Devil's Courthouse Explained

Devil's Courthouse
Elevation Ft:5,720
Location:Transylvania County, North Carolina, U.S.
Range:Appalachian Mountains
Coordinates:35.3025°N -82.8956°W
Topo:USGS Sam Knob
Easiest Route:Hike

Devil's Courthouse is a mountain in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina in the United States of America. The mountain is located at the Western edge of the Pisgah National Forest about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northwest of Brevard and 28 miles (45 kilometers) southwest of Asheville. Located at milepost 422.4 (kilometer 679.8 km) of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Devil's Courthouse has a moderate/strenuous trail climbing a half mile to its peak where panoramic views can be seen.

Myth of Judaculla

See main article: Tsul 'Kalu. Cherokee lore had been reported to state that Jutaculla (alternative English spelling is Judaculla; Cherokee name is Tsul'kălû'), a slant eyed giant, dwells in the cave in Devil's Courthouse.[1] However James Mooney, the Cherokee anthropologist, 100 years earlier located Jutaculla to Tanasee Bald[2] where Haywood, Jackson, and Transylvania counties meet. Tanasee Bald is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest. Unconfirmed rumors state that the Cherokee used the formation as a platform for capital punishment.

References

  1. News: Setzer . Lynn . Once upon a time ... . The Raleigh News & Observer . October 31, 1999 . Full text
  2. Book: Ellison, George . Mooney, James E. . James Mooney's history, myths, and sacred formulas of the Cherokees: containing the full texts of Myths of the Cherokee (1900) and The sacred formulas of the Cherokees (1891) as published by the Bureau of American Ethnology: with a new biographical introduction, James Mooney and the eastern Cherokees . Bright Mountain Books (Historical Images) . Asheville, NC . 1992 . 0-914875-19-1 . p 479

External links

35.3025°N -82.8956°W