Origins of historic Coon Trail Road remain shrouded in mystery

One of the oldest – and perhaps most mysterious – roads in all of Monroe County is the Coon Trail Road, a seven-mile stretch of road that connects County Road 30 and County Road 42 near Peterman and Tunnel Springs.

No one is sure just how long this road has been in use, but many say the origin of its name dates back to the time of the ancient Indians. One oft-repeated tale says that it came to be known as the Coon Trail Road thanks to a young Indian hunter who was stalking a large racoon through the deep woods of what is now Monroe County. As the Indian followed the racoon along a ridge, taking him farther and farther from home, this hunter used a hand axe to chop blazes into tree trunks so that he could find his way back to his village.

As time went by, other Indians began to use this blazed path for hunting and traveling, and their countless steps along this route left a well worn trail through the dense forest. As settlers began to arrive in this part of the world, the trail developed into a horse path and was later widened to accommodate wagons. During the early days of Monroe County history, long before the advent of State Highway 21, this wagon road was a major route for those traveling between northern Monroe County communities and the old county seat at Claiborne.

One day last week, my son James and I found ourselves in Peterman and decided to take a few minutes to explore the entire length of Coon Trail Road. For those of you who have done the same, you will know that one of the most prominent landmarks in this area is the Peterman Fire Station, which sits at the intersection of County Road 30 and Coon Trail Road.

About three miles up Coon Trail Road from the fire station, the pavement gives way to red dirt, and we found the road to be in good condition despite all the recent rain. I’ve heard tales of motorists getting stuck on this road, but we only had to cross a couple of washed out places as we made our way towards County Road 42. In many ways, we seemed to have the road all to ourselves, for we encountered only a couple of log trucks pulling empty trailers, a gray squirrel fast on his way to pressing matters elsewhere and a black snake that looked to be about two feet long.

There are more than a few homes and hunting camps on Coon Trail Road, but we saw no signs of any old churches or cemeteries. In days gone by, where did the people of this community go to church, attend school or cast their votes in local elections? No doubt the answers to these questions lie somewhere in the shadowed past.

Oddly, there are no bridges on the Coon Trail Road, a trait consistent with many old Indian paths, which seldom crossed bodies of water. Near the County Road 42 end of this road, what appears to be a branch of Brushy Creek does flow under the road through a large metal culvert. Perhaps this culvert replaced an older bridge that once took travelers across this stream.

In the end, while the origins of Coon Trail Road remain shrouded in mystery, there is little doubt that this road has seen many changes over the years. One is left to wonder what Coon Trail Road will look like a century from now or whether it’ll even be in use in the distant years to come. More than likely, it will continue to serve travelers just as it did in the days of Indian hunters and early settlers, who would likely be surprised to see the modern road that has replaced what was once only a dim path through the deep, dark woods.