Published by The History Press
Charleston, SC
www.historypress.com
Copyright 2021 by Denver Michaels
All rights reserved
Front cover, left: Internet Archive; right: Wikimedia Commons.
Unless otherwise noted, all images are courtesy of the author.
First published 2021
e-book edition 2021
ISBN 978.1.43967.234.1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020951662
print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.662.3
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I must thank my wife, Stefanie. She has always been my biggest supporter and number-one fan, and her belief in me has kept me going. We are empty nesters, going on a few years now, and my work on this book and other projects has made the adjustment much harder than it needed to be. But I have big plans to make it all right!
I also have to give a shout-out to my editor, Kate Jenkins, copy editor Rick Delaney and all the good folks at The History Press. I cannot thank them enough for taking a chance on me and this book. I am truly grateful for the opportunity.
INTRODUCTION
The mountains are calling and I must go.
John Muir
What comes to mind when thinking of Virginia? Maybe you are a foodie and imagine peanuts, country ham and Brunswick stew. Perhaps you enjoy a glass of Virginia wine or a craft beer from one of the many breweries scattered throughout the state. Do you think of the terrible Sunday traffic on I-81? Are you a history buff who visits the many Civil War battlefields? Do you think of the Old Dominion as the mother of presidents or the national leader in vanity license plates?
For many, it is the mountains that run along Virginias western counties that come to mind when they think of the commonwealthand for good reason. With their stunning vistas, hundreds of miles of hiking trails, winding mountain roads, vast stretches of protected land, gorgeous waterfalls and abundance of wildlife, it is little wonder that Virginias mountains are so beloved. This is not lost on the tourism industry; the commonwealths official tourism website uses the slogan Virginia is for mountain lovers and promotes the hashtag #VAoutdoors.
These exceedingly ancient mountains, standing hard against the skyline, hold much more than rugged beauty, unparalleled recreational activities and superb animal habitat. There is also mystery, intrigue and dark secrets in these high, lonely places.
Crabtree Falls, located in the George Washington National Forest in Nelson County, is the tallest set of waterfalls in Virginia and one of the tallest east of the Mississippi River.
An amazing view from a trail in the Wolf Gap Recreation Area on the Shenandoah County, Virginia and Hardy County, West Virginia border.
A spectacular rock formation composed of hexagonal columnar basalt near Compton Peak in Shenandoah National Park.
Cascade Falls in the Jefferson National Forest in Giles County is arguably the most beautiful waterfall in Virginia. Little Stony Creek falls over a vertical cliff, and the sixty-nine-foot falls land into a pool below.
A view from atop the unique rock formation known as Dragons Tooth in Roanoke County. The hike to Dragons Tooth is challenging but rewarding.
The densely forested hillsides and hard-to-reach ridges conceal a resurgent mountain lion population; Bigfoot lurks here; aggressive monkeys with nasty dispositions swing through the trees and attack unsuspecting motorists; and strange flying creatures with enormous wingspans glide through the sky. And that is only for starters! An extraordinary number of UFOs crisscross Virginia airspace; nine-foot giants once ruled the land; ancient Phoenicians may have settled on isolated mountaintops; and theres gold in them hills! For those with an open mind and a love of strange stories, these mysteries and more are waiting to be explored in Virginias mountains.
Part I
CRYPTIDS, MONSTERS AND OUT-OF-PLACE ANIMALS
BIG CATS
The Wampus Cat is, according to folklore, a harbinger of death.
Cindy Parmiter, True Stories of the Paranormal, Volume 5
WAMPUS CATS
If you grew up in the mountains and spent any length of time outdoors, at one time or another you probably heard an old-timer exclaim, That sounds like an ole wampus cat! in response to a growl, scream or unexplained noise in the woods. But have you ever wondered exactly what this mysterious creature of Appalachian folklore is? What is a wampus cat, and where did it come from?
The term wampus cat probably derived from the word catawampus. Although catawampus today means askew or cattycorner (at least in the South), in older times, it denoted a dreaded and unexplained creature in the woods. Perhaps the beast in question could have been more easily explained by a mountain lion, also called a catamount. Some believe that catawampus became mountain slang for the word catamount, but with all of the folklore and intrigue associated with the wampus cat, maybe there is more to it than just being a mountain lionas frightening as mountain lions are!
Legend holds that the wampus cat has large claws and hideous fangs and is capable of walking upright. Maybe its most notable characteristic is the horrible, piercing scream it belts out in the dead of night. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, wampus cats were blamed for the deaths of livestock throughout the mid- and southern Appalachians. The wampus cat, though no one really knew what it was, became a deadly, stealthy predator in the minds of mountain folks. Some say that it is simply a folkloric creature that evolved over time; some even think it bears similarities to the water panthers of Native American lore.
