Stinking Creek 11/09/21

Indian Mountain State Park, Jellico, Tennessee

Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the girl as my wife.” ~ Genesis 34:11-12 Well, it seems as though Shechem has good intentions for Dinah; that he cares deeply for her, because he’s willing to pay whatever price her family sets for her. According to Exodus 22:16-17 and Deuteronomy 22:28-29, which I know was written many years after where we are now, a bride price was compensation to the family in the event of rape, and the family didn’t set the price, the guilty man did. And he was to marry her for life.

Who would choose to stay at a place called Stinking Creek Campground? Why is the stream named Stinking Creek in the first place?

Well, of course I looked it up!

Wikipedia reports that it was so named because of a sulphur spring, but if that’s the case, the spring is gone now, because no one else talks about that. What everyone else seems to talk about, however, is the winder of 1779-80. Here’s what Mr. Ridenour, an early Campbell County historian has to say:

The winter of 1779-1780 was known as a cold winter. Snow began in late October. Intense cold followed for weeks. Streams froze over. Animals that had drifted to the cane breaks and timber perished n the bitter cold. When spring and summer came in the beautiful valley of cane and meadow, all the animals had perished from the cold. It was an animal charnel house. For months Indian and white hunters alike avoided the place by reason of the carrion stench. Turkey buzzards and animal scavengers that had dens in the cliffs gorged on the putrid flesh of the dead animals. From that time until the present the name of the creek and the beautiful valley has remained Stinking Creek.”

We really did crawl out of bed this morning! We’re both hurting in places where we don’t normally ever hurt, places we didn’t even know could hurt! But it’s another gorgeous day, and rain’s on the way in a couple of days, so we’re taking advantage of the weather. So we went Jeeping today! And to get there, required driving by the SC Campground, and also on the road by the same name.

We had an OHV (off road vehicle) trail map from when we did this three years ago, but wanted to do a different section today. The map is clearly marked as far as where Jeeps should go. We had trouble figuring out how to get started, because there aren’t any real road names on the map, just numbers. Once we got started on the southwest/central trek, although marked easy, posed multiple navigational challenges.

There were no challenges to our legs, but the adrenaline was sure pumping in a few spots! At least Blaine’s was! Much of the roads were certainly not what we would’ve called “easy”! More like “moderate” to “you’ve gotta be kidding me!” to “there’s no possible way!” In those areas, Blaine had to figure out how to turn us around.