This started out as a regular cache, but once we
realized how close we were to a truly interesting site, we knew we
had to point it out by adding a cache!
The White Cliff Hotel once rested on the side of
this mountain. We had visited the site before, many years ago, but
had forgotten the exact location. While TennesseeMe's better half
and her sister were hiding sis's evil caches, a woman stopped and
asked if they knew where the old White Cliff Hotel site was. They
weren't sure, so we made a trip back up the mountain with family
who did know where it had been. It was just a hundred and fifty
feet from where we had already placed a cache! We knew it was a
nice view, now we know why!
The following information provided by
rootsweb-
The White Cliff Hotel
"The hotel was first constructed on the north/western side of
Starr Mountain in 1860 but crude cabins were built in the early
1850's which were used as summer residences. Some of the families
there were those of John Crawford Vaughn, Dr. Upton, the Stakely's
and Benjamin Pettit.
The property had originally been granted to the Lasley brothers
circa 1820, could also have been pronounced as Leslie.) The owners
prided themselves on a hotel that was "well arranged and so
thoroughly attended to that any guest within its walls knew nothing
like discomfort". The original hotel burned sometime before
1871.
In May, 1871 Mr. Harvey Magill opened a new hotel that was three
stories high, had wide verandas, massive columns with stairways and
mantles made from native hardwood off the mountain. Under Mr.
Magill's ownership the hotel became known as a resort. Hunter's had
located a mineral spring near the hotel which contained magnesia,
bicarbonate and chlorine. It even had a full time physician on
staff through each season.
Visitors traveled by rail via Niota, Etowah (town formed in 1906),
Tellico Junction (now Englewood) and Madisonville then by horse or
buggy up the side of the mountain to the hotel."
The White Cliff hotel burnt to the ground in the
1940's. Very little trace of it remains. We found some foundation
stones (some with drill marks through the rocks) and other traces
of the once grand building, but little still exists of it's one
time beauty.
The first cache is near the road. It's a small
sized cammo covered plastic container, fairly well hidden. It
contains coords to the White Cliff Hotel cache which is a plastic 1
1/4 gallon container (which will be replaced by a ammo container as
soon as we get to Knoxville to get some more).
I hope you enjoy the site. Please allow yourself
some time and do a little exploring. Be careful near the cliff
area, but do take in the awesome views!