Delphi
There are many legends and myths surrounding Delphi.
One of the most famous – and hardest to shake – is that there are caves running from the hills above Delphi, all the way underneath the river, to the other side. Indians, supposedly, used these caves to traverse from one side of the river to the other, although why they wouldn’t have just canoed across the river is beyond me.
The caves also served as part of the Underground Railroad. Or so they say.
There are caves in the limestone cliffs above Delphi. Most people who have grown up in Delphi have seen or at least heard about them. Some have even crawled through them. But these caves do not go under the river. They do not go much of anywhere, in fact.
Still, it is kind of fun as a kid to imagine that there are a series of caves and tunnels that run beneath the town and then under the river clear to the other side.
I have been to the limestone cliffs. As a young girl we used to trek up there in groups from school. The cliffs were up above the local reservoir but below the cemetery. Young people from generations before ours had etched their initials into the walls of the limestone cliffs, especially in one particularly large indentation that resembled a cave. The actual caves were not in the cliffs, however. They were down below, their entrances hidden by vines and brush.
We were forbidden to go into the caves. Our parents had warned us about them, telling some tall tale of a young couple who had gone inside the caves and never come out. A crazy drunken Indian had kidnapped them and they had never been seen again. This story resembled that of Tom and Becky and Injun Joe a little bit too much to be simply coincidental.
I was not an adventurous sort of gal, so I never really looked for these caves which were supposedly so dangerous and off limits.
I know that people of Kaitlin and Sibyl and Trey’s generation used to go up to the limestone cliffs to drink beer and smoke dope. They would leave their detritus behind, much to the chagrin of the local police. I am not sure if these kids ever explored the caves, or even knew if they existed.
I do know that young Conrad and his friend Boover were well aware of the existence of these caves. I know because I told them about the caves one rainy afternoon when the telling of good stories seemed particularly appropriate. I am not sure if the boys then went looking for the caves or not.
But I can’t imagine that they wouldn’t have.
One of the most famous – and hardest to shake – is that there are caves running from the hills above Delphi, all the way underneath the river, to the other side. Indians, supposedly, used these caves to traverse from one side of the river to the other, although why they wouldn’t have just canoed across the river is beyond me.
The caves also served as part of the Underground Railroad. Or so they say.
There are caves in the limestone cliffs above Delphi. Most people who have grown up in Delphi have seen or at least heard about them. Some have even crawled through them. But these caves do not go under the river. They do not go much of anywhere, in fact.
Still, it is kind of fun as a kid to imagine that there are a series of caves and tunnels that run beneath the town and then under the river clear to the other side.
I have been to the limestone cliffs. As a young girl we used to trek up there in groups from school. The cliffs were up above the local reservoir but below the cemetery. Young people from generations before ours had etched their initials into the walls of the limestone cliffs, especially in one particularly large indentation that resembled a cave. The actual caves were not in the cliffs, however. They were down below, their entrances hidden by vines and brush.
We were forbidden to go into the caves. Our parents had warned us about them, telling some tall tale of a young couple who had gone inside the caves and never come out. A crazy drunken Indian had kidnapped them and they had never been seen again. This story resembled that of Tom and Becky and Injun Joe a little bit too much to be simply coincidental.
I was not an adventurous sort of gal, so I never really looked for these caves which were supposedly so dangerous and off limits.
I know that people of Kaitlin and Sibyl and Trey’s generation used to go up to the limestone cliffs to drink beer and smoke dope. They would leave their detritus behind, much to the chagrin of the local police. I am not sure if these kids ever explored the caves, or even knew if they existed.
I do know that young Conrad and his friend Boover were well aware of the existence of these caves. I know because I told them about the caves one rainy afternoon when the telling of good stories seemed particularly appropriate. I am not sure if the boys then went looking for the caves or not.
But I can’t imagine that they wouldn’t have.
posted by delta at 8:53 PM
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