Route 1 Dacula Georgia

Route 1 Dacula Georgia. Part one

I grew up in a community call Hog Mountain in Northeast Georgia. A.K.A. Route

one Dacula Georgia. See we didn’t need box numbers. The postman knew everyone on

his route. By name. He knew their hopes, dreams, and children. He would know if they

had something to sell or trade or if they had some troubles that others could help with.

I’m talking about a time when things were simple and we were taught of the miracles of

sunrises and not the color spectrum of light wavelengths. We were taught of miraculous

births, not the rise of teenage pregnancy. Oh my soul how I miss that life.



Back to Hog Mountain. Some say it got its name from a hog farmer who would graze

his swine there on the way to the market in Atlanta. However, the story I have heard and

believe is that the Indians called it ‘Possum Mountain because of the many that dwelled

there. But, the Indian words for ‘possum and hog were so closely pronounced, that it

became lost in translation. And because of the ethnic cleansing that occurred here in the

1800’s, I’m sure a lot was lost in translation. (You will never read that in your

government history books, that’s because it is the victor who writes history. And I assure

you, let some third world country start a cleansing, the good ‘ol USA will talk of the

travesty and horror of it all and spend trillions of dollars to stop it. I do not in any way

condone an ethnic cleansing, but I do hate the double standards. I say we should rewrite

the history books and call it what is was. An ethnic cleansing. While we are at it, put in

there that we had 13 presidents before George Washington. When we were governed

under the Articles of the Confederacy. That’s right, the same one re-adopted by the south

in the war between states. It was our government before the Constitution, which wasn’t

adopted until 1788 I believe. You see the South thought, among other reasons, that the

Federal government was getting too big and spending more money than could be raised

unless they taxed everyone into poverty. And the leaders of the South thought it would be

best if we went back to the Articles of the Confederacy where the power of government

was put back locally to the people it govern. Lose that in translation. )

I’ll get off my soap box.

In 1963 Hog Mountain was located about 60 miles from Atlanta. Now, 45 years later,

it’s located about 10 miles from Atlanta, and getting closer. In 1988, there were only four

lanes of expressway (for you northerners that’s freeway or parkway) going to and from

Atlanta on I-85. Now, there are 14 lanes. And it’s still not enough. However, the ‘possum

population is dropping as fast as the traffic is increasing. With all the sub-divisions and

neighborhoods going up in our little community, it has been suggested that we change the

name from Hog Mountain to Sod Mountain. Some say the change had to come and it that

it is a good thing. Some say they wish it were still the same. Me? I am reminded of a

quote. (I love quotes Mr Journal as you will find out soon enough). It’s from the movie

The Outlaw Josey Wales. The character Lone Wolf played by Chief Dan George learned

that Josey Wales did not surrender after the war between the states said: “I did not

surrender either. They took my

horse, made him surrender. Got him pulling a cart up in Kansas I bet.” I miss my horse.



The family names in the area were the Maddox’s, the Coggins’, the Lawsons’, the

Banks’, the Gaddis’, the Williams’ and the Nashs’ and a few more than I can write in a

short space. Those who knew the hopes, the dreams and names of all the children who

lived there. These names will live on in the memories of those who grew up here….and

of course the postman who delivered the mail on Route one Dacula Georgia