Curtis Coulter's "An Excursion to the Past" is a unique, historical book of two small towns in America with long histories, beginning in 1775 with the sale of 20 million acres of land by the Cherokee Indian Nation to the Transylvania Company. That event sparked the great Indian Wars of East Tennessee that led up to the April 29, 1779 auction that gave Sale Creek its name.

Other major historical events included Fields Settlement (precursor to the name of Sale Creek as the community name), the Gideon Blackburn mission to the Cherokee Indians, first settlers, the first schools beginning in 1840, the Civil War years, the Welsh coal mining venture beginning in 1867, the coming of the Cincinnati Southern Railroad in 1880, and the great strawberry and peach growing businesses from 1900-1953 which put Sale Creek on the map.

Also included is a history of McDonald Farm, a Sale Creek institution since 1821.

Lastly, the author includes the folklore of the Pitty Pat of Shipley Hollow.

Coulter, a retired, 40-year Hamilton County educator, is a sixth-generation native of Sale Creek, whose roots run deep, where his great-great-great-grandparents were original settlers in 1819. He masterfully weaves a thoughtful and archival view of these two small towns, whose
overlapping history of tenacious settlers, battles, and fierce warriors provide treasured memories of the two small towns. The book also honors and shares the personal and humorous stories of veterans from both areas, 350 men and one woman, who valiantly served in World War II. With his work, Curtis desires to bring awareness of the history of the communities of Sale Creek and Coulterville in Hamilton County, just 28 miles north of Chattanooga, and to highlight much of the town’s history through pictorials, descriptions of events, genealogical information and countless interviews with residents of the community, both past and present.

Coulter has authored five books, numerous periodicals, published historical and geographical maps, along with information on the communities of Sale Creek and Coulterville. He continues to live in Sale Creek with Alice, his wife of fifty years, where he remains deeply committed to his community’s past, present and future. In 1992, he also produced a historical calendar with events that took place for each date of the year at some time in the history of the town. All items are available at www.coulterpublications.com.

“If you like to read about the history of small-town USA, this book is a must. It is written in a very entertaining style, which you will love even if you are not a history buff,” said Candido Segarra, CEO of Foresight Publishers, a leading book and digital publishing company in Chattanooga.

The book can be purchased locally at:

- Daniel Farm Supply - Sale Creek;
- Torbett Automotive - Sale Creek;
- Floyd Hardware - Soddy Daisy;
- Small Town Antique Mall - Sale Creek;
- Sale Creek Storage - Sale Creek;
- The Gathering Place - Dayton;
- R.J.'s Food Mart - Sale Creek; and
- Sale Creek Outdoor Power Equipment.