Terrel Creek Hike

[jammer_smith]

Last summer while hiking along Terrel Creek following up on a cave lead out there (lead turned out to be a bust) I found some pretty interesting things.

Hikes like this one are what make me LOVE cave hunting, even when I don't find the cave, because I never fail to find somthing I was glad to have seen.

I started at the Davis Bridge (37.081818,-93.463182) and made a strait line for the large cave you can see in the bluff across the field to the east(37.081031,-93.458204). When you get close it turns out the cave only goes back maybe 10 feet, and my lead described a much more elaborate cave, so I kept following the creek, climbing up on the ridges and hill sides in search of the cave.

Up on the hillside, back in the wood, I found a front porch(37.079113,-93.447626). No house, no foundation, no water hook ups or power lines, no nothing, just the front facing of a house complete with front door, and the front porch attached. I am quite certain there was never a house there where the rest of the house should have been, because there are several large trees at least a few deacades old in the space where the house should have been. And sitting on the window sill....a cassette player. Very bizzare. Who the hell would haul a front porch out and set it in the woods? Ah well.

Moving on I found an old barn and silo next to abandoned crops (37.078548,-93.445566). The wild plants had started to reclaim the field, but the old rows were still visible, and some of the old crop planets still struggled to grow among the weeds. Most of the crop was some kind of bean, but there were also melons, tomatos, and corn in the field.

Further still I came across a dramatic karst canyon(37.077812,-93.438077). It was very narrow, maybe only 30 feet wide, and quite steep with walls about 80 feet high at the highest. The walls made fore some fun climbing, and the stone was of the large chunky crumble kind that is clearly made of cemeted crinoid fossils. It is one of the most dramatic crinoid deposites I've seen in the region, and I've seen quite a few.

At this point I turned back, but about double again the distance I had arleady hiked the creek flows inot Wilson's Creek park and then into Wilson's Creek itself, and on down to the James just a bit north of the Delaware Town Access.

It might make for an awesome hike to be dropped off early in the day at Davis Bridge, and hike all the way down to Delaware Town Access. You'd see lots of nice rugged landscape, Wilson's Creek Battlefield, a few good caves, the sit of Wilson's Homestead (around where Wilson's Creek flows into the James) and then the Delaware Town (where the Delaware lived and where John Campbell camped the winter prior to returning with his family to found Springfield. This also happens to be where John Campbell saved the life of a sick Kickapoo boy who would become their guide to the Natural Well where they founded the town.

It's all a very neat historic area and makes for good hiking.

[Nicotti]

[liesreality]

To bad the cave wasnt what you were expecting.

[BROUSER]

Right before Terrell joins Wilson is where they used to do the concerts. I knew the family that put them on down there. Is the canyon you described before you passed under ZZ or after? I've walked down to the "cave," but I stopped there.

[Twail Wetard]

Bash in the grass

[slow_walker]

They were still actively doing Terrell Creek music fests there as of last year.

[Kit]

[H311RA151N]

Old thread but anyways, Im from right around that area and still live here today. I too have been told about the cave. From whats been stated in this thread I would say it was over hyped when brought to my attention aswell.

If anyone is thinking of exploring near Davis Bridge road bridge, leaving your car on the shoulder of the road there will get attention from the farm house directly to the north of the bridge. They will show up and/or call law enforcement. That location for some reason is a popular spot to ditch stolen cars and Id make a wild guess and say that they most likely own the property that everyone wants to trespass on.

Bash in the Grass is down Wilson road off ZZ highway.

[cdr59]

Cracks Me up the guy w/ "The Dude' as his profile pic new Bash In The Grass, like, right away... ha