| By Bob Weaver 2008
"This land is going back to the Indians," said my dad Gifford Weaver. "I can remember when the steepest hills were cleared for pasture, but now most of it has grown up," he lamented.
Since the Ice Storm of '03, he would be taken back by the fallen trees and underbrush which has clogged the hollers and trails.
That "mess" will really be a boon for wildlife for years to come.
About 90% of the county is forested, one of the highest rates in the nation.
If you like a quiet life and low taxes, Calhoun is your cup of tea.
Calhoun has nearly 600 miles of roads, most of them secondary and not really "improved" in the manner most urban folks would like.
In between those roads, you'll find a wild bunch of woods on the steep and craggy hills and down in the narrow hollows.
For folks who like the woods, steep hills, rocks, and streams, Calhoun is your cup of tea.
If folks like to walk off a roadway and not see another human being the live long day, Calhoun is your cup of tea.
If folks like to drive down a primitive back road and not meet another vehicle for miles, Calhoun is your cup of tea.
For folks who like to build a house in a peaceful, secluded spot, Calhoun is your cup of tea.
Calhoun could be your cup of tea if you have a desire to walk on a piece of land that no human has trod.
For folks who like hunting wild game, Calhoun is your cup of tea.
For folks who can live without fast food and stoplights, Calhoun is your cup of tea.
Thousands of deer hunters think Calhoun is their cup of tea,
the deer are everywhere you look.
We have counted nearly 35 turkey near our front yard at Hur, and frequently see flocks of the birds along the river bottoms or out the Husk Ridge.
Calhoun has a plentiful supply of small game, and there is an ever increasing number of bear, bobcats, and coyote.
Every now and then, you will spot a wild boar.
Calhoun doesn't have a whole lot of government services you would find in an urban area.
We are noted as being excluded from many natural disasters that plague much of the US, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and major forest fires.
A few years ago, a recent transplant called my number as a county commissioner, requesting animal control to come to her yard down on Millstone to remove a dead cat from her yard.
Dianne handled the call, graciously telling her we didn't have such services in the county.
She asked the woman if she owned a shovel. She said she did. Dianne said, "What folks do around here is scoop up the cat with a shovel and take it to the nearest patch of woods and bury it."
The woman didn't seem to like the suggestion much, but appeared to have a willingness to get with the program.
If you like neighbors who stop and help you if your car is broken-down, Calhoun is your cup of tea.
Around here, even if people don't like you much, they'll still help you out.
I thought about that years ago when I went to New York City, a drunken man came up from the subway, stumbled and fell, cutting his head on a steel grate.
Dozens of passengers followed, stepping over him and going about their business. My Calhoun teachin' kicked in, I got my handkerchief out and put it on his head, propping him up against a building.
Outsiders might have a problem with some slow drivers who appear to gawk from left to right at every house or landmark while going down the road, with a few stopping in the highway to talk with a neighbor.
In 2021, a couple of PA transplants have purchased land on the Husk Ridge on which to live, and now living in the deep woods at the head of the hollers are mostly transplants from elsewhere. Calhoun certainly their cup of tea.
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