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

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 >