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The Watauga River begins in western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It begins on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain and Peak Mountain in Watauga County, North Carolina
The Watauga is 78.5 miles (126.3 km) long winding through the mountains of eastern Tennessee. When it gets to a point midway between Mountain City and Elizabethton, Tennessee, the Watauga is impounded by Watauga Lake, created by the TVA.
Watauga Lake is retained by the massive Wilbur Dam. Periodically, the spillways of the dam are opened wide to let a rush of water out downstream. Kayakers and rafters know the schedule, so wait patiently for the next big water release.
The video below depicts one such ride.
My late friend, David Haynes, was a well known attorney from this area. He came from a long line of distinguished lawyers. He was especially proud of a famous speech given by his great-great grandfather, Landon Carter Haynes.
In 1872, Landon Carter Haynes was Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was attending a reception in honor of the members of the Tennessee Bar Association during a session of the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest served as toastmaster. There was no love lost between the former General and Speaker Haynes, who was from the Union sympathizing eastern Tennessee.
During the evening, General Forrest stood and proposed a toast:
"Gentlemen I proposed the health of the eloquent gentleman from East Tennessee, a country sometimes spoken of as the God-forsaken land"
The Honorable Landon Haynes smiled, arose, and began:
Mr. Toastmaster and Gentlemen:
I plead guilty to the soft impeachment. I was born in East Tennessee, on the banks of the Watauga which in the Indian vernacular means beautiful river, and beautiful it is.
I have stood upon its banks in my childhood and looked down through its glassy waters and beheld a heaven below and then, looking upward beheld a heaven above, reflecting, like two mirrors, each in the other, its moon and planets and trembling stars.
Away from banks of rock and Cliff hemlock and laurel pine and cedars stretches a vale back to the distant mountains as beautiful and exquisite as any in Italy or Switzerland. There stands the great Roan, the great Black and the great Smoky Mountains upon those summits the clouds gather of their own accord, even on the brightest day.
There I have seen the Great Spirit of the Storm after noontime go and take his evening nap in his pavilion of darkness and of clouds. Then I have seen him aroused at midnight like a giant refreshed by slumber, and let loose the red lightnings that ran along the mountain tops for a thousand miles, swifter than an eagle's flight in heaven.
And again I have seen the lightning stand up and dance like angels of light in the clouds, to the music of that grand organ of nature whose keys seemed to have been touched by the fingers of Divinity in the halls of eternity.
Then I have seen the darkness drift away beyond the horizon, and the morn arise from her saffron bed like a queen putting on her robe of light, come forth from her palace in the sun, and stand tip-toe on the misty mountain tops, and while night fled before her glorious face to his bed-chamber at the Pole she lighted the green vale and beautiful river where I was born and played in childhood with a smile of sunshine.
Oh, beautiful land of mountains, with thy sun painted cliffs, how can I ever forget thee.
Those present at the reception said General Forrest was left “astounded” and speechless.
The Watauga River runs through our town. We go down to the river often, sitting there in silence, meditating on the beautiful passing waters.
This song is about the Shenandoah River, which flows just north of us.
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