Hike up the Dan Heffley Branch of Big Creek in the Ozark National Forest
3/16/22
I've seen this creek on the map numerous times but always dismissed it and looked elsewhere. I mean...who is this Dan Heffley dude and why does this branch bear his name. After consulting my Handbook of Arkansas History by Kreeblin Squibtickler, I found an entry on just that subject. Dan settled in the area in 1832 with his wife Suzie. Together and through the usual means they produced two chillrings. He ran the local blacksmith shop with assistance from his son Dilbo. Dan exited this earth at the age of 52 when a horse he was working on sent him through the barn door. His momentum was abruptly halted when he made contact with the side of his hay wagon. Son Dilbo took over and all was good. Most of the locals never really cared for Dan anyway. He was ugly and smelled of elderberries. So I became curious about this creek of his. I went into the valley at 4:25 a.m. after breakfast at Waffle House. The weather was as follows: 40°, clear skies, a waxing gibbous of a moon, no wind and high humidituh. An old road bed was followed until it no longer existed. Just before sunrise my vantage point of choice was arrived at. It was a good one.
The sun rose revealing a modicum of fog in the valleys. I say valleys because I could see two of them...Big Creek and Dan Heffley. Both were of fine quality. I headed down to creek level after spending time on the bluff. This was a difficult task, but after some time the water was before me. The flow was fair but could have been better. The stream was followed west with many barriers to progress. Eventually, a large fork came in from the left and joined the main fork at a very lovely waterfall. This was Nubnibbler Falls. To the right, another fall fell with less abruptness. This was Hugh Janus Falls. Hugh was the local pig farmer that lived down the road from Dan. According to the Handbook...Hugh and Dan did not get along. It was later surmised that he was responsible for Dan's death, as the horse that did the kicking belonged to Hugh. He was holding the reigns at the time. No charges were filed...as there was no law at the time. I made my way around these two obstructions and continued on. By 12:50 with 65° my starting location was in view. This hike covered 7.4 miles of near deadly terrain.
