Our first leg of the trip was to the ruins of the old casa of the Salinas family, and to see two of the warm sulphur springs, flowing straight up from the depths of the earth and through the limestone. The Indians called it "medicine water." There are a number of these springs on the ranch.

Epi said she had documents that indicated the water flowed underground from the Great Lakes far to the north in the U.S. Next, Epi and Gloria led us to a cave where their family stories say Siquoya is buried. The cave is level with the ground and cannot be seen until you are right upon it. Swift swirling water many thousand or maybe millions of years before had washed out two small holes in the limestone forming small caves. One is very small and the other is larger. It is the second one where the grave of Siquoya is supposed to be laid out.

A very important part of the story came when Epi and Gloria told Rodgers that this was the cave. There was a traditional story that a child would find where Siquoya was buried. When Dr. Rodgers, his wife, Sharon, their thirteen-year-old son, Charles Jr., and Doc’s mother, Mary Layton Rodgers, a Cherokee lady, first went into the cave Charles Jr., found markings on its wall.

The Rodgiquez’s were convinced that Charles Rodgers and his son were the right people. Before we went into the cave, Dr. Rodgers, went before us using his bow to prod and rattle the bow in the cracks and crevices in search of any rattlesnakes that may have been present. We all appreciated that.

Six people went into the cave. I hung back to let people who could more easily crawl into such a small space enter first. Al Herrin and I were the last to go in and sat in the entrance of the cave. We blocked out the light and someone asked if anyone had a flashlight. Al said he did and whipped out his trusty small flashlight he always carries, and he used it to search the cave.

He suddenly stopped and told me that he could see a rattlesnake in the crevice just above my head. We all decided to make a quick retreat with me leading the pack. My walking cane did not hinder my fast retreat out of the cave. When we all got out of the cave, Al asked me if I hadn’t felt the presence of the snake. I assured him that if I had felt the snake’s presence I would have been gone sooner from that place.

Dr. Rodgers thought that the snake was a guard and protector of the place. I agreed.