Cameron’s Cabin

(refer to pages 6, 7, 20, 21, & 57 in On the Trail of the Last of the Mohicans)

Sawyer Cove Tree Farm, Buncombe County

Driving through the area in which I lived, I often times thought that maybe, just maybe, I had spotted a location. Invariably, I hadn’t, but my eyes always seemed fixed on my duty. "Could that be Cameron’s Cabin?" No, it wasn’t. Never did find a place in that fashion, but I was always looking.

I might never have found Cameron’s Cabin ... ever. No one had any idea where it was filmed, and it wasn’t visible from any road. This one had me worried. I pleaded and begged, and finally succeeded in getting the Western North Carolina Film Commission folks to spill the beans and give me the names of the locations scouts. Michael Bigham, whom at this point I had not had any success in reaching, was the head honcho, but there were numerous scouts working under him, and each found different locations. What one knew, the others might not necessarily have any idea about.

I spoke to a fellow named, Doug MacKenzie, and he knew. He gave me the information I needed to at least get to the general area ... the Reems Creek area of Buncombe County. He knew it was a place called Sawyer Cove Tree Farm. I headed up there and inquired. The area was chock full of "coves," so it required several conversations. It was the folks at the Zeb Vance Birthplace Historic Site who set me in the right direction. I drove up and down the road, finally resorting to knocking on someone’s door to get specifics. I got the OK to head up there and explore.

Some time ago, I posted a bit about one of our On The Trail experiences. Here then it is, culled from our Mohican WWWBoard:

We were at the site of Cameron's Cabin. It was my second trip, as the first resulted in being in the wrong field. Elaine was with me, as were Miriam & Elizabeth, just a baby. I pulled into the overgrown field ... straight into a ditch. The front passenger side went in, lifting the rear driver's side end about 2 feet, or more, into the air. We were alone, in a remote spot ... and stuck! Elaine got on the rear bumper and tried jumping and other contortions to attempt to get the tire to touch the surface as I tried driving out. To no avail. Elaine could not drive a stick shift, so I gave her a first lesson right there. After a little practice getting into gear, I got out on the bumper and we reversed roles. Tried & tried. Still nothing. Not even close. The car, it was obvious, wasn't going anywhere, and neither, it would seem, were we. Stuck with a baby in the middle of nowhere. I got in the car and put it in gear, one last, desperate time. It was as if a giant, gentle hand reached out of the sky & nudged us out of the ditch, for the car easily pulled out, as easy if it were sitting on dry, level pavement. It was the strangest thing.

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This site is located on private property. Request permission before entering the premises.

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