There is a valley high up in the hills of Northern Tennessee, called the “Bittersweet Valley”. It is a beautiful place with green plant life and trees and soil so rich one can grow just about anything. There is shade anywhere with running springs and streams flowing across meadows and wild game can be found in abundance. At the lower end of the valley, you will find a magnificent lake called, Lake Haugie. There has never been a census taken there, so it is unknown how many people live in that area. The people that were born there, have stayed there for a life span.
Only three families were even known to reside there and the inter mixing of marriage was, to say the least, confusing. One never knew for sure if they were the Father, mother, aunt, uncle, a grandparent or cousin. Other than those that were brothers and sisters, all anyone knew, was that they were related. It has been said that the community consists of sixty adults citizens and maybe three hundred children of all ages.
Gardening, hunting and fishing is about all there was to provide for ones living there. Some tobacco, corn crops and whisky stills are scattered around the hills.
No doctor or elected leaders are found there. The one person that is often sought out is the man that runs the general store. He acts as the postmaster when there is any mail and a circuit rider brings that every second or third month. This person is also the one that usually does bible preaching and spreading of news for the area. He often brings in a pack mule train with supplies for the general store.
Once a long time ago, a few people build a one room shed onto the back side of a barn. and this was used as a meeting room. There was no money in the community to hire a teacher, so the room was abandoned. Many of the people that live here can not read or write, most that can, are self taught. There are three or four cabins with in hollering distance of each other and others scattered about the area. Planting of crops is done farther on down the valley before you get to the lake Haugie.
It has only been recently, that much life has been shown in this community. There is one attraction that brings a disturbance, to the small community and that is a young and very beautiful girl that has been making several trips to the general store each day.
Some of the men call her Daisy, others call her sweetie or honey or just whistle. Some men will pound their canes or crutches on porch boards or railings to show their appreciation. This girl can make the blind see and old dogs howl when she is seen walking about the community. The poor girl has hardly anything to wear and what she has, was much too small for her. There could never be an honest beauty contest as long as she was around. The general store doesn’t have any of those items that hold a girl up, in or together, like city stores have. The older women are up in arms as they don’t know what to do about this young girl. If she were living in the city, she could be charged with a number of things that are said to be law breaking, just by walking by.
There is an old hunting dog that lays on the porch of the general store. He hasn’t moved an inch as long as anyone can remember. His chin and head is resting on his out stretched front legs and paws with his ears hanging down. The only thing that moves is his eye balls. When he first sees her, coming down the path. he lets out a soft whine and it is thought that this is the message that alerts the men . The old dogs eye balls move from one side to the other as she goes by. Now you ask, how can one hear a soft whine from an old dog? Well, while some of the men are blind, I didn’t say they were deaf. And with all that corn whisky, they drink, they can smell a fart from the fields or a flower that this girl has over her ear and they can hear a whisper from the cabin across the way.
Winter is sneaking in on them and the first cold spell is felt. Smoke can be seen coming from fires under the kettles, that are making whisky, from one end of the valley to the other. Birds from the north are seen going south. The community is cutting and stacking the wood for the cold months ahead.
There has been no news from the outside world for a number of months. Someone will have to find out why the circuit rider hasn’t been around! But who can they send?
And who was to volunteer, none other than the communities beautiful young lady. When the older ladies heard this, they went to work making clothing and providing all she would need to make the journey. They knew that once she was in the city, she would never want to come back to this community to live.
It took almost a week to prepare her for the journey and people had gathered for the big send off. It would take several days to get there on the back of a mule and then several more to get back again.
But weeks had gone by and nothing had been heard from the girl. Then a few days later, a couple of four wheeled vehicles were heard coming up the trail. A trail was being made for motor vehicles to follow. all the way through this valley. People were leaving the city and looking for new places to set up shops. After several families had arrived, they built a small school house, and the state provided them with a teacher. Then came a dry goods store, a barber and beauty shop. Then came a hardware store that had more stuff than anyone could have imagined.
A prospector found coal in the hills and a mine was started. Men looking for work, came by the hundreds. The next building to be built, was a pool hall that sold everything that was fun. legal or not. You might say it was a fifty cent store. The population was growing so fast that the three families had expanded to a thousand. Streets were being built and signs posted with street names. The town now had two doctors and a dentist and there was talk of starting a hospital. Automobiles and gas stations caused a bad smell in the community.
As the population grew, the smoke from stills disappeared, Elections were taken place and the law enforcement had arrived. In just a few years, the peaceful valley had become history.
In Nashville and in other areas, people were hearing about the boom town in the Bittersweet Valley. The migration had started. At the same time, the Government was building a military training base close by. When the training started at that base, was when the bigger problems for the community grew out of hand. The jail that was built had to be moved and added on to. Then a court house was added with three judges and court rooms. A new Post- office was being built and the town was now close to having eight thousand tax payers. Traffic light had been ordered and needed to be installed. A new age had come and the families that had been living there, were standing around wondering what had happened?
They built a theater and vaudeville was on it’s way out and movies were taking over for the entertainment thing. The Strip Joint remained opened and wild women were found everywhere. Men would stand inline for hours, just to get a glance at them. The featured star was there very own beautiful girl “Daisy” or sweetheart and honey, if you preferred. `
It wasn’t long until the mafia from Chicago and the East coast mafia were battling with the Nevada boys for control of the Bitter sweet valley. The pioneers of the valley, were all relocated to a marsh lands in Florida, as the valley was lost to the money grabbers.
A month or two later, a US Air force Bomber was going to make training flight from Baltimore Maryland to a base in Dallas, Texas. A couple of our more troublesome Senators were invited to go along on the flight.
Some where around the half way point, the Senators were invited to go up front to the cockpit and the pilot was explaining to them, what everything was. and he was about to say “don’t touch that”, when a Senator had already pushed the button. The following morning the New York News papers had headlines saying that “Nashville and a large portion of Tennessee” were missing, along with an Air force bomber and two US Senators.
It was a high cost to pay, but we have to get rid of these people one way or another.
July 10. 2010
Ben R.
Only three families were even known to reside there and the inter mixing of marriage was, to say the least, confusing. One never knew for sure if they were the Father, mother, aunt, uncle, a grandparent or cousin. Other than those that were brothers and sisters, all anyone knew, was that they were related. It has been said that the community consists of sixty adults citizens and maybe three hundred children of all ages.
Gardening, hunting and fishing is about all there was to provide for ones living there. Some tobacco, corn crops and whisky stills are scattered around the hills.
No doctor or elected leaders are found there. The one person that is often sought out is the man that runs the general store. He acts as the postmaster when there is any mail and a circuit rider brings that every second or third month. This person is also the one that usually does bible preaching and spreading of news for the area. He often brings in a pack mule train with supplies for the general store.
Once a long time ago, a few people build a one room shed onto the back side of a barn. and this was used as a meeting room. There was no money in the community to hire a teacher, so the room was abandoned. Many of the people that live here can not read or write, most that can, are self taught. There are three or four cabins with in hollering distance of each other and others scattered about the area. Planting of crops is done farther on down the valley before you get to the lake Haugie.
It has only been recently, that much life has been shown in this community. There is one attraction that brings a disturbance, to the small community and that is a young and very beautiful girl that has been making several trips to the general store each day.
Some of the men call her Daisy, others call her sweetie or honey or just whistle. Some men will pound their canes or crutches on porch boards or railings to show their appreciation. This girl can make the blind see and old dogs howl when she is seen walking about the community. The poor girl has hardly anything to wear and what she has, was much too small for her. There could never be an honest beauty contest as long as she was around. The general store doesn’t have any of those items that hold a girl up, in or together, like city stores have. The older women are up in arms as they don’t know what to do about this young girl. If she were living in the city, she could be charged with a number of things that are said to be law breaking, just by walking by.
There is an old hunting dog that lays on the porch of the general store. He hasn’t moved an inch as long as anyone can remember. His chin and head is resting on his out stretched front legs and paws with his ears hanging down. The only thing that moves is his eye balls. When he first sees her, coming down the path. he lets out a soft whine and it is thought that this is the message that alerts the men . The old dogs eye balls move from one side to the other as she goes by. Now you ask, how can one hear a soft whine from an old dog? Well, while some of the men are blind, I didn’t say they were deaf. And with all that corn whisky, they drink, they can smell a fart from the fields or a flower that this girl has over her ear and they can hear a whisper from the cabin across the way.
Winter is sneaking in on them and the first cold spell is felt. Smoke can be seen coming from fires under the kettles, that are making whisky, from one end of the valley to the other. Birds from the north are seen going south. The community is cutting and stacking the wood for the cold months ahead.
There has been no news from the outside world for a number of months. Someone will have to find out why the circuit rider hasn’t been around! But who can they send?
And who was to volunteer, none other than the communities beautiful young lady. When the older ladies heard this, they went to work making clothing and providing all she would need to make the journey. They knew that once she was in the city, she would never want to come back to this community to live.
It took almost a week to prepare her for the journey and people had gathered for the big send off. It would take several days to get there on the back of a mule and then several more to get back again.
But weeks had gone by and nothing had been heard from the girl. Then a few days later, a couple of four wheeled vehicles were heard coming up the trail. A trail was being made for motor vehicles to follow. all the way through this valley. People were leaving the city and looking for new places to set up shops. After several families had arrived, they built a small school house, and the state provided them with a teacher. Then came a dry goods store, a barber and beauty shop. Then came a hardware store that had more stuff than anyone could have imagined.
A prospector found coal in the hills and a mine was started. Men looking for work, came by the hundreds. The next building to be built, was a pool hall that sold everything that was fun. legal or not. You might say it was a fifty cent store. The population was growing so fast that the three families had expanded to a thousand. Streets were being built and signs posted with street names. The town now had two doctors and a dentist and there was talk of starting a hospital. Automobiles and gas stations caused a bad smell in the community.
As the population grew, the smoke from stills disappeared, Elections were taken place and the law enforcement had arrived. In just a few years, the peaceful valley had become history.
In Nashville and in other areas, people were hearing about the boom town in the Bittersweet Valley. The migration had started. At the same time, the Government was building a military training base close by. When the training started at that base, was when the bigger problems for the community grew out of hand. The jail that was built had to be moved and added on to. Then a court house was added with three judges and court rooms. A new Post- office was being built and the town was now close to having eight thousand tax payers. Traffic light had been ordered and needed to be installed. A new age had come and the families that had been living there, were standing around wondering what had happened?
They built a theater and vaudeville was on it’s way out and movies were taking over for the entertainment thing. The Strip Joint remained opened and wild women were found everywhere. Men would stand inline for hours, just to get a glance at them. The featured star was there very own beautiful girl “Daisy” or sweetheart and honey, if you preferred. `
It wasn’t long until the mafia from Chicago and the East coast mafia were battling with the Nevada boys for control of the Bitter sweet valley. The pioneers of the valley, were all relocated to a marsh lands in Florida, as the valley was lost to the money grabbers.
A month or two later, a US Air force Bomber was going to make training flight from Baltimore Maryland to a base in Dallas, Texas. A couple of our more troublesome Senators were invited to go along on the flight.
Some where around the half way point, the Senators were invited to go up front to the cockpit and the pilot was explaining to them, what everything was. and he was about to say “don’t touch that”, when a Senator had already pushed the button. The following morning the New York News papers had headlines saying that “Nashville and a large portion of Tennessee” were missing, along with an Air force bomber and two US Senators.
It was a high cost to pay, but we have to get rid of these people one way or another.
July 10. 2010
Ben R.
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