In-by-gone days, travel was hazardous in Harlan County. the old reliable horse carried the burden. The make-shift road to Hagan was dangerous, yet the early merchants of Harlan needed "goods" for their general stores. The road was the only means of getting them into Harlan.

Patient medicines, clothing and food must be brought over the Hagan road in wagons. usually two or three men hitched their team to the wagons and made the trip together. Jeff Rice, Jim Kelly, Lee Carmical and John Middleton were among the first haulers.

The hacks and buggies like the one shown here were used by "drummers" who brought their samples to show the merchants.

A wagon road was opened up later from here to Wasiota. There was one stretch of road called the "narrows." Only one wagon could pass at a time. The drivers tried to time their trips so two wagons wouldn't meet on the "narrows."

Three-Day Round Trip

If they met, the wagons going to Wasiota would be empty and the drivers would have to unhitch the team and lift the empty wagon over the narrow pass. In the fall of the year when the weather was good it usually took three days to make the trip there and back. In the winter time four days were required for the trip.

The road has been traveled many times by old timers such as Joe S. Kelly, Lee Caarmical, Bill Harris, Tom Harris and John Griffey. Charlie Smith also hauled goods over the road and sometimes stopped to get a few blacksnakes to put in the corn cribs to keep out mice.

Usually the Hagan mountain was traveled in "bunches." One Christmas a group of young folk were returning to school to Barbourville and Williamsburg. Just as thery started down the mountain side an "ice jam" broke loose behind them. They escaped by only a few seconds.

Their horses had to be "rough shod" for mountain climbing. As the group left the mountain, their horses began to prance. The younger ones couldn't understand their behavior.

"Guess they smell a bear," explained an old timer who accompanied them. Naturally they became frightened. It was so foggy and dark they could see only a short distance before them.

In the early days bear, panther, fox and coon roamed the dense hills of Harlan County. In the quiet dusk of the evening, many old timers recall hearing the scream of the panther in the far off hills.

An old miller, years ago told of his many experiences with a panther and coon. At Wildcat Branch on Crummies Creek, his dog treed a panther.

Had No Gun

"We had no gun," he said. The old miller told of rocking the panther until he ran under a cliff. "We killed him with the rocks," he said. The animal must have been very old because his teeth were worn and small.

Early settlers killed bear for their own eating use. They hung it up for the winter in the smoke house. The hides brought very little profit in the early days.

There are numerous incidents when wild animals came down out of the mountains looking for food. Henderson Howard, Cranks Creek, heard his hog squeal one day and when he investigated, a bear had killed him.

The women folk took up the crusade against wild animals as well as their husbands. A fox was making a feast of an old timers chickens one day when suddenly she grabbed a "palin" and killed it.

Attacked By Bear

"Uncle" Wood Kelly, who lived on Clover Fork was out doing his daily chores when a bear attacked him. There was nothing left for him to do but grab the nearest rail and kill it.

May and Hamp Jones were at their home one evening feeding their chickens. A queer looking little "dog" was running around causing a commotion in the chicken yard. The little "dog" was none other than the sly old fox. Observing closer, three little fox and a big one was in the chicken yard. Her husband killed them.

The Metcalfe brothers on poor Fork went in search fo the bear that killed their dog. For three days they hunted all over Pine Mountain. At last, they found it. Adron Brown felled it with a bullett.

Many old timers will verify the story that a well know hunter caught three coons at one time single handed. The three coons ran under a huge rock. The hunter realizing he would have to smoke them out, burned some old rags at the end of the rock.

Haven For Wild Animals

He fanned the smoke inside and out came the coons one at a time. He caught the coons one at a time. He caught the first one with his right hand and the second with his left hand. Here came the third, what could he do? "I must not let him get away," he thought. Suddenly he slammed the coon against the rock using his head to pin him down. The other hunters ran to help. The coon left his mark on the hunter's head, plus a few scars.

One of the best known hunters of his time was the late John C. Metcalfe. He sat many a trap for coon, fox, wild turkeys and pheasants. Fox hides were valuable then.

Yes, Harlan County was a haven for wild animals up until 1900 when most of them had been killed.

Sunday January 4, 1953

Volume 52 Number 2

pages 1 & 8

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