A view of the Smokies from upper Kirkland Creek
Kelly Bennett was standing at a little over 3,000 feet elevation when he took this photo from a cornfield near the head of Kirkland Creek, likely in July. The patch he’s standing in was planted after the patch below, which has tassled out and looks to be near maturity. Kirkland Creek empties into the Tuckasegee about a mile and a half upstream of downtown Bryson City, after over a 1,250 foot drop from this location.
Cornfields on hillsides like this were common through the early decades of the 20th century, but I doubt if there are more than a handful – if any – corn patches of any size on this sort of terrain today in not only Swain County, but all of Western North Carolina. This is a testimony to the challenges our forebears were forced to deal with. When one stops to consider what we think are challenges of modern life juxtaposed against the circumstances of making do when this picture was taken, I’m afraid it tells us that we’re a soft, spoiled lot. Lacking the gumption of those gone before.
—Don Casada 4 Jan 2025
Photographer: Kelly Bennett
Date: Circa 1920s
Source: Kelly Bennett Collection, Hunter Library Special Collections
After seeing yesterday’s post, Don sent me this additional information about the photograph. You can also see the photo and information on his wonderful website here.
Don helped facilitate the donation of the Bennett collection of photos to Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library Special Collections. I’m so glad he did!
You can learn more about the Bennett collection as well as other collections Don helped with here.
Last night’s video: I Got a Wild Hair in the Kitchen || Pickled Beets & 2 Cakes!
Tipper
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I find this photo fascinating! Just can’t imagine planting and harvesting on such a steep slope, but our ancestors were hard working, doing what was necessary to survive.
I’m curious to know if that cornfield would be in the GSMNP today.
Not the cornfield, no! It’s about 5 miles or so from it’s closest point from the Park. It’s about 13 miles away from Clingmans Dome, #3 in the photo. It’s quite a bit further by road.
I hope I’m not stepping on Don Casada’s toes here.
I will read all your comments to B’s Mamaw. Y’all touch my heart with your kindness! I pray for everyone here, as well! We have such a wonderful family community here and I so appreciate all y’all!
Love & prayers for you all
Didn’t have time to comment yesterday but I enjoyed all the information your friend had for making pesto and flower butter.
Today your cake looked delicious and I do make zucchini bread all the time. I grow mine and have a large one in fridge to grate up now but I only put two cups of zucchini in and no coconut. I love coconut just never thought of putting it in:) Oh and Mother always called it a “case knife.”
Oh I also loved hearing Paul sing. My goodness he is good!
Good morning Tipper and Acorns. TY for getting the Mountain Names. I bet his photo donation will be used for generations. We have a lot of old photos here, but sites and people were never documented. That is something everyone needs to consider doing. While you still can write on the backs of your photos and identify the people, dates and places. Also, why the photo was taken and who took it. It will mean so much to someone someday. I keep everyone here, Papaw Tony too, and the folks up Wilson Hollow in my prayers. Please remember Ed and me in yours. I love y’all.
Thank you, Tipper & Don, for the additional information on this beautiful but very thought-provoking picture – so much behind it in how the side of a mountain became a corn field! And yes – it does ‘remind us in these later years of just how soft and spoiled we are. I can see this from remembering back to my own childhood – the things we all had to do to ‘make a life’ and then look at how life is today.
I used to see a similar view looking out from the head of Wiggins Creek. Could have been those same mountains. I was looking out over Alarka Creek and on toward the Northeast. Just to the left of those mountains (NNE) were more distant ones whose names I didn’t know. I called them simply “the Blue Mountains” because they always had a blue hue. I always assumed them to be part of the Park but I’m not sure.
So touched by all the prayer needs here this morning. Praying for each and every one and carrying you close to my heart today! My husband was an Army National Guard recruiter for seven years and spoke to me often about how soft kids are now. He found it unbelievable. I am amazed at the tenacity of mountain people to grow corn at these elevations and how industrious, determined and hardworking they were to do so. Thank you for the additional information and excerpt from Don. Have a blessed day, Acorns! Off to VBS.
The thing about having cornfields on sloping terrain is, how do you make sure they’re watered properly when it rains? Seems to me that if you don’t do a lot of small terracing as you ascend/descend, you can’t be sure each row will be adequately watered. But that adds a significant amount of time and effort with you and your machine/farm animal having to do the grading and leveling. You’d hope the return would be worth the effort. But then again, what do I know, I’ve never farmed on the side of a hill. I’m just the usual “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” fellow who’s not quite a naysayer but isn’t easily convinced.
Thanks to Don; and others – including yourself Tipper, for working to help save history and ‘keep the record straight’. That’s a big job in itself seeing as how Appalachia keeps getting used to support pet idea of revisionist historians and social theorists. Don’s details about elevations really brought home to me how site-specific mountain farmers have to be. The complexity of the landforms, both horizontally and vertically, makes for changes in such things as first and last killing frost, rainfall, max and min temperatures, hours of sunlight and on and on. Every farmer really needed (and still needs) to know their own environment well to make the most of what they had and avoid costly (in time and energy) mistakes. From such experiences come practical ecologists (before there even was such a word) always noticing, always thinking about the meaning of what they see. I was once told about myself,”You can’t help it, can you?” I reckon not.
And Randy, I’m with you. If I ever have, or ever do, post anything here that hurts anyone – it will never be by intention. And I have every confidence after about a dozen years here that attitude is common among us “acorns”. I expect we must credit Tipper’s moderation for pulling the weeds, so to speak.
Ron, I appreciate that and like you said I have no intentions of hurting anyone or especially causing any problems for Tipper by my comments. This is Tipper’s show and she can choose to not post any of my comments if she does not think they are acceptable. She ain’t going to make me mad or get rid of me that easy! Shoot after working 38 years at Michelin, I quickly learned hurting mine and other’s feelings were their least of their concerns. I get over hurt feelings quickly.
How sad to start my reading with an apology. Hope the sincere apology heals and we can go back to what I’ve come to cherish here on the BPA. I’m up early and getting ready to take my youngest granddaughter 45 minutes away to an emergency dental clinic this morning. Extreme toothache pain had us in the ER for over an hour last night but when we overheard a lady on her phone say she’d been there close to 6 hours!!! my Josie(19) who was already in tears from the pain & this child is as stoic as they come, said please can I go home because I’d rather be at home hurting than here. I let the admissions know we were leaving and she was so sorry but understood. As we were walking to the parking lot, the sweetest nurse chase us down to give us a flier for a walk-in emergency dental clinic in Springfield. It opens at 7:30 & we will be there!! Please pray she was able to get some rest and that these folks can ease her pain. I feel so helpless when I can’t ease my grandkids’ pains. Thank you in advance, Prayer warriors ♡
I’m sorry! I will pray for Josie!
Kim, I had a lot of toothaches when I was growing up because for many years we couldn’t afford to go to a dentist and also not taking care of my teeth like I should. I don’t think there is much worse pain than a toothache. I have had kidney stones and don’t even think they much worse. I hope she gets relief today.
Randy, thank you. She is finally being seen at this very moment. They were able to get her in at the health department. Very, very grateful because with things the way they are now, she was unable to keep her insurance because the payment increased to a prohibitive amount this year. I will help or make the payments for her dental care. Toothaches and ear aches have been some of the worst pains in my life and I’ve had 3 surgeries due to cancer. My daughter has had kidney stones since she was 15 and they are brutal. I’m just soooo sorry anyone has to suffer :'( but like I said, when it’s kids it really tears at my heart.
I’d say there’s not many left anywhere. There are a few left in KY where we go, but that’s going to be gone after our generation. Our doctor was even talking about how soft the younger people are and worried about where that’s leading our country.
Your meal looked so delicious. Our tomatoes are the size of baseballs and our green beans are just beginning with some babies. The corn looks great.
Update on B.
I spoke with her mamaw yesterday and they took B to the hospital in pain. They thought she had pneumonia and that came back clear. They ran a bunch of tests and cannot find the cause of the pain and low oxygen levels. They believe the Prednisone might have caused osteoporosis in her back. They kept her in the hospital, but have stopped her treatment. They are asking you prayer warriors once again to continue to pray for her. This has really been hard on them all. I might ask you to pray for not only B, but those family members around her. They are also in pain, but as you know and can imagine, it’s another type of pain. One only the Lord can help with, a breaking heart.
Praying for all y’all! There are many needs these days and the Lord sees each one! He is still a miracle working God!
God bless y’all and bless Papaw Tony!
God bless her! I will keep praying for Little B!
Debbie, I keep Little B on my mind and pray for her.
Little B & everyone who loves her are always in my prayers. A child in pain that you can’t help is the most horrible heartache of all. I pray they can ease her pain so that sweet child doesn’t have to suffer♡
Debbie, my daily prayers always include little B and her family……..and if it’s God’s will, a miracle! Thank you for keeping us updated. God bless you!
Ammons, I apologize for offending you. I know there were some in my area that had stills and personally know of three, one was busted in the early 60’s. There is an area of northern Greenville County that was once known for moonshiners in the early years of the 1900’s. It is about the same distance -20 miles- from Greenville or Spartanburg. The people living there were unable to get to either city for paying jobs. Their only way of having cash money was by making moonshine. Many of these people were good salt of the earth church going people. One of our best church members was a former moonshiner and was ran out of Oconee County, SC because of the law being so hot on him. I also had a high school teacher that would tell us about his Daddy being a moonshiner and him going with him when he was young. He said his Daddy had the law bought off in three upstate SC countries and never worried about them bothering him. Again, I apologize to you and anyone else I may have offended.