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Borrego Springs, CA

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Ready to roll?

Just about.  Everything is packed away except the DISH and the internet antenna.  It won’t take me long to hit the road in the morning for Tennessee.  It’s also much quieter in the campground tonight as all of the weekend folks have taken leave.  I think the deer are relieved as well.  They’ve been walking up and down the roads, and in and out of the campsites like crazy this evening.  Much to Emma’s consternation I might add.

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After I was finished visiting Pickett’s Mill Battlegrounds yesterday morning, I headed a few miles away to the Etowah Mounds State Historic Site.  Sorry to say, I lost the information booklet that I got there so now I’ll have to rely on my memory (a tricky thing at times) for tonight’s post.

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I always thought Indian mounds were only burial places.  Wrong again, Grasshopper!  While one of the mounds in this ancient community was a burial place, the others were used by the top crust of their society to build their houses upon.

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In this model you can see that there were several mounds.  The tallest and biggest was for the chieftain.  Archeologists found that there are four separate layers to that mound.  The common folk lived in the mud huts around the village.

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What remains today is a replica home, and three of the mounds.  The largest is in the top left.  The other two were smaller, and the one in the bottom right is the burial mound.

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While the ancient ones lived here, their weaponry developed from mere poking sticks to blow guns to spears with wooden points to spears with stone points, and the bow and arrow. 

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My mission for the afternoon was to pretend I was that chieftain, and climb the 130 steps to the top of the largest mound without looking too much like an invalid with the hitch-in-my-get-along.  I made it, and the view was wonderful.  That’s where I got the pictures of the other two mounds.  There was a nice breeze on top, and the only thing I wondered about was how they got a mower up here to keep the grass so nicely cut.  Of course, after enjoying the view, I had to descend those same 130 steps with that miserable hitch.

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Once I got down, I saw this staff member on a mower so I flagged him down and asked how they kept the mounds so neatly trimmed.  He had an interesting answer for me.  It seems there is a well hidden path on one side of the mound that he uses to drive the mower up to the top.  But what about the neatness of the sides of the steep mounds?  It turns out they use 12 inmates from a local prison, each with a weed whacker to take care of the sides.  It takes those inmates three days to whack the mounds on foot.  I guess if you are incarcerated it’s a privilege to get outside even if it is hard work.  The grounds of this historic site were immaculate, and I took advantage of the very nice picnic grounds.

Well, I had time traveled through 1000 A.D. to 1864 to 2012 by the time I got home yesterday afternoon.  It was quite the ‘historic’ day me.

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                                    However, when I got home, I found some things never change!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

26 comments:

  1. Interesting about how the sides of the mound are kept trim.

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  2. interesting mowing story!!!..love the angle of the staircase shots!!

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  3. Now that is an interesting way to mow the mound. Glad you could be a chieftain for a day.

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  4. Judy, thanks so much for sharing that. Love the photos; almost feel like I was there. :)

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  5. Like you, I thought Indian Mounds were burial grounds. Wow, what we don't know, and to get so old. Thanks for teaching me something new, and the wonderful post. Safe travels tomorrow. I hope that tree rodent doesn't hitch a ride north with you!!!

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  6. Great pictures, as usual, Judy. Thanks for sharing.
    The Native Americans didn't have weed whackers, or scythes, even though they probably had prisoners. So maybe they used sheep or goats to keep the vegetation down?
    Happy Tails and Trails, Penny, TX. www.pennys-tuppence.blogspot.com

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    1. No sheep or goats in the year 1000. The pre-Columbian Americans did not have domesticated animals because the local animals which might have been domesticated had been hunted to extinction.

      It is probable that there was no 'grooming' of the mound done at all. Perhaps it was burned off from time to time either intentionally or by accident.

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  7. Good question about how the mounds are kept so well-trimmed.

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  8. You do ask the most interesting questions. And then we all get to learn from the answers. Thanks again.

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  9. It seems you taught several of us something new about mounds. We have Indian mounds here in AR I just assumed they were burial mounds. You know what they say about assume.....
    great pics too!

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  10. You find the most interesting places to visit. Thanks for all the info and for the great pictures.

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  11. You have had some interesting tours the last few days. I have put them on the list:)

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  12. Riding along with you has been very educational and historic lately. Keep it coming! :)

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  13. If I had made it to the top I might have had to roll down the side.
    Gret picks.

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  14. I didn't know the mounds were where the upper crust of society lived either. Thanks for the info and pictures.

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  15. Great post- very interesting. It is always good to start the day by learning a little something- thanks :)

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  16. Thanks Judy, I am glad you find such great places to share with some of us less fortunate folks that are stuck whittling away at the honey-do list.

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  17. Judy, I think one of your quests should be to drive the Natchez Trace...Great history and many neat towns along the way, not to mention Natchez!

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  18. Great photos! Im glad you asked someone about the grass, I was curious as well! Some people would not think of that.
    We are so alike that way!
    Cheers!

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  19. Humm, I guess that is why some of the nicest and largest houses are on a hill!

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  20. Great story, Judy and thanks for the info and the photos as always. Maybe it was a good thing you were visiting on a day the inmates weren't weedwacking!

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  21. What a fascinating place; thanks for sharing it with us. I had no idea that this place, which is similar in many ways to some of the Maya sites we've seen in Mexico, even existed.

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  22. Interesting place. Thanks for sharing all that you learned.

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  23. So maybe this is what happened to that 1000 year old Indian.

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  24. I also did not know about 'the mounds' will have to go to the cahokia mounds right outside st louis, never have gone because I thought they were just burial sites.
    Donna

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  25. very fascinating! I learn so much when I read your blog! Have a great weekend!

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