ANOTHER ECHO FROM THE DELL

Harold Gene Sullivan

I don’t know why none of the others in my class, ’53, don’t remember Echo Dell, I remember it well. It was a great, isolated place on Little Red River where one could go to swim. I’m sure the roads have changed so much it would be difficult for me to find anymore but, when in we were in high school, it wasn’t too hard to find. One would take Main Street north just about as far as it would go, maybe it was to the end, well past the turn off the B-Rock and Camp Wildwood.

Then you had to walk a short ways across a field.

If I remember, they finally put one of the low-water dams, used to guarantee Searcy water in dry years, right at Echo Dell, which improved the swimming.

I may have started going there with my brother, A.,J., who is 6 years older, and Mom would make him take me along sometimes. Getting there did take a car, at least I never remember riding my bicycle out there.

This reminds me of several other swimming holes around Searcy. We did walk or ride our bikes to them. One was down on Deener Creek or Gin Creek, I never knew for sure what the name of the creek was. This creek ran just north of Searcy. The hole is not far from where the new high school is built. It wasn’t much of swimming hole, less than waist deep and muddy, but one could get wet in it. On that creek I spent many a summer day fishing and catching sunfish about 3” long.

Another swimming hole was one we called Ridge Hole. It was on the Cut, just north of Searcy on Hwy 16, east of the highway. It was almost head deep and fairly clear, except after a rain.

South of Searcy. on the Pumping Station road, there were two holes, one on Carbide Creek, just off the road. I’ve looked at it in recent years and cannot believe we swam in it. The other was on Des Arc Creek back of the Caldwell place (grandparents of “Cotton” Fuller). It was a very good hole, deep with rocks around it to dive off , and usually very clear.

The best of all was Bluff Hole out at Latonia, as I recall one had to drive through the West farm to get to it. We only went there after we had access to cars. It had a high bluff on one side so you could climb as high as you dared to before jumping off. The creek was very clear and deep. Bluff Hole is still my ideal when I think of swimming holes ... not that I think of swimming holes often.

I enjoyed Don Thompson’s trot line fishing story. I have some memories along that line that I’ll share later. Right now I’m recovering from having my right shoulder joint replaced and having to type with one finger on my left hand, it is very slow going. The healing is going fine and I looking forward to regaining full use of my right arm. I had the left shoulder joint replaced 4 years ago and it has turned out great.