Doughton Park – Wildcat Rock

Homestead

You are looking into Basin Creek Cove. The log cabin 1500 feet below was the home of Martin and Janie Caudill and their 14 children. Martin’s father, Harrison, who fathered 22 children, lived about a mile down the creek in the community of Basin Cove. The nearest settlement was 8 miles distant, reachable half by foot trail and half by road.

In 1916 a natural disaster brought tragedy to the Basin Cove community. Rain began falling one morning and continued through the night, by which time “whole half-acres just started sliding with timber ’til they hit the hollow.” The storm left three persons dead and many homes destroyed. The storm left three persons dead and many homes destroyed. The Basin Cove community never recovered.

Source: NPS