By OBBM Network Editorial Staff

Derived from an episode of The Buried Archive.

Deep within the Great Smoky Mountains, a labyrinth of tunnels has been hidden for centuries, sparking the curiosity of many. The Cherokee people, who have long been the guardians of this mountain range, have kept the secrets of these tunnels closely guarded. However, in 1907, an elder named Sarley Crow shared his knowledge with a surveyor, revealing a complex system of passages that crisscrossed the mountains.

The Cherokee Tradition

The Cherokee people have a rich and complex tradition, with stories of the world being formed by animals before humans arrived. The earth was pulled up from beneath the water by a great beetle, and flattened and dried by a great buzzard whose wings shaped the mountains and valleys of the Cherokee homeland. However, beneath this well-known account lies a layer of stories that the Cherokee told among themselves, about what they found when they arrived in the Smoky Mountain region.

According to the Cherokee tradition, the tunnels were constructed by a people known as the Nunahai, who were described as the immortals or the people who live anywhere. The Nunahai were said to have built the tunnels as roads, allowing them to move through the landscape without being seen. The Cherokee elders believed that the Nunahai were a people who had lived in the region before them, and that they had possessed knowledge and skills that were beyond the understanding of the Cherokee.

The Discovery of the Tunnels

In 1907, Sarley Crow, an elder of the Eastern Cherokee, shared his knowledge of the tunnels with a surveyor. Crow described the tunnels as being constructed deliberately, with tools and methods that had been lost to the tradition. He also mentioned that the tunnels were sealed, many of them, and that the openings were closed with a precision that made them invisible to anyone who did not already know where to look.

A geological survey team working in the Smokies in 1929 documented what they described as anomalous shaft formations in the upper elevations of the Chilhoe Mountain Complex. The shafts were vertical, not horizontal, and descended into the rock at regular intervals over a stretch of approximately four miles. The survey team leader, Harold Whitcomb, noted that the shafts appeared to have been intentionally shaped at their upper openings, and that the rock around the lips of the shafts showed marks consistent with quarrying, rather than natural erosion.

The Significance of the Tunnels

The discovery of the tunnels and the shafts has significant implications for our understanding of the history of the Smoky Mountain region. The fact that the Cherokee elders were so secretive about the tunnels suggests that they held a deep significance, and that they were not just natural formations. The tunnels and shafts also suggest a level of sophistication and engineering skill that is not typically associated with the pre-Columbian cultures of North America.

As Crow said, the tunnels were ‘not like anything that any living people could accomplish.’ This statement suggests that the Cherokee believed that the Nunahai possessed knowledge and skills that were beyond the understanding of the Cherokee, and that they had built something that was truly remarkable.

In conclusion, the secrets of the Smoky Mountains are slowly being unveiled, revealing a complex and fascinating history that challenges our current understanding of the region. The discovery of the tunnels and the shafts is a significant find, and one that warrants further investigation and research.

The full episode of The Buried Archive is available on OBBM Network TV.