# Survival of the Fittest



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

This is a story about a life long sawmill operator from Missouri. Slightly lengthy, but a very good read. Lifes lessons included.

Pilot of the Saw Cab

Regards, Mike


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## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

Another pilot of the saw cab story

The farmer and the sawyer

My Grand Dad was a logger in the Mountains of Cades Cove before it was a national park and told lots of stories.
One of my favorites was one about two brothers both who farmed along the banks of Middle Creek. We will call them the farmer and the sawyer.
The brothers also had a saw mill and the mill always seemed to interfere with farm production.
One spring during planting time the brothers got in an argument about the corn planting. The farmer wanted some help getting the corn planting done. Saying the weather was good and two teams of mules would be faster than one. The sawyer said he could not help with corn planting because he had orders to fill. The farmer said we can saw when the weathers bad, but now is the time to plant! The sawyer went to the mill and the farmer went to the corn field.

The saw mill power plant was a steam engine that had some type of power take off to run a belt for the saw.
It also still had the drive wheels and it was mounted on a short section of track. The gear box to the drive wheels was always in neutral but the PTO and drive wheels were controlled by a single clutch.
When the mill was started and stopped the sawyer would always toot the steam whistle.

The farmer was in the field with a mule team plowing and fuming about the sawyer not helping with the spring planting. The more he thought about it the madder he got and decided it was time to do something about the saw mill.
He knew the sawyer would toot the steam whistle when he stopped for lunch and go to the house.
So when lunch time came the farmer heard the whistle, he went to the mill and slipped the drive gear box into forward knowing the sawyer would not even check it. 
After lunch the farmer was back into the field with the mule team and he heard the start up whistle.
About a half hour later he saw his brother with a team of mules headed his way. 
What changed your mind about helping the farmer asked? 
The sawyer said I got nothing else to do now because that dang engine jumped in gear and drove the whole mill into the creek.
That was the end of the saw mill business for the brothers and the farming went a lot smother afterward.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

cwright says "One of my favorites was one about two brothers both who farmed along the banks of Middle Creek."

Charlie, I know that country well....dont suppose your Grand Dad ever mentioned the brothers last names?

Regards, Mike


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## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

He did mention their names but I have forgotten. I sorely wish he could remind me.
Papaws name was Charles Claybough.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I enjoyed both stories.

I also enjoyed Cades Cove. A fellow could bale a lot of hay and raise some fine cattle in that place.
I spent two days just looking at the old buildings and imagining the way of life back then.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

cwright said:


> He did mention their names but I have forgotten. I sorely wish he could remind me.
> Papaws name was Charles Claybough.


I know many Clabo's, Clabough's.....the two variations on spelling that I am familiar with in Sevier Co.

Regards, Mike


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Tim/South said:


> I enjoyed both stories.
> 
> I also enjoyed Cades Cove. A fellow could bale a lot of hay and raise some fine cattle in that place.
> I spent two days just looking at the old buildings and imagining the way of life back then.


Yes Tim, Cades Cove is one of God's most special places here in the Southeast. You would not think that such a beautiful farmland setting would be found in the Great Smoky Mountains. When I was a young man, that is where I would take some gals for an outdoor picnic/hiking/photo adventure. Women loved it(even the city girls)......very special place.

Regards, Mike


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## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

Cades Cove is a beautiful piece of ground . How would you like to have owned a piece of that and then have the government take it . That just doesn't seem right to me . I suppose it wasn't the first though and won't be the last .


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## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

Vol said:


> Yes Tim, Cades Cove is one of God's most special places here in the Southeast. You would not think that such a beautiful farmland setting would be found in the Great Smoky Mountains. When I was a young man, that is where I would take some gals for an outdoor picnic/hiking/photo adventure. Women loved it(even the city girls)......very special place.
> 
> Regards, Mike


It is Clabough. I don't know why I added the "y".
Both sides of my mother's family were moved out of the area when the Park was created. Ledbetter's were from Cades Cove and Clabough from Caney Creek.
Grand Dad was born on Caney Creek and traveled across the mountains to log for the Little River Rail Road Company in Cades Cove. My Grand Mother was born in Cades Cove. The Ledbetter home stead was located in what is now the main picnic area in the cove. Maynard Ledbetter my uncle was featured in one of the Heartland series with Tom Landry. They were moved out in the early thirty's and settled in the White Oak above Tuckaleechee Caverns. Later they moved to Townsend above Wears. I was told life in the woods of White Oak were pretty harsh.
The cove and the park are beautiful places and holds special memories for me. Townsend and the banks of the Little River were my home in the summer time.
When we were kids Papaw and Grandma would load us in the back of the pickup and we would drive around the loop on a Sunday afternoon. Most of the time we were tourist watching since the area was familiar to us.
We always asked where Papaw met Grandma and this is what he told us. It always embarrassed my Grandma when he told the story.
He said "I was skidding logs off of Rich Mountain with a mule team and was headed toward the creek that runs just below the Ledbetter place. She was bent over washing clothes in the creek. I spied her from behind and it was love at first sight." Grandma would slap him on the shoulder, then giggle and blush.
Good times, Good times they were indeed and the goodness always outweighed the sometimes harsh circumstances.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Great story Charlie!!! Its a small world.
















Regards, Mike


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