 And while Kephart claimed he received positive feedback from the mountain people, former Hazel Creek resident Duane Oliver recalled that the book angered many of the creek's residents for the stereotypical way in which it portrayed them.In 1902, the W. M. Ritter Lumber Company began making plans for a massive lumbering operation along Hazel Creek.Ritter convinced Southern Railway to extend the railroad from Bushnell to the mouth of Hazel Creek, where Ritter built the hub that bore his name.