Documentary: The Copper Basin Story

[Ed. note: We asked Davis, a talented filmmaker and long-time Friend of the Fool, to share one of his recent documentary projects with us. Here's what he had to say about it:]

The Copper Basin comprises Ducktown, Copperhill and McCaysville (GA), three small towns located in extreme Southeastern Tennessee about 60 miles due east of Chattanooga. Gold prospectors discovered copper in this area in the mid-1800’s. With the advent of better transportation and improvements in mining technology, the area boomed for more than 125 years before beginning a gradual decline in the late 1970’s. With industry shrinking and many core families fleeing the area, the residual people of the “Basin” are now often alone and forgotten.

These mountain people are further isolated in a county composed of more than 70% national forest, and by a dangerous two-lane road through the famous Ocoee River gorge. Polk County consistently ranks as the one the two poorest counties in Tennessee.

Today, like many other coal-mining and gold-mining sister towns scattered throughout Appalachia, the Basin reels with abject poverty, functional illiteracy, lack of jobs, and minimal human services.

My cousin, Andrew Brown, grew up in the Copper Basin roaming the hills as a young man, graduating from Copper Basin High School in 1991. While he didn’t know it at the time, he would never really “leave” the Basin. In the last 15 years, cuz has led multiple volunteer teams back to his hometown (with his organization, Catalyst Missions), seeking to make a long-term difference in the lives of the people both spiritually and physically.

He invited me along to help tell the story. Below is the trailer. The link to the full project is here.

Untitled from saul burke on Vimeo.