There is a legend but there is also speculation that it was invented back in 1936. We opened 6 state parks and our system at the same time and the theory is that some clever folks thought the legend and name would make it stand out. They were probably right. The Legend of Hungry Mother Legend has it that when the Native Americans destroyed several settlements on the New River south of the park, Molly Marley and her small child were among the survivors taken to the raiders’ base north of the park. They eventually escaped, wandering through the wilderness eating berries. Molly finally collapsed, and her child wandered down a creek until the child found help. The only words the child could utter were "Hungry Mother." The search party arrived at the foot of the mountain where Molly collapsed to find the child's mother dead. Today that mountain is Molly’s Knob, and the stream is Hungry Mother Creek.
There is a long story of a mother and child wandering around that area and they were starving... The baby somehow got away from the mother and was found and all she would say was "Mama Hungry" I believe if you Google it you can get the full story. It is a beautiful place!
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