At the Crossroads
At the Crossroads
A Choice Between Character and Compromise
“Adversity is a crossroads that makes a person choose one of two paths: character or compromise.” - John C. Maxwell
Thirty years ago, my family and I discovered a tiny village nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina named Cashiers. Like most visitors, we came to this verdant corner of Appalachia, not only for its breathtaking natural beauty, but also because of its vibrant music and arts scene and unique mix of homespun Americana and Cherokee culture. At first blush, Cashiers seemed to be little more than a crossroads – a gas station and a few small businesses where two twisty highways intersected. Despite having been there over 150 years, the intersection had only recently become busy enough to warrant its own traffic light.
A Brief History of This Place
In the 1830s, two white pioneers – James McKinney and John Zachary - founded a settlement that later would become Cashiers. The two men and their families built simple homes at the confluence of two Indian trails and eked out a meager existence as farmers, lumberjacks and gristmill operators. They befriended and traded with the local Cherokees who hadn’t been removed to the Indian territory of Oklahoma[i]. In time, Zachary’s brother Alexander opened a boarding house for drovers taking their cattle to market in South Carolina, and a general store which sold provisions to the gold miners in the area. Although there are various reasons for why the settlement was named “Cashiers”, most of the locals still say it was because here miners could convert their nuggets into cash or needed goods.
To this day, Cashiers has never had its own local government. When residents speak of their community, there’s no mention of “they” – only “we”. The populace is a diverse mix of year-round and seasonal inhabitants – including some descendants of McKinney and Zachary, some of Cherokee lineage, and some with Latin American roots who now have their own grocery stores and churches and whose children comprise one-third of the local high school’s graduating class. At an altitude of 3,486 feet above sea level, we all enjoy the cool mountain temperatures during the warm months and the relatively mild temperatures of the Appalachian winters. Together, we sip coffee at Buck’s Cafe, purchase locally grown peaches, sunflowers and strawberry-rhubarb spread at the Farmers Market, and host music concerts and plein-air art shows on the Village Green during the summer.
Progress Comes to the Crossroads
It’s hard to stop progress, especially in a place that’s nicer than the cities people escaped from during the COVID pandemic and recent civil unrest. While most of the new homes in the area are built one at time, there are now well-funded plans to develop the hillside which overlooks the Cashiers crossroads into a mixed-use array of residential, retail and commercial activities. Even our Native American neighbors have taken part in the momentum. A few years ago, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians[ii] wisely decided to diversify out of casinos and tourism into the construction of a fiber-optic network serving a part of rural America Build Back Better forgot. Now, people who wish to both live and work from Cashiers have the benefits of high-speed internet and better cell service than found in most mountainous areas. Cashiers is no longer dismissed as just a summer retreat for older, white folks. Instead, it has become a year-round alternative for people of all ages and backgrounds seeking a simpler, less troubled lifestyle.
Admittedly, change like this rarely comes without some adversity. Cashiers’ rural infrastructure was never designed to handle a burgeoning population. We now face a severe shortage of affordable housing as well as other everyday essentials. Our residents must rely upon uncertain deliveries by the USPS or Amazon unless they are willing to leave “the Plateau” [iii] to procure goods and services they need. Added to this are the socio-economic pressures of having multi-million-dollar investments made in the area’s luxury resorts, country clubs and second home communities.
Another Famous Crossroads in the South
Another legendary crossroads in American folklore is the place Delta blues artist Robert Johnson supposedly traded his soul to the Devil in exchange for musical genius. Although the lyrics of “Crossroad Blues” make no mention of Satan, the song’s message identifies a specific crossroads[iv] where the Faustian bargain was said to have been made. Virtuoso guitarist Eric Clapton brought this classic song to the attention of a new generation in 1968 with his blues/rock interpretation on Cream’s “Wheels of Fire” album.
The Cashiers crossroads is located not far from Whiteside Mountain, which boasts the highest rockface in the eastern United States. In season, nature lovers and hikers come from all over to see peregrine falcons nest in the mountain’s sheer cliffs and descend at speeds of over 240 miles an hour in pursuit of prey. Whiteside Mountain is also home to a couple of mysterious characters from Cherokee folklore. One is an immense bird named Tlanuwa who is capable of carrying off dogs and small children. The other is a Cherokee witch known as “Spearfinger” who dances among the clouds brandishing a stone finger that can kill someone with a single touch. Yes, despite the poetic tranquility of this enchanting land of waterfalls, mists and rain forest foliage, danger still abounds.
Cashiers at the Crossroads
One of today’s most common idioms refers to someone who is confronted by a “crossroads” in his or her life. Unlike Yogi Berra’s infamous one-liner about coming to a fork in the road[v], reaching this type of crossroads involves making a much more significant decision. At the very least, the person reaching that crossroads has three choices – turn left, turn right or go straight – four, if you decide to turn around and go back. But, as suggested in the John C. Maxwell quote at the top of this blog, there are really only two options. A person of character already knows what he or she must do. A person lacking in character prefers to compromise, by either taking the path of least resistance or by following the herd.
The residents of Cashiers, North Carolina find themselves at such a crossroads. They can accommodate the demands of population growth and, by so doing, exchange the joys of small town living for the excitement and prosperity of modern America, or they can stay true to themselves and their values.
America at the Crossroads
On a larger scale, the United States of America is at a similar crossroads. It is generally accepted that hard work and self-sacrifice were critical to turning a string of frontier outposts at the edge of civilization into the most free, egalitarian and prosperous society in human history. It also took the talent and ingenuity of people from many corners of the earth to propel our nation forward. Always drawn to the latest advances in technology and science – from steam engines to artificial intelligence– Americans have consistently sought ways to improve our standard of living while honoring the founding principles of our republic.
To achieve this greatness, Americans have fought foreign wars as well as a war of independence and a civil war. Even during times of peace, maintaining our sovereignty required finding a path of compromise between the different dimensions of our national character. However, we never seemed to lack the courage and self-determination needed to forge a new country out of the wilderness.
Throughout recorded history, few civilizations have lasted long enough to reach a crossroads like the one we currently face. Even the Roman Empire saw its prosperity and progress quickly dissipate due to external and internal forces which undermined its power and stability. America is confronted by a similar combination of foreign and domestic threats. Not the least of these are ideologies determined to “fundamentally transform” our nation.
Everything that has held us together since 1776 is now on the table. The upcoming 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth seems to be a propitious time to decide which path we will take. Will we continue to preserve and protect those traditions and values that made America exceptional? Or will we compromise with those who only want America to be absorbed back into the global wilderness.
[i] The Cherokee people originally inhabited parts of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. The tribe was first recognized as a sovereign nation by the U.S. government in 1794. However, when gold was discovered within their ancestral lands in the 1830s, many Cherokees were removed from the area by treaty and resettled in Oklahoma. Thousands died during this exodus which is now known as the “Trail of Tears”. Those Cherokees who refused to leave the southern Appalachians were compelled to become American citizens and give up their native rights. Today, the Cherokee nation has over 300,000 tribal members, making it one of the largest federally recognized tribes in the U.S.
[iii] Although technically not a plateau, locals commonly call the high-altitude region which include Cashiers, Highlands and a few other small towns the “Plateau”.
[iv] The intersection of Highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
[v] New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra is remembered for saying “when you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Most people don’t know he was giving to directions to his home and was absolutely correct – either way would get you there.