exploration six Fort Ancient Earthworks

     Although it is called a "fort," it probably never served as a defensive work. Ditches are located inside the walls rather than outside as might be expected if it was an actual fort. There are more than 60 gateways in the enclosure, which would have made it difficult to defend against enemies. But this shouldn’t have mattered because it was built by the Hopewell culture between 100 B.C. and A.D. 400. If you take a dump truck from Cleveland to Cincinnati lined up from bumper to bumper full of dirt, that is how much the Hopewell much to created there fort. They also have spacial events throughout the year, like an event for Indian descendents to come for two days to camp and celebrate.

     My mom, sister, and I went to the Southwest part of Ohio in Oregonia, Ohio to Fort Ancient this past summer. It was about an hour drive or two. We walked around in the 9,000 sq. ft. fort Museum at Fort Ancient of its exhibits, including many interactive units, focusing on 15,000 years of American Indian history in the Ohio Valley first. One Interactive unit a video showing how create arrow heads out of flint to at the time seemed boring; because the guy showing how said “on average it would take about forty five minutes to hours shaping the arrow head based on your skill level in doing so.” While walking in the museum we saw history of different time periods like the French American war. After walking in museum exhibits we all agreed to get what we wanted from the store, because there were going to close in Two hours and we haven’t looked outside yet. This where I got a CD that is some Indian Music Which is Call Sky Riders by Jaime Vega, an exploration of the native flute  music of the Americas.

      When we went outside we went to look at the plants that were collected. While doing so and looking on the map we got there was different paths. We chose to take the one in the same area that I don’t think was on the map for a reason. The path looked like a path, because it had markers showing the path goes in a circle back around and had a sitting bench on the opposite part we took. As walked along there were fallen trees on the path and the vegetation wasn’t cut back. With the fallen trees in the way my sister And I came up with the terms, “Limbo and hop scotch,” for having to go under the trees and avoid mud. While walking the path with vegetation overgrown I must have started walking off in the woods, because my sister said “don’t you know you’re walking off into the woods.” On the same path the only other misfortune we had would have been walking and falling into a big hole about five feet deep and about seven feet wide.

As walked back towards the others paths by the museum that were marked on the map were a little safer. The Orange path that took you by where some huts were had logs on the edges of the path and mulch in between that were laid down by boy scouts. The other paths in the back the Purple, blue, and red were labeled to be a harder walk and some small climbing. Ya the one we took was the Purple one that was a mile hike which had the blue path connecting to it. Which the blue path connected to path is made to ride your bike to different states. Since my mom and sister were getting tired they didn’t want to follow, but they did any ways because I had the keys to the car. One phrase my said “I ain’t no D- word Indian,” when I went running off running to see how far the path was. While running, there were roots and other things like coming out of the ground.  Then coming up on the bridge to get to the other side, I said to myself “wow what I nice view, but if I am not careful I could have fallen off about a good three feet.” When I made to the end I ran over to a ledge because I got curious of what was on the other side. When my mom and sister came out they were going back to the car, so I tried to get their attention to come over. But they didn’t care they said, when I caught up to by running over to tell them about the great view. They didn’t really want too, but they did and were amazed by what I was trying to tell them. The view looking down was about I would say 100 feet down you could see, and about 300 feet or more feet looking off to the distance.  Upon leaving the site we went back into the museum gift shop to buy shirts we saw the first time and told lady working there that day about the first path we went on to. She said, “Since the storm a few storms we had in the past,” like the storms from hurricane Katrina, “They haven’t had time and the resources of money to clean up some of the trails.” We went t Bob Evens afterwards and on the way home we listen to my music I got. We of course didn’t make it past song five because we were all tired and the music must have been making it worse. The music is great and all but don’t listen to it when tired.


 The Cd I bought for three dollars.