The Story of
Deer Leap Trail

This story comes from a page in the Richfield Archives dated 1969.  It is labeled "Off the Beaten Path", and was a script for a guided hike around the area.  It seems that the land was not fenced in at the time, and local residents enjoyed rambling through the wild valleys of the Girl Scout land.  The script cites many old tales of the area:  history and legend jumbled together. 

There was a Hunter who especially liked to search the valley between Old Kirby's two lakes for game.  One day, on the shore of the lower lake, the Hunter spotted a Deer.  A big fellow, with an eight point rack. Stealthily, the Hunter slipped through the trees to get closer.  Just as he was almost near enough, the Deer startled.  Then, with a flick of his white tail, he turned and ran down the path past the dance hall.  The Hunter hurried after him.  Past the hall, the Hunter slowed and followed the fresh tracks in the soft ground.  He patiently and quietly tracked the hoof prints upstream until he found the Deer, browsing on jewelweed in a sunny glade.  Just as the Hunter again got close enough, the Deer jumped over the creek and ran off into the woods. 

Grumbling, the Hunter followed, even though he got his boots wet as he slid down the bank into the mud.  Five more times this happened.  Farther and farther upstream, the Deer led the Hunter on a merry chase, springing from one side of the creek to the other whenever the Hunter got close.  Finally, as the creekside rose into a cliff beside the widest part of the creek, the Hunter finally got the Deer within reach. 

But at that moment, the Deer crouched down, and with a mighty jump, leapt off the cliff and across the creek. Safely on the other side, the Deer looked over his shoulder at the Hunter and laughed.