The Appalachia Daily for June 11, 2026, Thursday – Special Local Legends Edition

This summer, River Run Digital is focusing on practical, hands-on AI workshops right here in our region - helping neighbors build real skills to work smarter with AI while staying rooted in the trades and real-world work.This month’s workshop is in Canton, GA, at Thrive in the Mill Building. Visit go.riverrun.digital to learn more including a workshop near you.Long ago, the Cherokee knew this bend of the Hiwassee River as the home of Tlanusi, a giant leech that lived in the deep, dark water. It wasn’t just any leech. This one was enormous - bigger than a man, with a body that could stretch and a powerful suction strong enough to pull in deer, cattle, or even people who wandered too close to the riverbank. Folks said you could sometimes see the water ripple in a strange way, or hear a low sucking sound just before something disappeared beneath the surface.The story goes that Tlanusi terrorized the people who lived along the river until a clever hunter or a group of warriors finally found a way to defeat it. Some versions say they used fire or hot rocks to drive it from its hiding place. Others say it was tricked into coming out of the water and then slain. Either way, after that day the giant leech was gone, but the memory of it stayed.That’s why the Cherokee called this spot Tlanusi-yi - the Leech Place. When the town of Murphy was later established here, the old name and the old story traveled with it. You can still hear pieces of it today if you walk the Riverwalk or talk with folks who’ve lived here a long time. It’s one of those quiet legends that reminds us this land has been telling stories for a very long time.Where to listenProduced by River Run Digital Media and Entertainment – https://www.facebook.com/groups/riverrundigitalmedia or https://x.com/RRDigital_mediaRiver Run Digital Media and Entertainment is a division of RiverRun Digital www.riverrun.digitalTake care of your neighbors, and they’ll take care of you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adu.riverrun.digital