The Legend of Horsehead Hill

Back during the exploration of what is now Alabama by DeSoto there was a very beautiful Indian maiden named Running Horse. One day while exploring south east Alabama DeSoto spotted the young maiden along a trail. He fell immediately in love with her had had to have her. He sent men after her to bring her back to the camp.

For three days and nights he kept her chained in the tent trying to convince her of his love for her. One night DeSoto attacked her in a drunken state. Running Horse defended herself and managed to knock him out. Quickly she slipped out the back of the tent. She saw Desoto’s horse tied to the post. She jumped on his back and rode into the woods away from the camp as fast as the steed would go.

Desoto came too and realized her escape. He sent his best horsemen in pursuit. Running Horse rode and rode pressed on by the pursuing men. For days she rode west until finally she passed out due to exhaustion. The horse kept on bent on taking his passenger to safely from the pursuing men. Finally the horse gave out too and collapsed at the foot of a hill in what is now Shelby County.

A few days later warriors from Running Horse’s tribe found her body still astride the fallen horse. Though sad for her loss they were proud of her escape from Desoto’s men. In her honor and in honor of the brave horse they built a mound of rocks over where both horse and rider lay. For many years after her death the tribe would come by every fall and lay flowers on the grave of Running Horse and her horse.

Four hundred years later a new railroad was being cut through Shelby County. When the engineers came to a hill that was partially in the way of a turn they blasted. The blast cut part of the ridge away from a low rock hill that the tracks would curve ninety degrees through. The roadbed was graded the track was laid and that piece of the county was forgotten.

Today, if you walk down the track going east in the fall in the afternoon you can see an image cut out of the rock on the east side of the rails. It is a sculpture of Desoto’s horse or at least the horse’s head riding bravely on carrying the maiden to safety.