 and settled
on the land between the Collins River and Caney Fork referred elsewhere
as the "Wilderness." He had a son John, Jr. and he in turn had a
son, James Monroe Cunningham who moved to McMinnville as a young man.
John Cunningham, Sr. died in 1858 and was buried in the family cemetery.
Old Mr. McGiboney told the writer he remember the event as they made a
casket and carried it across the Collins River Ford. The ford
was rough and the river was up and they had a hard time making the crossing.
John, Jr. was also buried in the small family grave yard. It was located on high ground facing Collins River and in sight of "The Narrows" and close to the two-story log house which was torn down in the 1930's. The property was sold to the Great Falls Cotton Mill Co. and later to the Great Falls Power Co. J.M. Cunningham was a merchant in McMinnville for many years. His wife was Mary Elizabeth Steakley and was the first librarian at the Magness Memorial Library. |
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| DEPOT AGENT | |
| The first agent at Rock Island station was George Hash. | |
| FALLS CITY | |
| Name of the small community that grew up around the Great Falls Cotton Mill and has long since disappeared. There was a post office there for a few years. | |
| FORK MOUNTAIN | |
| Not really a mountain, but a rough, steep, rocky ridge between the Caney Fork River and Cane Creek. | |
| HALTERMAN, JOHN | |
| He made a land entry for 20 acres which included the Great Falls and was the first owner of the land adjacent to the Falls. | |
| HAMMOND TAVERN | |
| On the south side of the Old Kentucky, a short distance west of Scott's Ford on Hickory Creek and nearly opposite the point where the present road turns off to Morrison. This was a change point for horses and the old stage line to Fayetteville and Huntsville. The last of the old building was removed in the 1950's. |
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