Christian A. Ray, Intern - thefranklinpressnews@gmail.com
The Western North Carolina Wagon Train is rolling back into town this week. Celebrating its 68th anniversary, the Wagon Train, once a regular summer attraction in Franklin, will camp in Macon County from June 28 to July 5, with a parade for the public on June 29 through downtown Franklin. The Wagon Train will set up camp at 280 Olive Hill Rd. and head out each day for 12- to 15-mile rides throughout the county.
“If you get behind the wagon train, please use caution and the scouts will direct you around as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience,” said Wagon Master Tim Cochran.
Cochran has been involved with the WNC Wagon Train for about 12 years and on the board for around six years. He said the last time the train came to Franklin would have been around 2013, so he is excited to be back in the area.
Wagon Train history
The Wagon Train started in 1958 as a trek from Tellico Plains, Tennessee, to Murphy. The purpose of that first ride was to show the need for good roads through the mountains connecting East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
“The initial group left Tellico Plains on an early morning late in June. They were greeted by a host of spectators all along the route, and on the 4th of July, 67 wagons and 325 horseback riders were welcomed in Murphy by a cheering crowd of thousands. The next year and for five consecutive years, the train used the same route,” according to the Wagon Train history.
Over the years the number of riders grew and still today riders from throughout the region are welcome to saddle up and join the ride. Cochran said they have riders from North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and even Florida. While some may ride the entire trip, most join up when its it’s convenient for them.
“Traditionally, every five years, the train travels the original route from Tellico to Murphy,” Cochran said. He also said they try to travel to various towns to make it into their Fourth of July parades.
A handout he shared read, “Enthusiasm became contagious, and interest spread so far that various routes have been traveled throughout the mountains, always ending with a parade in a designated town to which they have been invited to join in the 4th of July celebration.”
Cochran said they have many people who ride in the Wagon Train each year. “They’re happy. It’s a good vacation for the kids. We have kid’s games on layover day and let the kids play a lot of them. That’s the only time they get to see their friends from the Wagon Train is that week of the year. It’s a family-oriented gathering.”
As riders return to camp each night, they enjoy music and food. “We usually have a band one night. Some will come to make music, have one night, have a potluck dinner, everybody cooks and gathers,” Cochran said.
In 1963, the Wagon Train became a nonprofit, the Western North Carolina Wagon Train, Incorporated, with headquarters in Andrews. The WNC Wagon Train is governed by a board of directors which is made up of members from Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Macon and Swain counties in North Carolina and from East Tennessee, Alabama and North Georgia.
In 2004, the organization expanded their original mission statement to include encouragement and promotion of fair treatment of equine livestock. This is accomplished through practice, education, and enrichment programs.
Cochran said the animals in the Wagon Train are well taken care of and one of the main priorities during the duration of a ride is their safety. They are fed twice a day and usually stop for water mid-way through a daily ride.
Franklin festivities
Town Manager Amie Owens said, “This is an excellent way to kick off the Independence Day week and provides families the opportunity to spend a relaxing Sunday downtown learning about the past and catching a glimpse of how travelers first came to WNC. This is an event that, we hope, will be a fun and educational experience that reminds everyone of the pioneers’ and settlers’ journey to establish Franklin.”
Linda Harbuck of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce not only knows the importance of the Wagon Train to the community but has been a rider in the train.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had the Wagon Train come through, but I’ll tell you that the streets were lined from one end of the other. There was only standing room when the Wagon Train used to come through.”
Harbuck continued, “For the merchants and the businesses that were located within that route, whether people shop there on that day or not, they were exposed to traffic and people that may have never been in front of their store before. I just have a feeling that it was beneficial in the exposure that the community received from coming through here.”
Harbuck used to join sections of the ride when the Wagon Train would come through Macon County. “I used to have horses, so I can speak from that experience personally that it was great. It wasn’t dangerous at that time; it was just a great event so I’m looking forward to seeing it again. I love horses and I’ll be right on the front row. I never rode the whole train from beginning to end, but I would join up in a couple places.”
She continued, “I have friends that were there, and they already had the horses there and one time I tied my horse behind a wagon that wasn’t anybody that I knew, but they invited me since I was getting really tired because my horse was acting up a little bit. So, I set up behind that wagon and I said, ‘Just tell him I’m here’ and they let me crawl in [the wagon]. I made new friends, and I don’t remember their names, but it was fun that day.”