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| The timber wolf has vanished from 'Wolf Wallow' |
(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator
George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere
in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Wolf Wallow was just what the
name implies” was originally published in the August 5, 1971 edition of The
Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)
There is such a place in Monroe County, believe it or not,
that bears the name “Wolf Wallow.” The location is in the Franklin hills, east
of Highway 41. At one time, there were quite a number of families living in the
vicinity. These families gradually moved out, nearer to the schools and jobs
which were to be found in the larger communities of Monroe and Wilcox counties.
Nothing remains at “Wolf Wallow” now but a few old homesteads, an old well here
and there, or a drinking spring.
For one reason or another, this particular area held some
attraction to the timber wolves of yesteryear. The legends about the area tell
of the wolves that were seen quite often or evidence that a number of these
animals came and wallowed and sunned themselves in the sandy soil of this
hollow. Thus the name “Wolf Wallow” was given to this small valley. Through the
years, the name has endured the changing times, and still remains today.
The timber wolf has long since vanished from “Wolf Wallow.”
Gone are the days when the country folks had to keep a sharp eye on their young
calves, their pigs and chicken houses for fear that a roving pack of wolves
would stop by and play havoc with the family’s meat supply. Gone, too, are the
days when one could test his skill at hunting and trapping this cunning animal,
tracking him down in the game of the hunter and the hunted.
Change has forced the timber wolf from this part of the country,
but old lobo is very adaptable. Changes in climate and terrain do not bother
him. If he moves to a colder climate, he just grows a thicker coat of fur.
Should he move to the wastelands of the west, he changes color and blends into
the landscape, continuing to live off the land and roam at will.
Through the ages, man and wolf have been compared with each
other. Their survival habits follow the same patterns. So does the way they
care for their young. The wolf is one of the few animals that form the family.
In the distant future, the lonesome howl of the timber wolf
may be heard again in the Franklin hills, causing a tingle to run up the spines
of local folks. If that happens, all will know that “Wolf Wallow” has been reclaimed.
(This story also included a photograph that carried the
following caption: Wolf Wallow, located in the Franklin hills east of Highway
41.)
(Singleton, the author
of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of
79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime
resident of Monroeville, he was born during a late-night thunderstorm on Dec.
14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946,
served as a U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat
deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June
28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit
from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. For years, Singleton’s columns,
titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared
in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe
County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first
column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He is
buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of
Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm
records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns
are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part
of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)
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