Kanati: A Mystery Set In Stone

In 1941, three young men working on an earth-filled dam in North Carolina uncovered a strange stone that has remained an article of interest to adventurers throughout the region. The story in part begins back in the summer of that year when the Tennessee Valley Authority had just begun breaking ground on a 2,950 foot dam across the Hiawassee River. The construction of the dam which would ultimately result in the formation of Lake Chatuge brought badly needed jobs to the local economy. Three of the men that had signed on for the project were Daniel Garrett, Roy Lochaby and John Wheeler. Friends since childhood the young men had agreed to apply together for positions on the excavation crew that would be responsible for much of the early earth-moving foundation work.

During a hot day in late August while taking a break from an afternoon dig, Daniel Garrett noticed something unusual. Protruding from a partially hollowed out stump which they had excavated the day before was a strange green tinted stone. Upon dislodging the stone from the stump the men were amazed to discover that the rock had obviously been worked by hand. In addition to the refined edges, one side contained picture-like symbols carved into the surface. Having been raised on stories of hidden Cherokee gold, the young men’s minds raced at the prospect of decoding the meaning of the pictures on the stone.

At first the friends decided to remain quite about the stone until they could translate the markings to determine if it might indeed be a type of treasure map. Unfortunately after months of research the young men were only able to confirm that the symbols did appear to be in the style of petroglyphs like those left by early Indian settlers at nearby Track Rock Gap. In hopes of learning more about the markings, a decision was made to show the stone to an elderly Cherokee man that was a friend of John Wheeler’s family. The decision proved to be pivotal. While the Cherokee man was not able to translate the markings, the stone did remind him of a hunter known as Kanati that he had been told about in his youth.

Kanati was a respected Cherokee tracker that hunted the

valleys of the North Georgia Mountains in the early 1800’s. Renowned for his

Cherokee Hunter “Kanati”

marksmanship, many believed his accuracy with the bow was in part due to the unique arrows he was known for using. While the shafts were constructed in a traditional style, his arrowheads were crafted from rocks containing visible traces of precious metal. Consequently this led many to believe that Kanati had located a rich vein of gold on one of his hunts and while regularly mining the vein, utilized the residual rock chips to create his arrowheads. This belief in a secret Kanati mine was primarily speculation, although the actions taken by Kanati towards the end of his life certainly did nothing to dispel the rumors.

Around the time of Kanati’s final days, the forcible removal of the Cherokee’s from North Georgia to Oklahoma (which became known as “The Trail of Tears”) was beginning. At one of Kanati’s last tribal councils prior to his village’s exile, he expressed his belief that he would not be able to survive the long journey out West. At that time Kanati is said to have presented a hand-crafted stone to younger members of the tribe. The elderly Kanati explained to them that by following the stone they would find the most valuable thing he ever discovered on any of his hunts.

Kanati would not live to witness the removal of his people from Georgia. In 1838 as his tribe rushed to gather the few critical survival items they could carry for the arduous journey ahead, Kanati died. Two accounts exist of what ultimately happened to the stone that Kanati had delivered to his tribe. One account tells of the stone being used as a memorial marker placed on Kanati’s grave just prior to the tribe’s exodus.

Whereas another version states that the stone was hidden in hopes that members of the tribe might one day return to discover the secret of Kanati’s stone.

By either account, Daniel Garrett, Roy Lochaby and John Wheeler ultimately became convinced that the stone they found on that hot August day in 1941 was the Kanati stone of legend. In a local 1943 article on the mystery John Wheeler stated, “Based on where the stone has led us so far I am confident in the stone’s origins. Kanati had a purpose for creating the stone and I now feel like we have been given the opportunity that his tribe never had...to use the stone to find whatever Kanati had discovered.” If John, Roy or Daniel ever unraveled the mystery of the Kanati stone they never stepped forward to take credit nor did they ever exhibit any signs of sudden material wealth. In fact, friends of the men say that even up until their deaths they all considered the mystery to be an open case.

The stone itself went missing in 1954. After being placed on public display at one of the first Georgia Mountain Fairs, the stone was apparently lost during the packing up process after the last night of the fair. Etchings of the symbols on the stone remain to this day as do the many questions raised by the mystery. Why did the Cherokee hunter Kanati create the stone?What happened to the stone in 1954? Where does the stone lead? What had Kanati discovered in the North Georgia Mountains? John Wheeler may have summarized it best when asked if he ever felt he would find a solution, “I may not but I suppose only those who are willing to undertake the adventure may reap the rewards.”