Hiking in Sope Creek National Park, and more...

Last Tuesday, November 21st, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, was sunny and warm - in the low 70s (21 C) so we decided to go out in the woods to see if we could still find some good autumn  colors, and we did - in Sope Creek National Park.

Several times along the years I had driven over a narrow bridge in East Marietta, Georgia and always wished to explore the creek I had seen below.  I had found out that this stream is called Sope Creek and is part of the Cochran Shoals unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.  In 2009 we had hiked along Island Ford which is also in this Recreation Area and I had written a post about it, click here to read it.  The National Park Service maintains some good hiking trails in Sope Creek Park so we decided to wander on them that Tuesday.

We started walking on a large trail which lead us down a slope

and then to a pond.  A previous owner,  John Sibley, had purchased 1,300 acres of land in this area in the 1930s and so the pond is called Sibley Pond.  There is a trail around the pond and a large dock, for fishing I presume.  (Click on any picture or collage to enlarge.)

We sat on the deck for a while and then went back up the trail to do more exploring.  I heard a sound behind me and before I could look back a bicycle had passed by me quickly - the large trails are used as mountain biking trails.

So we decided to walk along a small trail in the woods where biking is prohibited.

This little trail took us up and down.  I was happy to have brought my walking cane along as there were many large rocks.  Before long we could see the ruins of a building among the trees.  There were down a sharp hill and I had to balance myself against the trunk of a tree to take the photos below.

When we entered the park we read the two plaques shown below.  These ruins are what remain of the large Paper Mill  - that was 300 feet long and included several rooms, an office and store room. 

I read that during the Civil War, on July 8, 1864, a detachment of Federal troops crossed Soap Creek, further down the bridge, after firing their rifles.  (Vintage photo courtesy Heritage Sandy Springs Museum.)

Now we could hear the soft sound of rushing water and soon we arrived at the river.  Looking up the river I could see the little bridge where I had crossed Sope Creek several times.

There used to be a covered bridge across the creek, but it was burnt down by arson in the 1960s - such a terrible shame as it must have been a lovely sight over the water.  (vintage photos of the bridge below, owners unknown.)

It would be easy to cross the river by hopping or jumping on the large boulders in the creek, but we decided to just sit and feel the ambiance.

I could see an old stone wall starting at the bridge and going to another sets of ruins.

I took some close-ups with my little Panasonic Lumix camera to get a better look at the ruins down the river.

 

 I understand that there were several buildings in the area: a paper mill, a twine mill and a flour mill. It was strange in a way to be sitting on a flat rock above the shallow Sope Creek, surrounded by heavily wooded slopes with yellow, rust, red and green leafed trees then watching the traffic crossing the little bridge.  

 The sun was shining through the multicolored leaves and producing delicate colored reflections in the water.

Walking away from the stream was not easy as there were huge roots and rocks on the banks.

The trail going back was heavily wooded but not so steep.

As we came to a fork in the trail we checked the direction plaque, but we still took the smaller trail, the less traveled one...

As we walked up the trail we passed by many large fallen trees.  It certainly would be a bit alarming to be walking here when there is a violent storm, or a tornado.

As we arrived back in the parking lot I noticed two plaques, one giving information on the Chattahoochee River and the other on Sope Creek (click on photos to read.)  The sign on Sope Creek said "...Sope Creek, named for an aged Cherokee Indian who refused to leave with the forced migration of 1838 and was allowed to live out his life here."  That certainly sounded nice, but was it true?  I would have to check this out...

Now comes the part listed as "and more" in my title above ... for the rest of the story which I researched.  To start with, the Park Service plaque is wrong - I was skeptic as to the benevolence of the Georgian settlers in 1838.  John Sibley's property was developed in the 1970s - an elementary school called "Sope Creek Elementary School" was built and many houses were also built within "Sibley Forest."  In 2009 the students of Sope Elementary thought that, for their upcoming International Festival in January 2010 it would be great if they could have a Cherokee Indian come and talk about old Sope (as mentioned in the Park Service plaque.)  They contacted a Georgian historian, Jeff Bishop, who is the president of the Trail of Tears Association, Georgia Chapter.  Jeff researched this Old Sope, whose name had been "Soap" from the Cherokee "Oh Lah" and confirmed that there had been such a man, but he had been forced to go on the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma with his family.  Please read Jeff's report here: "Chief Soap": Fact vs. Fiction."

But what makes this story so interesting is that the descendants of Old Soap found out about the legend surrounding their ancestor and the school request.  They traveled to Georgia that January 2010 to talk about their family and Cherokee customs.  They started with a Cherokee prayer and then spent some time with the students.  (Photos courtesy Sope Creek Elementary School.)

Charlie Soap (center top picture) came with his son and grandson.  Charlie was married at the time to Wilma Pearl Mankiller Soap, who had been the first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma.  She passed away in April 2010.   When I looked at Charlie Soap, I found that he had a strange resemblance to my husband Jim (of course it would be easier to see if he shaved his beard!)  There is a legend in Jim's family that way back there had been American Indian blood.... I tried to find a picture of Jim which might look a bit like Charlie Soap but could not decide on which one to use - so I used them all.  Charlie Soap is on the center left wearing a black leather jacket.  By the way my husband's tee shirt in the top right picture shows the circle which is the seal of the Eastern Band of Cherokee. So this is the rest of the story.