How the Ghost River Got Its Name: A 40th Anniversary Reflection 

Back in 1991, Larry Smith, Keith Kirkland, and George Wenzler finally found a route through the Ghost River section of the Wolf River.  They knew immediately that they had experienced a very special, natural, unspoiled treasure that needed to be protected from harm and shared with other people.  At that time, there was not a single acre of protected public land along this stretch of the river.  

We asked Larry to describe what happened next:

Within a few weeks of finding the Ghost River trail, I invited Plato Touliatos and his wife – who had previously tried to find the trail themselves only to get stuck - to come along with Keith, George and me on a trip through the swamp, without spending the night this time!!  They readily accepted and we were soon on the Wolf River with some of their friends for their first trip all the way through the Ghost River section. Well, when we got to the trail and started into the thick cypress and tupelo gum swamp, I noticed that all our flagging marking the trail was gone!!!  I did not mention this little detail for fear of upsetting everyone and Keith and George felt the same way.  My first thought was, OMG, I just led the group into another horrible night in the swamp, with their guides along for the experience.  Fortunately, our last trip had been recent enough that I was able to recognize where we had been before and we fumbled a way through, finally reaching the open water section now known as Spirit Lake without too much trouble.  When we arrived at Bateman Road, Plato and his wife expressed the greatest joy for the trip without knowing how close they came to another “unforgettable night” on the Wolf River.

As time went by, to distinguish this section of the Wolf River from the others, we knew it needed a unique name that people could remember. We wanted something catchy and different enough to avoid confusion. People already confused the Wolf River Conservancy with the Wolf River group in Wisconsin and the Wolf River group on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I suggested calling this section the “Ghost River” because the river seems to disappear, then reappear, coming and going like a ghost until the river reverts into a channel with an obvious current. The only other Ghost River I knew of was in Alberta, Canada, which seemed far enough away.  Everyone liked the name, and so our new trail now had a moniker.  

Once we had a name, we thought about how to make the trail accessible for the public. Over the next few years there were many chainsaw trips to keep the trail open in the river channel above the big swamp now designated as the Ghost River section.  We knew this work would have to be ongoing.  We also saw the need for permanent canoe trail marker signs so people could safely make their way through the Ghost section, and we soon began applying the blue canoe signs still visible along the trail.  I myself put up the sign indicating the start of the Ghost River trail in 1992.  The trail route through the swamp has not changed much, if at all, since we first flagged it on our very first successful trip. We expected the trail to shift over time and need re-routing but, so far, the Ghost River trail is the same trail we first discovered in the 1991.

It was on one of our many chainsaw trips that we started talking about what we could do to ensure the protection of the Ghost River section of the Wolf River. We had stopped at what’s now known as the “lunch spot” and we really took a long game look at what we wanted to happen.  The idea of the Wolf River Conservancy buying some land along the river for conservation purposes was discussed. The lunch spot was located on a 50-acre parcel and a WRC member knew the owner; would this be a good place to start?  Later, the Conservancy reached out to the landowner to see if they wanted to sell it, and they did.  We told them we wanted it, but didn’t rush to raise the funds because we felt we had plenty of time.

In the meantime, the nearby Beasley plantation came up for sale.  This was a huge area encompassing much of the Ghost River section, and the Wolf River Conservancy was suddenly thrust into a crisis.  A timber company wanted the land; the future of the Ghost River section was at stake. Was it to be logged and sold off as small parcels or preserved as the magnificent wild place we had come to love?  The rest of the story is now history: the Wolf River Conservancy spearheaded a huge grassroots campaign to acquire the land in 1995, partnering with the state of Tennessee to create the Ghost River State Natural Area which adjoins the Wolf River Wildlife Management area.

The Conservancy, in its role as a land trust, also eventually acquired the lunch spot, as well as the majority of the other lands along the Ghost River section of the Wolf.  Little did we know back in 1991 that our trail finding expedition would lead to one of the Wolf River Conservancy’s proudest and most hard-won accomplishments – the protection in perpetuity of the Ghost River for conservation and public enjoyment.

‍