Американские боги

           Inthe1830sAndrewJackson’sIndianRemovalActforcedthemallfromtheirland—alltheChoctawandChickamaugaandCherokeeandChickasaw—andU.S.troopsforcedeveryoneofthemtheycouldfindandcatchtowalkoverathousandmilestothenewIndianTerritoriesinwhatwouldonedaybeOklahoma,downtheTrailofTears:acheerfulgestureofcasualgenocide.Thousandsofmen,women,andchildrendiedontheway.Whenyou’vewon,you’vewon,andnobodycanarguewiththat.

           ForwhoevercontrolledLookoutMountaincontrolledtheland;thatwasthelegend.Itwasasacredsite,afterall,anditwasahighplace.IntheCivilWar,theWarBetweentheStates,therewasabattlethere:theBattleAbovetheClouds,thatwasthefirstday’sfighting,andthentheUnionforcesdidtheimpossible,and,withoutorders,sweptupMissionaryRidgeandtookit.ThetroopsofGeneralGrantwontheday,andtheNorthtookLookoutMountainandtheNorthtookthewar.

           Therearetunnelsandcaves,someveryold,beneathLookoutMountain.Forthemostparttheyareblockedoffnow,althoughalocalbusinessmanexcavatedanundergroundwaterfall,whichhecalledRubyFalls.Itcanbereachedbyelevator.It’satouristattraction,althoughthebiggesttouristattractionofallisatthetopofLookoutMountain.ThatisRockCity.

           RockCitybeginsasanornamentalgardenonamountainside:itsvisitorswalkapaththattakesthemthroughrocks,overrocks,betweenrocks.