Spring Water Memories

Remembering the late 1960s and early '70s, people in Murray County and round about still loved to take a gallon jug and dip water out of a clear spring. There were several springs in Murray and surrounding counties. Our family often went to Ringgold, in Catoosa County, and while there, we would get several gallons of water from the spring. It was so clear and cold. There were periwinkles in the spring (tiny freshwater mollusks with black spiral shells), and we children loved to find them and play with them. Mother would scold if we got too close to the source. She made us go further downstream so as not to play in the drinking water. We also picked watercress, which we loved to eat (mixed with garden lettuce and spring onions, pouring bacon grease over them in those naive glory days of good eating).