Choestoe Valley

There’s a fun word to say! It’s also a pretty fun place to be, because it’s where we are! Choestoe Valley is a small stretch of land in northern Georgia within Union county with a neat bit of history to it. The word Choestoe, pronounced locally as choy-stoy, is most likely derived from the Cherokee phrase “tsi-tsu-yi.” “Tsi-tsu” meaning rabbit and “yi” an indication of a location or place. Altogether, the phrase means “rabbit place” or “place of the rabbits” or it could even mean “rabbit town.” The locals here in the Valley will assert that it means “valley of the dancing rabbits,” but there’s no indication of dancing being a part of the original Cherokee phrase or the localization of the phrase. I’m not really sure how the part about the rabbits dancing came to be thrown in there, and I couldn’t find any information about that online, but it certainly is a cute little addition.

The rolling fields of Choestoe Valley. Photo Credit: JMC Artistic Photography.

The subject of the phrase itself, the rabbits, have a really interesting and cool place in Cherokee Native American mythology. The rabbit served as a trickster to the Cherokee. This is just my personal thoughts and in no way is an educated guess, but perhaps the dancing portion of the name locals are so fond of derives in some way from that? Though I’m not too sure how dancing and tricksters intermingle. Oh well. What is not a guess is that many stories from the American South are inspired by the Cherokee’s mythological depiction of the rabbit. Br’er Rabbit is a wily trickster character featured in many Southern stories, even ending up in Walt Disney World on Splash Mountain and in the controversial Disney film Song of the South.

The valley itself is really stunning, personal bias aside, and if you have the chance to visit and enjoy natural scenery it really is magical. The low, rolling mountains of the Appalachians form beautiful valleys with green fields and forests. Southern culture is also really alive in this area in the best way possible, with some families living in the valley for generations. The people are warm and kind. The hiking is also just superb. As an Atlanta-born boy, it is strikingly different from anywhere else I’ve lived or visited in the state or country. It’s grown to have a special place in my heart. I even have a tattoo inspired by it!

Vogel State Park, just on the southern tip of Choestoe Valley. Photo credit: JMC Artistic Photography.

But that’s enough romanticizing and gushing; let’s talk about some more fun-facts and history so you can impress the people you visit there with. You’re welcome. America’s arguably most-known naturalist John Muir stopped in our little valley in 1867. Muir is the guy who said that famous quote “The mountains are calling and I must go” that you can find on everything from coffee mugs to cute modern farmhouse wall art. Oh, and our soap. Our Mountains are Calling bar is named after that quote that was recently rebranded (wink wink). Muir wrote that our mountains were "…very different from any I had passed...with an impressive view at any time and under any circumstances, but particularly so to one emerging from the mountains.”

The famous poet Byron Herbert Reece, whom several various things are named about in Blairsville, was born in our valley too, right near Blood Mountain and a few miles from our shop. His poetry really is beautiful and Reece had a knack for painting vivid imagery with his words. If you’re a fan of poetry or are a nature lover, you should Google some of his work. You’ll find yourself with a warm feeling in your heart as he paints the page with images of rolling mountains and autumn woods.

As always, thanks for reading! I think I’ll leave you all with an exert from Reece’s poem titled “Choestoe.” Hope you all are having a fantastic January!

“And it has seemed to me by Slaughter Mountain
Deep in a cove where noon is always twilit,
Our land is summer leaves distilling bird-song.
There is magic in the way the light falls
Upon the broad leaves of the corn in summer,
Upon the herds grass in the autumn meadows
Whose seeded heads seem on a dewy morning
To rise like slow smoke from a hidden burning.”

Thank you to Chenocetah’s Weblog for the amazing source regarding the history of the word Choestoe. Check out their blog here if you’re interested in linguistic history.

-Nick