MUSINGS Mount Sequoyah Destination For Students

GEOGRAPHIC FEATURE NAMED AFTER INDIAN LEADER

— I’ve spent a large part of my life living in one of Fayetteville’s most desirable places — Mount Sequoyah.

In the early 1900s the University of Arkansas chose it as a favorite camping spot for students. Oftentimes, the students would hike to the mountain for picnics. Cars were scarce, and hiking was the “in” thing to do. My late mother-inlaw, Mrs. J.R. Grant, was a Carnall Hall resident in 1906. Mount Sequoyah was the Pikes Peak of the area.

What is the origin of the Mount? She wag considered it an old Indian curse word. Not so. It was named after an Indian leader, Sequoyah, who created an alphabet for the Cherokee language. He adapted it from the Gree, English and Hebrew alphabets and thus contributed to the advanced literacy of the Cherokees.

I have resided on the Mount a total of 41 years, and it became the childhood playground for my children. Some of the city’s most prominent citizens have made it their residence including several presidents of the university.

The next time you drive up to the cross, think kindly of Sequoyah and wonder about the early Cherokee history.

An interesting sidelight is a stream that runs underground along the very top. Wells were dug for citizens’ water supply. The city has not yet solved the issue of a steady stream running down Rockwood Trail, which causes ice problems in the winter.

THE REV. ANDREW HALL RECENTLY CELEBRATED 70 YEARS AS AN ORDAINED PASTOR. HE SERVED FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF FAYETTEVILLE FROM 1952 TO 1970. HE NOW PREACHES AT ELKINS COMMUNITY CHURCH ON THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH.

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