Issaqueena Falls a beautiful waterfall with a fascinating legend
Issaqueena Falls is located in the Oconee District of the Sumter National Forest. The 100-foot falls is an easy hike that will surely please the whole family.
I was certainly impressed upon arrival on a beautiful fall afternoon. A few cars were in the parking lot, but It appeared most were visiting the nearby Stumptown Tunnel. I walked over to the trail, crossing a small wooden bridge along the way. The hike to the falls is short, only about a third of a mile round trip, but is a little steep in places.
On the day I was there, there had been a bit of a recent dry spell, so the fall’s flow was not massive. Nonetheless, it was still very pretty. The changing colors of the leaves made it even nicer. I did not spend too much time at the falls. The hike only takes about 15 minutes. I spent maybe half an hour there, enjoying the view with a cup of tea.
The Cherokee Legend of Issaqueena Falls
The stunning waterfall is enough reason to stop by if you are in the area, but there is also some very cool history associated with the falls. It’s more of a legend.
There are a few different versions of how Issaqueena Falls was named, all similar in nature and passed down from generation to generation. This is the one I like the most.
Some time ago, a beautiful Creek maiden named Issaqueena was captured and kidnapped by the Cherokee. As time passed, she was accepted into the Cherokee. As she grew older, she met and fell madly in love with the Anglo trader named Allan Francis, who frequently visited the area but lived many miles away at a fort.
One night, as she lay resting by a fire, she overheard Cherokee warriors planning an attack on settlements on the frontier. When the sun began to warm the sky, she climbed on the fastest horse she could find and galloped towards her love. Along the way, as Issaqueena traveled, she named landmarks Six Mile Mountain, Twelve Mile River, and Eighteen Mile Creek until finally reaching Fort Ninety-Six. The towns of Six Mile, Ninety Six, and the Creeks exist to this day.
Fearing for her life if she returned to her Cherokee home, she stayed with Allan, married him, and started a family. After some time, she and her husband decided it was safe to move westward again. They built a home for their family on Stumphouse Mountain, north of the town of Walhalla.
Her Cherokee family had not forgotten her betrayal and still desired retribution for her spoiling their plan to attack. Upon hearing of her return, they quickly decided to act. One day, warriors bent on revenge found her near her home and began chasing her through the woods. When she came to the waterfall’s edge, she stopped and looked back at her pursuers… knowing that Cherokees believed evil spirits lived in waterfalls, she jumped—seemingly leaping to her death.
Satisfied with the outcome, the warriors returned home. They didn’t know that Issaqueena had jumped onto a ledge and patiently hid behind the waterfall until they left. She would later return to her family and live a long and wonderful life.
Her dramatic escape began with the legend of Issaqueena Falls.
