Tusquittee in Clay County NC ... Where the water-dogs laughed

Tusquittee (originally Tusquitee) is a lovely community located in Clay County, North Carolina. Mountain and Pasture views with plenty of creek and lake views too. It is bordered on the north by Fires Creek Bear Reserve which is within the Nantahala National Forest. The Tusquitee Mountain range includes Tusquitee Bald at 5,240 feet.

Tusquitee is a  Cherokee  Indian word meaning "Where the water-dogs laughed" (A Water Dog, sometimes also called mud-puppy, is a type of Salamander). "Where the water-dogs laughed" according to folklore, a Cherokee hunter crossing over Tusquitee Bald in a very dry season, heard voices, and creeping silently toward the place from which the sound proceeded, peeped over a rock and saw two water-dogs walking together on their hind legs along the trail and talking as they went. Their pond had dried up and they were on the way over to the Nantahala river. As he listened one said to the other, "Where's the water? I'm so thirsty that my apron (gills) hangs down," and then both of the water-dogs laughed.

Just another reason and where these Hayesville, NC mountains get their names. If you’d like to live here too, call Lee & Carol Barbour ~ The Mountain Living Team and we’d be happy to show you around Lake Chatuge and Tusquittee.
www.MountainLivingTeam.com