(WBIR) A motto of the Boy Scouts is "be prepared." But on this date 86 years ago, nothing could prepare the residents of Rockwood for the tragedy that washed away Troop 45, drowning a scoutmaster and seven boys camping on White's Creek.
Beneath the bridges of U.S. Route 27 that cross White's Creek at the Roane and Rhea County line, you'll find concrete pillars covered in graffiti. Amid the nearby trees stands a memory made of stone. The large monument barely visible to the cars that fly by on 27 is a permanent reminder of bravery and tragedy.
"I know this monument is important to a lot of people in Rockwood because a lot of those families are still here," said Don Miller, vice president of district operations for the Great Smoky Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Miller is an Eagle Scout who moved to Rockwood in the 1970s and is now a retired anthropology professor at Roane State. Miller said he was made aware of the monument shortly after relocating to East Tennessee and becoming involved with the Boy Scouts.
"It is a part of our history. I know the Boy Scouts in Rockwood are aware of the monument and the story of how those young boys died in 1929. It just touches my heart thinking about kids camping here with their scout leaders and all of the sudden the flood waters coming along," said Miller.
Troop 45 went camping at a bungalow cabin along White's Creek. On March 23, 1929, three inches of rain fell in one night and sent a rush of water down the Plateau into the creek. The scouts awoke in the middle of the night with their floor underwater and the creek rising fast. The scout's leader took them to the only higher ground they could safely reach, the roof of the bungalow.
When the scoutmaster took his troop on the roof of the cabin, at the time it arguably was the wisest decision with the information available to him. Attempting to wade with a group of children through a rushing creek in the black of night is potentially a more dangerous proposition than climbing to the roof and patiently waiting for the water to eventually recede.
However, the greatest danger to the group was not merely the water itself. The cabin was set up for dominoes of debris upstream to knock them down. The bridge washed out and knocked the home into the creek. The Scouts held on for dear life to the roof as the water swept them downstream and the bungalow disintegrated.
Some children were able to cling to trees and were eventually rescued. When some of the scouts went into the water, the scoutmaster jumped in to save them. But there was no saving any of them. The scoutmaster and seven boys died.
Today their names are memorialized on the monument beside White's Creek. Boy Scouts have helped preserve the monument through the years, including a 2010 Eagle Scout project that cleaned the memorial and surrounding area.
And 86 years later, maintaining the memory of those lost in the tragedy is a scout's duty and honor.
"We want people to see the monument and remember what happened here and think about the heritage of scouting," said Miller.
Because the memorial is not easy to see from the bridge, Miller said the Boy Scouts have discussed options to increase recognition. That includes potentially contacting lawmakers about placing new signs on the bridge to acknowledge the memorial at the site.
Reporter's Note: Some scouts were awarded the prestigious national honor medal for saving lives of fellow scouts during the flood. WBIR's Heartland Series interviewed a man in 1995 who was one of the rescued children. You can watch the Heartland segment in the video below. If the video does not work in the embedded player, you can visit this direct link to the video.
