Hi, Kathy. Burn, indeed they did, and then had animal drives over the cleared area, as did many tribes and groups, including the Wyandots and Delawares in OH and MI. Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: "wawbrey" <wawbrey@msn.com> To: <VA-SOUTHSIDE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, May 14, 2001 3:50 PM Subject: Re: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Re: Travel and forests > I live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and Native Indians burned the > valley every year to keep the hunting good. Only trees along rivers and on > some of the buttes weren't burned. I'm sure these weren't the only tribes > that did that. Kathy Awbrey in Pleasant hill, OR > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John Ottinger" <johnc@terracom.net> > To: <VA-SOUTHSIDE-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2001 11:11 PM > Subject: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] Re: Travel and forests > > > > Paul Drake wrote: > > > > > > > We should remember that virtually all of the travel during the 17th- and > 18th-centuries was through deep forests, > > > such as in VA/NC/SC/KY, etc., etc. Indeed, it was said that a squirrel > could have travelled from the Atlantic to the > > > Mississippi and never touched the ground. The trees were EVERYWHERE, > giant, and completely blanketed and > > > canopied over the land, as did all other vegetation, > > > > <<snipped>> > > > > A good portion of the Virginia and North Carolina piedmont was fairly open > country. Robert Ramsey, > > in Carolina Cradle, says > > > > That section of the Granville District lying between the Yadkin and > Catawba rivers consisted of a > > fertile, well-watered,virtually treeless meadow land. John Lawson left the > following interesting > > account of the territory embraced within what was to become Rowan County: > > > > We traveled this day about twenty-five miles over pleasant savanna ground, > high and dry, having very > > few trees upon it, and those standing at a great distance.... > > > > Ramsey continues: > > > > Jethro Rumple (an early settler) recorded the statement of a resident of > Rowan to the effect that > > the region was destitute of forest and that one 18th century settler was > obliged to haul the logs > > for his house more than a mile. Another inhabitant told Rumpl that he > could remember when the land > > between Third and Fourth creeks was open prairie in which wild deer > mingled with the horses and > > cattle as they grazed. > > > > Julia Davis, in The Shenandoah, wrote that John Lederer passed through > Manassas Gap in the Blue > > Ridge in 1670 and "descended into broad savannas, flowery meads where > herds of red deer were > > feeding. The grass which sprang from the limestone soil was so high they > could tie it across their > > saddles. Since the Indians burned their land over every autumn to make > their game preserve, it was > > only lightly wooded with occasional groves of oak or maple." > > > > > > John Ottinger > > > > > > ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > > VAGenWeb > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~vagenweb > > > > > > ============================== > > Create a FREE family website at MyFamily.com! > > http://www.myfamily.com/banner.asp?ID=RWLIST2 > > > > > ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > USGenWeb Archives Census Project > http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/census/ > > > ============================== > Ancestry.com Genealogical Databases > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist2.asp > Search over 2500 databases with one easy query! >