Walking the rocky grounds of Noccalula Falls Park takes me to a very special place in time.  I grew up just a few blocks from the park, attended  R. A. Mitchell elementary school across the street. (Mitchell donated the land for the park)  Over the years its been a treat to watch this gem of North Alabama develop and grow for the enjoyment of all.  Now with over 400 ac. of land on both sides of Black Creek, the park includes the one of the highest single drop (90’) water falls in Alabama, a large 130 site RV Park with full hookups, a group camp ground, a Children’s Zoo, Grist Mill, historic Gilliland covered Bridge, a pioneer village, botanical garden, a world class miniature golf facility, Rental Cabins, a Wedding Chapel, large meeting facilities – open and indoor,  and memorials to all of Etowah Counties veterans.  And, there’s a narrow gauge train, replica 1863 C. P. Huntington, for getting around the park to see it all!  Best of all, while there is a modest fee to enter the gardens and pioneer village, the Falls itself is open to public, no charge. The RV park is a steal at less than $30 a night for full hookups – including WIFI.  All this at a City funded and maintained park – only minutes from downtown.

The park has come a long way since I explored the canyon below the Falls.  For us, swimming in the creek and exploring the ravines and caves that line the 2 mile long gorge kept us busy most every summer.  The legend of Noccalula, a native American Cherokee princess, betrothed by her father to a stranger, who threw herself over the falls rather than marry for convenience, haunted us at days end as the shadows grew long in the canyon below the falls.   With a little imagination you could hear her fathers tears in the thundering roar of the falls after a spring rain.  He named the Falls – Noccalula  (black water)!

To commemorate the legend, in the late 1960’s, local school children collected pennies to be melted and mixed into bronze for a larger than life statue of the Princess, depicting her leaping off the south rim of the canyon.

There are other sights and sounds of legend in the caves and on the walls along the trails below the falls. If you have time to take the 2 mi long gorge trail you will see what I mean!  Expansion plans include extending the trail as a bike path along the creek, all the way to the center of town some 5 miles down stream, eventually all the way to the Coosa River.

At the mouth of the canyon stands a small monument to Emma Samson, a brave 16 year old, who on a hot summer day in May of 1863, took saddle behind Gen Nathan Bedford Forrest CSA – despite her mothers screams of protest – and while under heavy rifle and pistol fire from Col A. D. Streight’s “Jackass Calvary” – entrenched on the Rome side of Black Creek – lead Gen. Forrest and his men to a little known ford across the creek.  Streight had burned the only bridge for miles and was headed for Rome.  Successfully fording the creek with horse and cannon,  Forrest and his Calvary unit continue to pursue Streight’s mule borne militia and thwarted an attack on the rail head at Dalton and Rome.

Forrest apparently shared his knowledge of the area with another well known CSA Calvary officer – Fightin’ Gen. Joe Wheeler.  Legend has it that during the war, Wheeler would hole up in the Canyon below the Falls, rest his men and horses, and occasionally host a party in the protection of the shear walls of the gorge.  Wheeler’s exploits during the Civil, and later the Spanish American Wars are legendary – 36 of his staff officers killed or wounded around him – more than sixteen horses were shot out from under him – wounded at least three times and yet he fought on and survived to become one of Alabama’s favorite post civil war congressmen.  Wheeler died in 1906 and is one of only two Confederate General Officers buried at Arlington National Cemetery – in honor of his later service to the country in Cuba and the Philippines – where his command included  no less than the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.

Stand under the falls on any cool fall morning and you can hear the clamor of Wheeler’s Calvary racing up the valley to Chattanooga, Shiloh, Tullahoma, and beyond.

Above the falls on the south side of the creek (main entrance) the city has collected and restored a number of late 1800 structures.  The Reese-Gilliland Covered bridge is one of my favorites.  The bridge, built in 1899, originally spanned Little Wills Creek five miles or so north of the falls on what was then Bethany Gap Road.  A favorite spot to stop for water from an nearby cold water spring,  rest the horses (or later the T model) on the long trip to Bridgeport, Fort Payne, or Chattanooga. The bridge was abandoned when Reeseville (now Noccalula) Road was improved and relocated prior to WWII.  As I remember, the creek below the bridge was deep and cold and a rope swing made it another summer favorite.  The spring was still clear, cold, and sweet in the late 1950’s. In the mid 60’s, the construction of Interstate 59 thru Little Wills valley, threatened the bridge and destroyed the spring.  The Gilliland family donated the bridge to the City of Gadsden. It was moved to the park in 1967 and restored, although not totally faithful to its original Towne Lattice design.  My  initials are carved on one of the main beams under the bridge somewhere – not easy to do .. hanging from a rope in your birthday suit!

In the spring, the Falls Botanical Garden featuring native flowering plants and trees burst into bloom.  Dogwoods in the park are spectacular.  The pavilions and meeting facilities are crowded (book well in advance) with family reunions, Easter Egg hunts, and lazy summer picnickers.  Most recently, the city added a world class miniature golf facility designed to blend in with the surroundings and challenge its visitors.  Just try to get in on a summer Saturday night.

Special events at the park include  Christmas at the Falls (500,000 pc light show and Santa’s work shop), Classic Car and Street Rod Show,  the Worlds longest Yard Sales (starts here), and a mid summer, nationally sanctioned Bar-B-Q Cook off. And if there’s not enough to keep you busy at the Falls park, it’s only minutes to first Friday – Gadsden’s monthly downtown block party sponsored by the city on the first Friday evening of the month; Trade Day, every Saturday at Collinsville and a host of other events in the surrounding communities.

Weiss Lake (the world’s best Crappie fishin’) is only minutes away, and the Large Mouth Bass on Neely Henry Lake (Coosa River Gadsden) fight like Joe Wheeler himself.   If you prefer Golf, stops on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail are nearby.

The RV park is located across Black Creek on the north rim of the canyon.  Nestled under a stand of  long leaf pines, the RV park is comfortable, quiet, a great place for big rigs, a pop up or a tent.  In addition to walking and climbing trails connecting to the main park, there is a play ground and swimming pool for small children. It’s a top rated Good Sam Park with complete hook ups and pulls thru’s for those who need them.  Despite the numerous tall pines, there are no low hanging limbs to damage your AC units and roads are well laid out to facilitate the movement of trailers and motor coaches.  Call ahead, because this park does fill up on most weekends and during special events – like the Mayor’s fishing tournament.

The RV park is less than 3 mi off of Interstate 59. (note I59 is in bad shape as of my last trip – however old US 11, parallels 59 from FT Payne to Springville and is in GOOD shape. -  Save your rig a beating and jump over on old US 11 for that stretch. – LW)

Listen to my interview with the park superintendent, Janet Tarrance,  and catch the video on Blue Ridge Web TV and Radio below.

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Contact Janet or her staff at 256-549-4663 or 256-543-7412 (RV park) – for more information and reservations.

For more information on the park and surrounding area go here.

1) Bennett H. Young, Confederate Wizards of the Saddle, 1914; reprint, Kennesaw, Ga.: Continental Book Co., 1958

2)  John P. Dyer,  From Shiloh to San Juan: The Life of "Fightin’ Joe" Wheeler (Southern Biography) (Paperback)

Most folks know about Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but few know about a place in the southeastern part of the park known as Cataloochee. Settled in the 1830’s, Cataloochee Valley was home to over 1,250 people, who built schools, churches, and large homesteads, and was the largest and most prosperous settlement in what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Once known for its farms and orchards, today Cataloochee is one of the most picturesque areas of the park. When the National Park was established in 1934, many of the historic buildings were preserved.

It’s a challenge to get to Cataloochee. The road into the valley is an 11 mile long dirt and gravel road that follows the original Cataloochee Turnpike, which began as an Indian trading route.

Viewing the beauty of the valley and visiting the preserved homesteads and buildings is only a part of the Cataloochee valley experience, the real treat is viewing the Elk herds that now populate the valley.

In 2001, elk were reintroduced into the Cataloochee valley as part of an experimental program. 25 elk were imported from the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area along the Tennessee-Kentucky border. In 2002, 27 additional animals were imported into the park. The elk are closely monitored by Park Rangers, the U.S.G.S. Biological Resources Division, and the University of Tennessee.

Elk in the Cataloochee Valley
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From the nps.gov web site:

The best times to view elk are usually early morning and late evening. Elk may also be active on cloudy summer days and before or after storms. Enjoy elk at a distance, using binoculars or a spotting scope for close-up views. Approaching wildlife too closely causes them to expend crucial energy unnecessarily and can result in real harm. If you approach an animal so closely that it stops feeding, changes direction of travel, or otherwise alters its behavior, you are too close!
Most of the elk are located in the Cataloochee area in the southeastern section of the park. The easiest way to reach Cataloochee is from Interstate highway I-40. Exit I-40 at North Carolina exit #20. After 0.2 mile, turn right onto Cove Creek Road and follow signs 11 miles into Cataloochee valley. Allow at least 45 minutes to reach the valley once you exit I-40.

Elk are large animals-larger than the park’s black bears-and can be dangerous. Female elk with calves have charged people in defense of their offspring. Males (bulls) may perceive people as challengers to their domain and charge. The best way to avoid these hazards is to keep your distance. Never touch or move elk calves. Though they may appear to be orphaned, chances are their mother is nearby. Cows frequently leave their newborn calves while they go off to feed. A calf’s natural defense is to lie down and remain still. The same is true for white-tailed deer fawns.

The use of spotlights, elk bugles, and other wildlife calls are illegal in the national park. It is also illegal to remove elk antlers or other elk parts from the park. Never feed elk or other wildlife or bait them in for closer observation. Feeding park wildlife is strictly forbidden by law and almost always leads to the animal’s demise. It also increases danger to other park visitors.
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/elk.htm

Later – CWW

Several weeks ago I was poking around on the web looking for a source for a good local wine, a gift for a friend, when I ran across nearby Chateau Morrisette, a Virginia winery located on the Blue Ridge Parkway south west of Roanoke.   A link on their web page took me to a write up about and schedule for “The Blue Ridge Wine Tail” – a weekend event sponsored by several local beverage makers in the area.  Unlike many “wine trail” tasting events across the Blue Ridge region, this wine trail includes not only local wines, but hard cider, honey Meade, and locally brewed beers.  One of the last “Wine Trail” events of the summer season was scheduled for the coming weekend.  I couldn’t resist! The idea of all those different taste and a cruise along one of my favorite sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway!  Man … it just doesn’t get any better than that!

The next day, I called Chateau Morrisette to schedule a phone interview for the Blue Ridge Post Radio Podcast about the event. (see podcast below)  I was referred to Diane Flynt, owner and chief cider maker at Foggy Ridge Ciders near Dugspur, Va. one of the key sponsors.  When Diane first told me Foggy Ridge Ciders was so far out in the backwoods of SW Virginia that the road …”had no lines”   I wasn’t sure what to make of the charming, West Point, GA drawl on the other end of the phone line.

How many Georgia Peaches do you know who are passionate … about making Hard Cider .. and live in the VA boondocks!

We scheduled the interview for next day, early – before the sun took the dew from the orchard. After all there were apples to pick once the grasses were dry!   You can listen to Diane’s passion for southwest Virginia and cider making below or at the Blue Ridge Post Radio program page.  After the interview, I couldn’t wait for the coming weekend.

Saturday, first day of the two day event, started out less than perfect for a cruise along the parkway – rain – and inches of it.   Rather than fighting the fog and rain up in the mountains, we took the less scenic route up the valley on interstate 81. After a few twist and turns along hwy 221, we found our way to Foggy Ridge Ciders and Diane’s crush pad and tasting room.  (see the video below)

Small, but spotless, the Foggy Ridge cider house and products produced there were a pleasant surprise.  Meeting Diane in person was the best treat of all.  We sampled three very different ciders, from differing blends of apples grown locally, and a fourth cider/brandy blend.  Appetizers chosen to accent the ciders were included as part of the modest ticket pricing ($30) for the five stop event!

Foggy Ridge Ciders is in fact located on back roads with no lines, but driving directions from the Parkway or the big city of Floyd, VA are straight forward.  And even though the official “Wine Trail” is held only twice a season, the Foggy Ridge cider house is open regularly for visitors.  The sponsoring group has also opened a tasting room in Floyd for those less interested in roaming around the SW VA backwoods!

We continued the Blue Ridge Wine Trail with stops at Black Snake Meadery, Chateau Morrisette, and Villa Appalacia, each a unique experience in Blue Ridge hospitality and brewing skills.

Unfortunately we were not able to make it to Shooting Creek Brewery or Anrim Wine Cellers – simply ran out of time.   But the Blue Ridge Wine Trail is on the calendar for the coming Spring, an we will allow for a lot more time.

If you have an adventurous streak (for both wine and geography) … like we do … this is a weekend trip you will not want to miss!

Be sure to listen to to my interview with Diane Flynt (listen right here – or subscribe to the podcast) and check out video clip made while on the tour.

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Until next time
DLW

We lost our Dobie, Mattie a few months back. Left a big hole in our hearts … so when this little girl showed up at the vets, nothing would do but to give her a place to call home.

Roxie is 11 week Standard Poodle – already showing me just how smart she really is. Will never replace Mattie, but this one is going to be a peach!

I never really thought I would ever choose a Poodle, after Shepards, Schnauzers, and Dobies, but we had a real estate client who had a black standard named Jasper. There was just something very intelligent about that dog that intrigued me to no end. He never barked or showed any aggression, but he knew exactly what was going on in his house – all the time.

So we will give this a try!

Here’s ROXIE!

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Back in the early 60’s, several friends and I began to explore caves in north Alabama. While my brother, Larry, was learning to fly an airplane, I was crawling into holes in the ground. I don’t know how my mother survived.

Most of the first caves we explored were small, well-known and heavily vandalized caves, but it was not long before we were spending hours in huge cave systems.

In the 60’s, Huntsville, Alabama was going wide open with NASA and the moon missions, and many of the young scientists began exploring caves. North Alabama has a large number of known caves, over 10,000 to date, according to the Alabama Cave Survey, and some of the deepest pits in the country. The June, 1964 issue of National Geographic featured an article on cave exploration, and quoted several of the Huntsville cave explorers. Our hunt was on, we were determined to meet and talk to these people and learn more about the huge caves described in the article.

We did, in fact, meet and talk with these people, which in turn, lead to other meetings, and finally to membership in the National Speleological Society. Many of these friendships continue to this day, and some of these people, now in their 60s and 70’s, still explore caves. One of my friends, Lin, has remained very active into his 60’s, and has become a respected cave surveyor, known nationally for his extremely accurate and very detailed cave maps. He has been known to spend years surveying and mapping a single cave system.

On the other hand, I moved away, got married, raised a family, got very overweight and had a heart attack. My friend Lin continues to send me photos of his latest survey trips and even copies on his latest maps. I keep thinking I will loose some of this weight and make a few trips with him again, but then I wake up in the morning with some new ache or pain and decide to put it off for a while.

Here are a few stories about some of these cave exploration adventures, some that didn’t quiet turn out like we expected!

Back in the 60’s, there were still a lot of “unauthorized distilleries” in North Alabama, and some of the remote coves and hollows that we hiked into while searching for new caves contained these operations. There’s nothing like crashing through a thicket and stumbling on one of these stills, in full operation, with not a soul in sight. The hair on the back of your neck rises up as you raise your hands and slowly back out of the clearing, saying loudly, “we’re only looking for caves to explore!” This happened more than once and why we were not shot is anybody’s guess!

Sometimes we would drive way back into a cove to a remote homestead to ask permission to look for caves or to enter a known cave. When you see a couple of fellers unloading 100 pound sacks of sugar from an old pickup truck, it’s best not to interrupt their work!

Lots of times, pure spring water flowed from the caves and was piped to a house. There were lots of caves that we were not allowed to enter because of this, and we always respected the landowner’s wishes.

I remember times when we were stopped on the side of the road, with topo maps spread on the car hood, trying to locate a certain cave, and people would stop to ask if we were TVA men planning a new dam, or Revenue men planning a raid.

I also remember walking through overgrown fields with weeds as high as your head and hearing at least three rattlesnakes rattling, and not knowing which way to walk out.

These were the best of times, with great friends and great memories. I will try to recall some more of our adventures and post them here.

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Later – CW

One day last week a client (and friend) of mine called, with details I had been waiting on for a new Website. The conversation ended with, “Oh by the way, I have something very exciting to show you – and I’m not selling anything.  I’ll be right over!”

The phone line went dead before I could say – sure come on over!

I knew right away something was up.  The web site stuff could easily be sent by email or IM – no need to make a 15 mi drive across town to my offices.  And the “I’m not selling anything” was a dead give away that she was selling something – wanted my opinion – and if I was really interested I could buy it today!

Been there – done that!   That’s why they call me “consultant”!

Within just a few minutes, I saw the SUV swing in the parking lot and Penny (not her real name) jumped out and sprang into the building.  Almost out of breath, she shoved a handwritten list of photos she wanted included on the web site.  I would spend the next sunny day playing  photographer to produce useful pix for the web pages.

Then came the pitch.

A man a their church had shown them this marvelous new program that would make them independently wealthy, producing a steady income stream for the rest of their lives, one that could even be passed down to the children when they move on to the after life.  She rumbled thru her valise and came out with some recently copied CD’s – no labels – just a hand written name.  In her haste, she had left her laptop, so I left the conference room to retrieve mine and grabbed the overhead projector for good measure.

Although my suspicions were aroused, I was determined to show her the courtesy  of hearing her out  before passing any kind of judgment on the program.

The DVD opened up with a finger snapping Texan extolling how the program was focused on selling the things your friends and family already buy, just switch them to the web site provided as part of the program. The web site was loaded with readily available affiliate programs.  The discussion very quickly moved to the development of your “down line” by recruiting others to do the same and how by recruiting only a few additional associates you could earn a new Lexus.

The pitch was very attractive … a new Lexus … really!  An income for life … one that I can pass on to my kids … wow, how cool is that?   All this for a fee of just $400 down a $50 a month fee for the web site.  What a DEAL … really?

She left all excited about how easy making all this money was going to be, headed to Charlotte for another meeting with the regional manager.

Of course my little voice was screaming – “to good to be true, to good to be true – caution caution”! I spent the afternoon digging thru the web about the company and the program.  Clearly it was Multi Level Marketing scheme with less than 2% of gross sales derived from the sale of goods and services. The balance of more than $45 million in sales coming from fees paid by the expanding “down line” sales base.  I forwarded my findings to my friend and strongly suggest she talk with her accountant about the program.

I did what I could to shine the light of reason and logic on what was likely a barely legal (?) MLM scheme.  Unfortunately my friends had already taken the bait and shelled out considerable moneys to be a part of it.  Another case of someone using the church, faith, and greed, to fleece the flock. Too bad.

Great Grand Mother Jones warned about mixing religion and business … and playing professional baseball.  The former warning … dead on …. not sure I’ve ever understood the latter!

Two things bring this topic to mind, well maybe more than that, but at least two things.

Driving into work one day last week, there was a bad wreck on hwy 91. Apparently a woman on the cell phone was not paying attention and rear ended a car stopped at a traffic light.  The car behind her never saw any brake lights and plowed into her …. hard.   The second impact sent her under the car she hit and up on top of the car that hit her – a Toyota sandwich of sorts.   It was clear from the force of the impact, she never touched the brakes, her attention obviously not on driving.  Who was she talking to and why?

Almost everyday lately I have experienced a near miss of one kind or another from someone driving and talking on the phone at the same time.  Recently a trolley accident in Boston sent 49 to the hospital, the operator texting his girl friend.  Everywhere I look, people are on the cell phone, talking,texting or tweeting.

I just don’t understand the need to be in continuous communications ….unless … we are being assimilated by the BORG.

No, I haven’t seen the new Star Trek movie, but it grossed $76 million over the week end … must be good!  It did bring to mind the BORG a fictional (?) race of cyber enhanced humanoids who are continuously linked to a collective mind “the hive mind” and generally seek and follow directions from the COLLECTIVE!  It’s futile to resist!

Is that anything like a social network?  Face book?

Aren’t the BORG “linked in”?  Don’t the BORG Tweet to each other their every move?

Isn’t the “hive mind” just Google,Wiki and Fox News … (OK. MSNBC if you’re a Republican) combined?

At what point do we give way totally to external stimulus and stop thinking for ourselves?

Thank goodness for the BLOG-O-SPHERE  it may be the last best hope for the independent mind!

Do not be assimilated!  It is possible to resist!

Subscribe to this Blog – or else!

In late 1984, the family and I returned from a three year tour in the middle east. The desktop computer, in the form of APPLE II’s & III’s had proven worthy and reliable in the unfriendly climes of Riyadh, so when Gean announced she really did not want to go back to teaching (so she could stay at home with the children) we acquired a complete desktop publishing setup and launched our first work – THE BOAZ OUTLET BULLETIN – affectionately known as the BOB! The little yellow book was patterned after the Farmers Almanac and was filled with anecdotes, recipes, folk art, coupons and shopping aids for those who were making pilgrimage to the ever popular OUTLET Center’s in the old mill villages at BOAZ, AL. Before the days of the Internet, the book was circulated by direct mail or over the counter and at one point exceeded 10,000 copies quarterly.

So began our careers in publishing and advertising. Gean handled all the ad sales and layout work, I was the IT guy and contributing editor. The inside cover feature article was usually mine, in a section we called “Our Side”. Lighthearted comments on the way we saw everyday life in the big city of BOAZ.

We had more fun that a barrel of monkeys publishing the book. Never made any money at it, but we made a lot of friends and fans over the years. When we started, we both knew the OUTLET craze could not last for ever but our purpose was to help sustain it as long as we could. We like to think the BOB helped keep the Boaz Outlet Center alive for some additional measure of time … just how much we will never know. A tribute to the businesses in the Outlets, from small independents up to and including the big dogs like Nike and J Crew, we never faced an unpaid invoice for the entire run.

In the mid 1990′s the tax laws changed affecting the disposal of excess and nonstandard inventories in the garment industry. Wal-Mart was propagating like rabbits and the demise of the Outlet Centers began. We closed the final chapter on the BOB in 1993 but continued with other printed advertising & marketing materials for clients and customers around the southeast.

Upon moving to East Tennessee, we formed an LLC called Power of E. The fact that the letter “E” kept surfacing in almost every facet of my business and personal life was intriguing. Education, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Energy, E=MC, Einstein, Edison, Electron, Environment …and on an on … and so began a new chapter in our business lives. By 2002, I had had enough of the big corporations and they me, so I parted company with Siemens, my last corporate giant of an employer, an struck out on a Real Estate career. All went well until the fall of 2008 when the housing bubble burst.

So now… we have returned to the vocation/avocation we enjoyed the most over the years – publishing – sharing with anyone who will listen the things we find noteworthy, exciting, informative, humorous, or just worth writing about in the Southern Appalachian Region.

With the rise of the Internet, printing presses are passe’, the BLOG or ” Web Log” is clearly the media of choice. With an even faster Web 2.0, text & graphics only publications do not sufice, so we have added both audio (Our Side Internet Radio -www.OurSideOnline.com) and video (Our Side MultiMedia www.OurSideMedia.com). Our multimedia productions are available as part of each post to the Blog, on demand at the media web addresses, and when appropriate streaming live – links also available on the media center web sites.

Unlike the old days, when we got letters in response to the things we wrote in the BOB, the Internet and our blogging software (WordPress) supports reader “comments” – immediate feedback to the Editors and writers. Readers are encouraged to comment on anything and everything  seen or heard on this web site. We don’t publish comments and  may or may not respond directly to each, but we do READ EVERY ONE.

Also, all of our post and pages are syndicated using the most popular syndicated systems RSS & ATOM. Subscribers are welcomed and encouraged with special offers during the course of the year. If you are not familiar with setting up a syndicated “feed reader”  go Google Reader for more information.  Most likely your browser includes a feed reader of some description, no software to download and install.

If you are inclined to contribute as an author to the BRPD by writing an article, conductng an interview, or submitting a video, please drop us an email with a brief summary of your post (article). We will respond with our level of interest.

The Blue Ridge Post Dispatch is intended to fill a gap between national and local information sources by covering a regional demographic generally known as Southern Appalachia – from Western Virgina to Birmingham, the mountains, rivers, and valleys in between. The region has a rich history and an exciting future. There are unlimited stories to be told about the region’s people, places and events  - past, present, and future.

So here we go again! – The Blue Ridge Post Dispatch.

Ethos, according to The Oxford English Dictionary, is defined as “the characteristic spirit, prevalent tone of sentiment, of a people or community; the ‘genius’ of an institution or system”, although it originally has its roots in the Greek word ‘etho’ or “to be accustomed to.”(Miller 309, 310)
However, the word ethos has been translated to contain many different meanings within the English language. One such definition in accordance with the opinion of S. Michael Halloran is that the concept of ethos listens to accepted standards, rather than what is more modernly thought of as character unique to a certain individual. He states in his research that “the most concrete meaning given for the term in the Greek lexicon is ‘a habitual gathering place.”(Halloran 60) Halloran continues further to deduce that such a description might conjure up images of shared ideas and experiences, thus fortifying it as the foundation of character.

To clarify, his reference to the meaning of ethos as a habitual gathering place draws more attention to an inferred, rather than literal meaning. In a place where one might gather often, the opportunity for developing communal values indefinitely arises. These types of values are those which are established in the meaning of ethos.

Therefore, to be a good example of ethos, one must portray the types of traits that are most valued within a society. For example, those virtues as related to Athens would be “justice, courage, temperance, magnificence, magnanimity, liberality, gentleness, prudence, (and) wisdom.”(Halloran 60) (source Wiki 09)