RESACA – This laid-back settlement is 13 miles south of Dalton, just
a little more than a stone’s throw from Interstate 75. It has an interesting
history that involves a name change, a link to the Mexican-American War, a
beauty pageant involving a former spouse of the sitting US president, and a
colorful moonshiner.

I traveled here to see the moonshiner, which led to a recent stop at a
convenience store on LaFayette Road. That is pronounced “Lah-FAY-ette,”
but is named for the French general who befriended George Washington
during the American Revolution and used a different pronunciation of his
last name. Wonder what he would say if he knew about the bastardization
of his surname.

Originally, the name of Resaca was “Dublin,” which is very interesting
in that the town of Dublin, located in Laurens County, is 209 miles south.
Before an issue could be raised about two towns with the same name in
the same state could be debated, victory in the Mexican-American War
took care of that.

Seems that those returning soldiers who won a significant victory at
the Battle of Resaca de la Palma renamed the town Resaca, which means
“Dry riverbed of the palm” in Spanish—according to one historian.

Apparently, Marla Maples was born in Cohutta, where a World War II
hero, Bill Petty, was from. Petty was credited with putting away 30
Germans on D-Day. He was one of the Rangers who scaled the cliffs at
Pointe du Hoc and took exception to any soldier who boasted about any
battlefield encounter.

When I asked him if the number of casualties credited to him was
accurate, he said in disgust, “I don’t know, but what damn fool would keep
count?”

Marla Maples had relatives in Resaca and has a different story to tell.
A former UGA coed, she had a nice run of beauty pageant successes
included the “Miss Resaca Beach Poster Girl Contest” in 1984. I have
been to Resaca a few times but never saw a beach. Cursory research
confirms that the nearest beach connected to an ocean is Tybee Island,
338 miles to the southeast.

My wife and I once were invited to Mar-a-Lago as overnight
guests—the invitation did not come from Donald Trump—and Marla and their daughter, Tiffany, were on the property. (We had a friend who was a
friend of the general manager, and he arranged for our visit.)

Only in America could a pretty blonde from the mountains of North
Georgia wind up marrying a billionaire who would become President of the
United States. But, then again, Georgia girls are especial.

Cohutta was the scene of the Great American Locomotive race
during the Civil War. Union spies, led by one James J. Andrews, hijacked the steam locomotive, “The General,” in Kennesaw, then known as Big Shanty. A
man named William Fuller then began to pursue “The General,” starting out
on foot and then commandeering a handcar.

The General eventually ran out of gas, but the Union spies were
captured and executed. The surviving Union soldiers were awarded the
first Medal of Honor. You can find The General at the Southern Museum of Civil War and
Locomotive History, which is in Kennesaw. If you are interested in visiting
“The Texas,” you will find it at The Atlanta History Center.

The most interesting story about these parts came years ago when I
bumped into a bootlegger who lived in Resaca. He had become a local legend who had refined the art of making moonshine. He had a model of
his still on his back porch.

I came away with a good story during my visit. It has to do with a
revenuer who meets this kid at the foot of a mountain and asks, “Son
where is your Pa?” The kid replied, “He’s up on the mountain, making
moonshine.” The revenuer then asked, “Where’s your Ma?” The kid said,
“She’s up there helping him.”

When the revenuer said, “I’ll give you a quarter to take me to where
they are,” the kid put out his hand. “Oh no,” the revenuer said. I’ll pay you
when we get back.”

And the kid had the last word: “No sir, I want my money now, ’cause if
you go up there, you ain’t coming back.”