[Karen]

The Green River Gorge is a dark and mysterious place. Every time I’ve tried to hike there I’ve either been turned around by private property, No Trespassing signs or just general bad vibes from some of the locals that live there. Turning to the old Footsore Series and a search on the internet provided some material but only enough to whet the appetite for an exploratory trip with a couple of friends who are as avid about history as I am. Our search began with old cemeteries – first on the list was the Holy Rosary Franklin Cemetary. Apparently it is still in use -- admidst old tombstones were signs of caretaking and visits from family. This cemetery is situated high above the Green River and is rather hard to find. You have to be willing to spend some time looking around – it is not signed. Old maps may help. Next on the list was the hike to Franklin as described by Manning in an old Footsore. We had no problem finding the Green River Gorge but figuring out where and how to proceed without getting shot or cursed at was a challenge. There is a resort just before the big bridge over the Green River but it is closed. There are parking areas there but they seem to be for residents only and are peppered with unfriendly signs such as “parking here is a BAD idea”. We drove over the one-way bridge several times trying to figure out where we were in relation to Manning’s write-up and where we could go without having to worry about trespassing. Long story short, we did find ONE road a mile or so out of the Gorge that didn’t have a No Trespassing on it. That turned out to be a winner despite having to crawl over a blowdown and some brush. We hiked ¾ of a mile or so down to the Green River and were enchanted. Directly across was a huge sandstone bluff with trees hanging over the edge at a bend in the river. A very pretty place and lonesome. As we were getting ready to leave a group of kayakers glided around the bend and pulled up for lunch. We chatted for a while and they told us about an almost-legal place to park and how to find the townsite of Franklin that I will not describe here. Suffice it to say that we parked in an “iffy” spot and took our chance. From Harvey’s description we knew we were hiking the right road and sure enough, in about a half mile we came to the town site of Franklin. There is not much left of that but ghosts and some new signs put up by a group of teenagers from a nearby school. Finding the town site (it is marked by one of these signs) was a success but we also wanted to locate the Franklin Cemetery and continued on the road until we met a group of teenagers on the trail. We chatted. It turns out these are the very same teens that worked on the “trail” and maintain the artifacts in town and at the hidden Franklin Cemetery. We couldn’t believe our good fortune – it was as if we were guided by friendly guiding spirits all day beginning with the kayakers. The youths told us how to find the cemetery and were very friendly though protective of “their” territory. “Please don’t tell a lot of people about this,” they asked and I won’t. Therefore I will not write this up for publication – I want to keep my word. They also said it was “cool” if I brought a couple of friends and kept it quiet. Good enough, we all agreed. As it turns out one of the teenage boys was from the last graduating class of Franklin (though I am not sure which school he graduated from since there is no Franklin, per se anymore). I was so impressed with these teenagers – at first glance they looked rather rough but that was only the book-jacket so to speak. Another lesson in manners: do not judge a book by its cover. These teens were a good reminder. It was a bit of a brush bash and climb to the cemetery. It was hard to find and we were about ready to give up and call it quits when I noticed a blaze of wild daffodils on a distant hillside. Indeed, that was the beginning of the cemetery. The teens have created some loving signs (some of their ancestors lie here) and it is a very special and secluded spot. It should be kept that way. We saw several tombstones, some surrounded by old wire fences that were twisted and broken – all the graves and tombstones were covered with moss, daffodils, and kinnick kinnick. While I am not religious I was very moved by one tombstone that quotes the Bible, “ Behold I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed.” I Cor. XV 51. It was from a wife to her husband. The teenagers had told us that the life-spans of their ancestors that worked in the coal mines were short – their life expectancy was only about 35 years. On our way back down to our quasi-legal parking spot we noticed many coal mining artifacts along the way. A beautiful little hike, well worth the brush to experience the cemetery and the love that keeps it from disappearing altogether. We finished the day at Flaming Geyser Park – that was very nice but it can’t compete with a place like Franklin or the old cemetery. Karen

Daffodils Franklin cemetary

[Karen]

I forgot to mention that if you PM me I can send you more information -- I am finding out more and more as I continue to read old hiking guides and articles on the internet. Fascinating area. Karen