Montebello, VA -- The Crabtree Trail, running through the Crabtree
Falls Recreation Area around 7 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway,
offers the general public a near-unprecedented opportunity to view
the most celebrated of American plants, wild ginseng ( Panax quinquefolius
). Around 200 yards up the dirt portion of the footpath, a mature
plant grows within yards of the heavily used trail; directly beneath
a small observation deck across from a natural rock tunnel about
1/2 mile further along, a second mature plant stands.
Ginseng flourishes here in conjunction with plants such as Catawba
rhododendron and wild bleeding heart in a natural arboretum protected
by prohibitions on disturbing plantlife and by the environmental
consciousness of the thousands of visitors viewing spectacular Crabtree
Falls plunging through a cool and humid gorge fostering terrarium-like
growing conditions.
Archaeologists
Research Iroquois Indians' Forts
Marienville, PA -- Archaeologists with the Allegheny
National Forest researching the Iroquois Indians' remote and legendary
Catawba Path continue their appraisal of two Iroquois forts located
on a high Pennsylvania plateau, the "Big Level", near
the Forest County village of Russell City. The ruins lie
in proximity to the presumed Path corridor. Forest Service
archaeologist Amanda Glaz gives a 14th century date for the forts,
which consist of earthworks today but in their era of use featured
pointed logs arranged in stockade fashion.
Much of the Catawba Path remains unknown because
the Iroquois built it as a long-distance path that breached distracting
stream systems, following high ground far from future European
settlement. The two forts, discovered in the 1970s and 1990s, respectively,
remain in deep forest, unknown to the public.
The Iroquois focused much activity close to
the Catawba Path, which ran far enough south that it was used to
conduct raids on the Catawba tribe of the Carolina region. Since
the forts lie near the presumed corridor of the path, they may
have had the function of repelling counterattacks coming from the
south.
The ruins remain unaltered by interpretation
or signs. Campers and other outdoors people share the Allegheny
Plateau with them in a rare parallel existence.
