July 31st. I recieved this poignant email and felt others may be touched by it also. Message Forwarded on Wed, 31 Jul 2002 20:36:41 From: SgttravisL Subject: Old man that knew the old Tennessee, Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 12:30:45 EDT Dear Mimi felt proud of you wnen I found out about your swim Found your web site in the Savannah paper. I was raised on the banks and in the river from Pickwick to Clifton . As a boy I fished it swam in it and drank from it. I am saddened when I go back to Tennessee and see what has happened to the river and its banks and islands. The only part of the lower Tennessee that is flowing as it did in the old days is the streach from Pickwick to a little past Savannah . Industry dumps in it and the so-called weekend residents have built shacks and grand demonstrations of their worldy wealth on its banks .The dump their body waste and trash in these once clear pure waters. Where the tall timber stod on its proud banks are Vietnamese or Thailand shacks on stilts to keep them above flood stage. They park their cars and jet skis under them. The real-estate desecraters sell the banks and islands in lots to the highest bidder. They have no concern that this water and land was the sacred home and burying place of the native Americans. There is no end in site unless legislation is passed to stop and restore what has been the rape of a once beautiful heritage. Yes, the TVA has accomplished much but did so at the expense of the enviorment preahaps they could have adopted a kinder gentler approach but did not envision what humans could do destructively after they had finished their dams. As a teen ager I watched the banks stripped and the fast running creeks turned into cleared stagnate ditches flora and fauna destroyed. I pray that your effort will bring some attention to the continued destruction of this beautiful natural resource. O yes I used to dive off the limestone bluffs you called chalk. Continue with faith I am 70 and live in the Deserts of Texas but still long for the beauty of the Old Tennessee. If you have not read the two volumes The Tennessee by Donald Davidson you will find a wealth of information on the old and new river. Good Luck From An Old Tennesseean Loyd T Alexander