Welcome to the Rattlesnake Saloon

Patrica Bradley here with another Fun Friday in Northwest Alabama. Photos are from Cheryl Meints

Last month I took you to the Coon Dog Cemetery, and this month we are going to the Rattlesnake Saloon where you can eat delicacies like Haystacks (fries), Giddy-Up Sticks and all kinds of sandwiches like a Rustler Burger or the Buckaroo. 

The restaurant, or saloon, is located on the grounds of Seven Springs Lodge where you can rent a grain bin that has been turned into a neat, three-story cabin. 

The Rattlesnake Saloon is beautiful walk about a quarter mile from the Lodge.

From here you will reach the Saloon. As you can see, it's located under a cave-like ledge. 

And now you've been to the Rattlesnake Saloon! Can't you imagine Jesse James hiding out in a place like this back in the day? He was in the area, you know...

Do you have any interesting places in your neck of the woods? 

The Coon Dog Cemetery

by Patricia Bradley
Photos by Cheryl Meints

I love Fun Fridays, especially when I get to tell you things about places like the Coon Dog Cemetery and next month the Rattlesnake Saloon.

You first encounter the cemetery on Highway 72, near Cherokee, Alabama.

Once when Beth Moore drove to Huntsville to speak at a Women's Christian Conference, she passed the sign and took a detour. 

I had passed the sign for years, always meaning to turn at the crossroads and wander back to Freedom Hills, but never did until last year. It was well worth the trip.  

The Coon Dog Cemetery started on Labor Day, 1937, when Key Underwood lost his beloved coon dog, Troop, and buried him at the Freedom Hills camp where coon hunters gathered to plan their hunting strategy...and whatever else coon hunters do. The two had hunted together for fifteen years.

In 2012 the 75th Anniversary was held on Labor Day and people came from all over the country. I'd even bet a few International visitors were there.

One of the interesting things I discovered was money on top of the tomb stones. If you'll look closely at the top of this tombstone you can see what I'm talking about. I've looked several places and can't find a reason for leaving the change...unless it's as a remembrance or respect. Some of the memorials are not typical tombstones.

Once a lady from California wrote Key Underwood, wanting to know why he didn't allow other breeds of dogs to be buried in his now famous cemetery. Here's his reply:
"You must not know much about coon hunters and their dogs, if you think we would contaminate this burial place with poodles and lap dogs." 

More of the history of the cemetery can be found here. Check it out. It's a really interesting story, and there's a photo of Troops tombstone. 

Oh, and those other things coon hunter do...not sure if this is one of them, but...

Moonshine still?

Leave a comment and tell me why you think change is left on top of the tombstones.

The Roads of Northern Alabama

by Patricia Bradley

This is Fun Friday and I thought I'd do a post on some of the attractions in my neck of the woods. I live 4 miles from the Tennessee line and 20 miles from the Alabama line, and while Tennessee has a lot of interesting attractions, so far, I haven't seen a Shoe Tree, at least not around here. And Alabama does. It's about 35 miles from me on the side of Highway 72. 

You may be wondering what a Shoe Tree is. Or, like me, why in the world would anyone throw a perfectly good pair of shoes up in a tree. 

 I don't know. I do know there are shoe trees all over the world, and at least 75+ here in the United States. There are also rules for throwing the shoes, like they must be tied together--I guess so if someone is brave enough to climb the tree they would get a pair. 

I suspect the tree in Northern Alabama that is 1 mile west of the Natchez Trace Parkway, was started by bored high school students. When I first saw it, there were about 50 pairs of shoes on it. Now there are well over a hundred. If you look closely, you'll see a pair of purple heels.


The first time I saw the tree, I had to turn around and go back to make sure I wasn't seeing things. I've since learned that some people actually take vacations  for the sole purpose of throwing a pair of shoes up in one of these trees.

So far I haven't succumbed to the temptation of joining the shoe throwers. But I might the next time I travel Highway 72 on my way to Chattanooga. You see, I have this pair of pink tennis shoes that I hate to throw away, so...

Leave a comment and let me know if you would leave a pair of shoes in a tree.


For the next two months on the 3rd Friday I'll be bringing a couple of more stories about places just off Highway 72 in Northern Alabama...first the Coon Dog Cemetery in September, then the Rattlesnake Saloon in October.

Patricia Bradley
www.patriciabradleyauthor.com
http://mbtponderers.blogspot.com/
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Shadows of the Past - Revell February 2014 
A Promise To Protect - Revell October 2014
Matthew's Choice - Heartwarming September 2014
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