We used to take our sons to Camp Skyuka on White Oak Mountain, far up into the coolness of being over 3000 feet high.
Skyuka, a Cherokee, lived during the American Revolution, As the story goes, British Redcoats got Skyuka to agree to lead British men to raid pioneer homesteaders in the area. Cherokees had been raiding the homesteaders and Capt. Thomas Howard organized a campaign to stop this after three bloody massacres against the homesteaders. On a secret trail, Skyuka led Capt Howard to defeat the Cherokees in 1776. Skyuka was not honored by his people, but was by the British. Skyuka was said to have been saved by Howard as a boy and a friendship grew.
YMCA Camp Skyuka opened its doors in 1957 on 99 acres. It closed and then reopened in 1975, the period when my sons attended Camp Skyuka. The cabins, infirmary, and kitchen and mess hall were built of blue granite from a quarry in Green River Cove. Moonshiners likely still resided on White Oak Mountain; they may still today. The camp had lots of swimming activities, boating, fishing, crafts, archery and rifle ranges, horseback riding, tennis courts, and ball fields. The boys enjoyed every activity and even the campfire stories. I bet they were not really very happy to see us arrive to pick them up!
The campsite was closed in the late 1990s.
<== Blue Granite Cabin
Trading Post ==>
This mess hall photo is from http://www.campskyukahoa.com/Mountain_History.html
See also:
The Legend of Skyuka
http://kirkhneely.com/2013/07/07/the-legend-of-skyuka/
Camp Skyuka Friends
https://www.facebook.com/groups/29670617910/
Is this James? From facebook group as
"Allison and Jim 1979":
"Allison and Jim 1979":
