Mobile House

Ohio History

PVC-Frame Poultry Shelter

On the other end of the field from the feeder was the shelter house. If it follows common designs I've seen, this coop was built from PVC pipes held together by a wooden frame. A tarp was draped over the tope and secured at the end Conestoga-wagon style. It creates shade while reflecting the heat and allowing a breeze to circulate. The chickens can enter and exit through the openings at the bottom. At this time of day, most of them were taking refuge in the shade to keep cool. There was another good reason to stay under cover: we spotted several hawks circulating overhead while we were there. It would be very easy for a bird of prey to swoop down on these little hens not even yet full size. I also wondered how they secured the hens for the night; the broiler chicks would (hopefully) be fine in the enclosed runs, but this shelter was definitely not secure. Possibly there was a way to pull the tarp down to the ground; I am not sure. It was definitely an interesting setup!

Little Blue Tractor

Ohio History

Feed and Water

The broiler runs were not the only chicken tractor, though. This quaint little blue tractor just begged to have its own picture. We concluded that it is used to haul the large barrel of water from the source to the field. Honestly, I do not even know where the source was, as the chicken field was surrounded by woods on one side and fields on the other. However, I think the tractor was up to the job. If you look closely at the hopper feeder in front, you might pick out the birds inside. Well, with those rust problems, it would not be hard for the pullets to climb in. I think they are probably looking for shade as much as food. The sun was beating down on them, and the shelter of the PVC coop was a good ways off, as we will see in the next post.

Poultry Stop

Ohio History

Chicken Farm

Heading away from Fort Ancient, we were eager to find a park and eat lunch. However, we were not in too much of a hurry (or I was not, that is) to stop for a look at a chicken operation that we passed. Who would imagine finding such an elaborate poultry set up out in the rolling hills of southwestern Ohio? Needless to say, I was at least a little bit excited. And of course I took plenty of pictures, so you can get excited too! Above you can see the whole setup, with a covered house and outdoor feeder for the laying hens. There were also broiler (meat) chicks being raised, which you can see in the chicken runs in the bottom picture. This is the typical "chicken tractor" arrangement, with twenty or twenty-five meat birds contained in a low, large, wire-enclosed run. You might be able to make out the red hanging feeder on the right, and I suppose that the buckets on top feed water into some kind of waterer down inside. The runs are covered at one end both for shade and for protection from predators reaching through the wire.

Broiler Runs

Valley View

Ohio History

Fort Ancient Plateau

Just before we left Fort Ancient, we enjoyed this view from a wooden lookout platform. Gazing across the plateau, we could almost make out in places the earthen mounds of Fort Ancient. This plateau is 235 feet high, and overlooks the Little Miami River valley. Fort Ancient covers the 100 acres on the very summit of the plateau. Far in the distance, you can almost see the drop in elevation and descending treetops. The Native Americans chose carefully when finding a spot for such a work of earth. Fort Ancient truly is a fascinating place.

Gateway Mounds

Ohio History

The Great Gateway

As we drove away from the museum inside Fort Ancient, we passed through these two mounds. If I am not mistaken, this is the Great Gateway. Two exceptionally large mounds join the northern and southern parts of Fort Ancient. They create a gateway that is the primary entrance to the southern area of the enclosure. According to the sign, there is also a small mound that was built just south of the Gateway mounds. It connects to a stone pavement that runs 150 feet into the southern enclosure. I don't believe we saw it, although apparently it is still in tact, since we did not get out of the car. But if you look closely at the left-hand mound in the picture, you can almost see a smaller mound down in front. It was pretty cool to drive through the opening between these two mounds!

More Mounds

Here is another road between two mounds that we saw as we drove out of Fort Ancient. I don't remember if we were still inside the enclosure or not, but it was surprising how many mounds we could spot even from inside our car.

More Mounds

Ohio History

A View of the Earth Wall . . .

We walked along the wall for a ways, following its winding contour. It was amazing to see how high it was in some places. And to think it had stood for perhaps over a thousand years without eroding back into the ground! The Hopewell took great care in the construction process. In fact archaeologists now believe that the walls were built over the period of several hundred years. In the beginning stage, they created a base of gray clay. On top of this was heaped three low, parallel mounds of earth. These mounds were then painstakingly covered with countless basketfuls of soil, creating the second stage of construction. Amazingly, archaeologists have been able to identify the outlines of individual loads of dirt in cross sections of the wall.

. . . And Another View

In the third stage, a final cap of soil was added to top off the mound. Limestone slabs were also applied on the exterior of the mounds where more stability was needed. These have been found in particular on the eastern end of the enclosure. It is amazing to think how all this soil and rock was hauled to this construction site, especially considering the high elevation of the plateau where Fort Ancient is built. Above you can see another section of the mound wall, this one even higher than the last.

Fort Ancient Mounds

Ohio History

Earthen Wall

Now it was time to see the Fort Ancient mounds themselves. We drove down the length of the enclosure from the museum to the more narrow central area. Up close, the walls of earth looked almost like small hills; they were overgrown with grass and trees. Inside are conical and crescent-shaped mounds, flagstone pavements, and stone circles, some of which you can see in the aerial view below. There are also 67 "gateways" or openings in the wall of the enclosure, turning down the possibility of the wall being built for military defense. Instead, archaeologists believe the site was used as a religious and social center for the Hopewell Indians who built it. Some of the walls and mounds may even function as astronomical calendars. The Fort Ancient people who came after the Hopewell may have used it for similar purposes. These people likely lived in villages along the Little Miami River and possibly within Fort Ancient itself. Below is an aerial map of Fort Ancient that we saw on a sign:

Indian Canoe

Ohio History

Transportation by Water

Outside the Native American dwellings were a few things you might have found in an Indian's backyard. The canoe above was very interesting. We could see the marks where it had been carved out of a solid log. The ends had been carefully chiseled to a point to glide smoothly through the water. I was struck again by how small it was. I can't imagine sitting in this little boat out in a wide river though. I wonder if these canoes ever tipped over? I think I might opt to walk if I was an Indian. But then, there were no real roads, and waterways served as the highways in Indian days. Travel could be accomplished so much more quickly, and these shallow canoes could navigate all but the smallest streams.

Herb Garden

Nearby was a pretty little garden. It is amazing to think how much the Indians know about different plants and what they could do medicinally. I recognized the yarrow although it was not yet flowering; its yellow flowers can be dried and used for tea for a cold or infection. I believe that is bee balm in the back, and possibly some lavender in the front right corner. The Indians also knew how to gather many wild plants and herbs that were beneficial for all kinds of ailments. However, some plants were cultivated out of necessity or for convenience.