POVERTY POINT WORLD HERITAGE SITE EXPEDITION!

When I first saw the logo for Poverty Point World Heritage Site ( www.lastateparks.com/historic-sites/poverty-point-world-heritage-site ), I thought the semicircular designs indicated there was WIFI throughout the site.  That shows just how much I had to learn!

 

However, the semicircles actually are a graphic rendering of how the site was arranged at the time it was in use by humans.  The landscape had been modified to make elevated levees, where the inhabitants could sleep, and build their small fires (represented by wisps of smoke in sketch.)  An artist's rendering of how the sight may have looked is shown below: 

I had never heard the term "World Heritage Site", until my son used it to justify a trip he was taking in the 1990's, with an entourage from the University of Arkansas Architecture Department, to a country overseas, I had never heard of either!  So I had to Google both the phrase "World Heritage Site", and the name of the country to find out where he was headed!  The placard below explains that Poverty Point was declared a World Heritage Site in 2014, indicating it was one of the world's extraordinary cultural properties.  At the time it was built, between 1700 and 1100 BC, it was the largest prehistoric mound complex in North America. 

The Visitor Center/Museum had a timeline display, with the Poverty Point timeline indicated in red, in photo below:

The timeline shows that the Poverty Point culture existed hundreds of years before the birth of Christ.  Seeing on the timeline that the Italian volcano Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii, in the year 79 AD, brought to mind a visit my father and I had to the Pompeii site, back in the 1960's.  If I had seen such a timeline on my visit to Italy, I think I could have had better results in my college world history classes!

 

 

I found it interesting that this poem was framed and behind glass, in the museum.  It quotes a phrase from the book of Ephesians in the New Testament.  The phrase says, "This is a great mystery...."

The park has regularly scheduled group tours of the grounds, and this is a photo of the very knowledgeable driver/guide that our group had:

 

The shuttle was very helpful, as the grounds are expansive!

This photo shows some of our group, as well as other park visitors, who just happened to be on the same shuttle.

One of the stops on the shuttle tour is "Mound A".  It is one of the biggest aboriginal earthworks in North America, and it is the largest built by hunter-fisher-gatherers.  I did not know until researching this article, that there is a discipline called "landscape archaeology", and I think this would classify as a part of the subject matter.  There are estimated that the inhabitants would                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      have had to carry about 1. million loads, to construct this giant mound. 

This is a photograph of the board walk visitors can use to climb to the top of the mound:

Several members of the archaeology group that made the trip to Louisiana are also members of the Arkansas Master Naturalists, as evidenced by the tee-shirts Lori and I are wearing.  We are both thankful that the arduous walk to the top was completed, and know the descent will be much easier!

The

short time of exertion we had, certainly does not compare to the amount of exertion it took to carry 50 pound baskets of soil to the top of this mound!  Plus, the info below shows it would have required these humans to carry more than 30 MILLION BASKET LOADS OF EARTH! Whew!!

lArchaeology is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation, and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes.  Poverty Point is an active, on-going archaeological study, as only a small proportion of its expansive area has been scientifically studied. 

A fun part of any visit to Poverty Point World Heritage Site, is seeing a demonstration of the use of a hunting tool used by this ancient culture, called an Atlatl.  The photo below shows a staff member aiming an atlatl at the round bale of hay in the distance. 

We all had the opportunity to try throwing the atlatl, which led to some very funny videos that we looked at later!

Everyone in our group was in agreement, that obesity would not have been a problem, if we had been the ones in charge of harvesting a wild animal for food, using the Atlatl!  The staff member told us that he has disciplined himself to practice hitting the target, otherwise, his skill diminishes.  For the native cultures that relied on the atlatl, this would mean no animal to harvest.  The situation seemed to be a good visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health ( www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) memory verses that says, "No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it's painful!  But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way."  Hebrews 12:11

The site has a mowed path that leads to the bayou a few hundred yards away.

Another body of water, called the Bayou Macon, is very close to the Visitor Center.

Inside the museum is a display of hundreds of spear points.  They are of particular interest because the type of stone they are made from indicates they came from areas as far away as 700 miles!  There is very little naturally-occuring stone or rocks in the Poverty Point site, so it had to be "imported"!!

A few miles away from the Poverty Point World Heritage Site, is the Poverty Point Reservoir State Park. (www.LaStateParks.com/parks-preserves ) Our group rented lovely cabins that were over the water, and we observed some guests who were actually fishing from the back decks of their cabin!  Also, the decks are designed so that a boat can be moored adjacent to one's cabin!  In addition to the cabins over the water, there are cabins that are totally land-based. 

Notice the lowered deck beside the porch, for easy access to a moored boat. 

Our group enjoyed gathering at Mark and Laurie's cabin in the evening, to visit and watch the sun go down over the water. 

Mark and Lori Shockley are the guiding duo for our group, and maintain the Facebook page (  www.Facebook.com ) for the Three Rivers Chapter of the Arkansas Archaeological Society.  Mark is the President, and his wife, Lori, is the Secretary-Treasurer.  All of us were very thankful for their leadership of the chapter, and especially for their arranging and coordinating the group trip to Louisiana!

This expedition with Mark, Lori, and the other participants gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia

LOUISIANA "NO MAN'S LAND" EXPEDITION!

The Louisiana map shown on the back of this tee shirt highlights the area known as No Mans Land.  I had the wonderful experience of touring No Mans Land, with representatives from the Louisiana Tourism Department, and Group Leader Magazine (www.GroupTravelLeader.com) .  After spending several days in this area, I came across a verse in the Old Testament book of the Bible that took on new meaning.  Job 38:26b uses the phrase, "A wilderness in which there is no man."    Although that Bible verse references a territory of the "Old World" in ancient times, this area of Louisiana  got the nickname "No Mans Land" because of border disputes, between the pioneers of various countries, who came to North America (the New World), to start a  life in an area that they knew nothing about.  Therefore, the phrase "No Man's Land" is serving as my visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, "By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."  Hebrews 11:8  Likewise, I did not know exactly where I was going on this trip, but I had faith in the hosts of the event, so I obeyed the instructions and went! 

 

 

One part of No Man's Land is Toledo Bend and that is the body of water behind me.  It is formed by a dam on the Sabine River, which serves as the boundary separating Louisiana and Texas in this section of the USA.  I am standing on the Louisiana side, and the shoreline in the distant background is Texas.  A bridge goes across the lake to connect the two states.  If you ever wanted to say you paddled from Louisiana to Texas, this would be the place to do it!  Likewise, if you ever wanted to say you walked from Louisiana to Texas, this would be the location of a bridge to do it!

Our group stayed at the incredibly beautiful Cypress Bend Resort and Golf Club.  The photo showing me, with uplifted arms in gratitude, was taken on the golf course we visited, and the photo below shows our group having an outdoor supper at the pavilion overlooking the lake:

If you want to watch the sun go down over Texas, without actually being in Texas, this is the place to do it!  Sunsets always seem to be more stunning when there is a body of water in the foreground, and who could find a prettier inland location for photography, than this body of water that separates Louisiana from Texas!

There is only one national forest in Louisiana (Kisatchie National Forest), and it has a limestone cave feature that is unique to the area. It is accessed by an easy trail, shown below.  When I am out hiking, I like to get photos of people walking the trails under overhanging rock ledges, so I asked the person behind me to snap this photo of me, (since I was not quick enough to get someone in front of me to pose for a photo.) 

This area of No Man's Land with the national forest is where Wolf Rock Cave is located, and this is a photo of me looking at the Wolf Cave opening:

No one in our group ventured back into the cave any further than the opening, seeing as how this was not a spelunking expedition.  However, the forest service personnel said it was not a very big cave. 

There was a spacious parking lot at the trailhead for Wolf Rock Cave, that easily accommodated our large motorcoach.  And in a true gesture of Louisiana hospitality, the forest service had a table of snacks and beverages for us, as well as a clean port-o-potty with hand-washing facilities.  This was a welcome sight, as the cave is located several miles off the pavement, on a gravel, forest service road.

 

A very popular town in this area is Natchitoches (pronounced Nack-a-tish).  Since the name of the town is not pronounced the way it is spelled, I thought it was very helpful that there was a big sign in the visitor center that explained the pronunciation, and also a map on the wall that shows Natchitoches is just a short drive into Louisiana, from the southern border of Arkansas! 

This photo I took of the rowing skiffs, is a reminder to say that Cane River Lake is the site of college rowing competitions, as well as Dragon Boat Races.

I saw the photo below on the local college (Northwestern State University) social media page, recognizing their Women's 4+ rowing team that brought home the championship in a rowing competition in May, 2021. 

The city of Natchitoches, whose tagline is "Louisiana's Oldest City", has numerous types of lodging, and these are listed on their website at www.Natchitoches.com, or you can phone their office directly at 1-800-259-1714.  Some of the lodging properties are directly on the waterfront, such as "CanDi on the Cane Guesthouse", pictured below:

 

Besides waterfront locations, there are several Bed and Breakfast Inns, as well as AirBnB's.

If you are a movie fan, you may remember the movie called "Steel Magnolias", and the home that is shown in some of the scenes.  That home happens to be in Natchitoches, and has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast, where you can stay overnight!

The Cane River Lake was formed whenever the Red River shifted its course, brought on by a gigantic, 160-mile-long, log jam, causing an oxbow lake to form.  The massive log jam was known as "The Great Raft".  In the 1830's, "snag boats" started trying to clear the log jam raft.  But soon after the raft was cleared, the meandering river began to change the course of its main channel.  The result was a new channel which cut across a bend , over four miles north of Natchitoches.  Afterwards, steamboat access to Natchitoches was difficult, and ultimately impossible.  By the beginning of the 20th century, dams were built to separate the old channel from the new, thus forming "Cane River Lake".  So now, the body of water that passes through downtown Natchitoches is a lake, but has the characteristics of a stream.  It averages only about 250 feet in width.  The use of dams to control the depth and "current" of the lake made it possible for the city of Natichitoches to open up a beautiful, renovated  riverfront part in 2017, that is less prone to flooding. 

It is a common sight to see folks out on the water, enjoying the historical sights along the watertrail, as well as the private homes and restaurants.  Most of the area along this waterway is part of the Cane River Natural Heritage Area (www.CaneRiverNHA.org).  It is made up of a largely rural, agricultural landscape, known for its historic plantations, distinctive Creole architecture, and multicultural legacy.

Our group had the pleasure of taking a boat ride on the lake, aboard the"Cane River Queen" vessel.  We took a leisurely cruise down the lake and back, and enjoyed seeing several different types of wildlife along the way.  You can find out more about the many services they offer, by visiting their website at www.caneriverqueen.org

I was intrigued with the beauty of the riverfront park, including the red brick sidewalks, the luscious hanging baskets full of colorful blooms, vintage-style lampposts, and park benches. 

The expansive canopy of the live oak trees provides shade for the park, and there are clean public restrooms that are easily accessible.  (the person in photo is walking towards the public restrooms at the end of the sidewalk)

 

The entire 33-block area of downtown Natchitoches has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District, so one will see many different types of architecture along their main street, reflecting the different countries that ruled over the settlement, over the decades; yet the thing that ties them all together is a ribbon of red brick streets and sidewalks, tied with bows made out of beautiful flowers:

Kayaks, both those powered by paddles,  and those powered by foot pedals, are available for rent in downtown Natchitoches at the Cane River Paddle and Pedal Concession.  They also rent standup paddleboards,  You can find out more by phoning them at 318-527-0066.  I am posting these photos of paddling possibilities in this area, in hopes of inspiring my kayaking buddies to come on a group trip to this area!

If you look at the photo below, I hope you will notice the bold architectural statement made around the ascending staircase.  This is the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, that is known as much for its stunning architecture, as its historic exhibits.  You can read about the history of the area by visiting www.LouisianaStateMuseum.org

 

 

A famous Louisiana sports personality is one way I am remembering how to pronounce the name of this town, the oldest city in Louisiana.  That is because when Shaquille O'Neal came to Natchitoches, to be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the story goes, that he joked that in recognition of his induction, the town name could be changed to "Shaq-0-Tish" for a day, instead of "Nack-0-Tish".  Since one of my nick names is "Trish", I can now remember that the first part of the town name rhymes with "Shaq" and the last part of the town name rhymes with "Trish"---problem solved!

Another attraction you will not want to miss when you are in Natchitoches, is the Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, one of three state historic sites in the area. 

Inside the campus of this historic site, one can see evidence of the early settlers' life:

Nachitoches has dozens of restaurants, and many of them offer the famous Natchitoches meat pies (shown in photo).  This city even has an annual "Meat Pie Festival"!

Another reason this would be a good trip for those who enjoy paddle sports, is that there is a popular lake in Natchitoches, called Sibley Lake (shown here).   Whenever I saw the kayaks on the shore at the restaurant where we dined, I was visualizing a "repeat performance" of a paddling excursion our kayaking group took in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  We started our adventure on a canal near our lodging property, and then paddled about a mile, to a popular restaurant along the waterfront, stowing our kayaks on the shore---similar to the ones shown in the photo I took.  We had a delicious seafood lunch, then worked off the calories by paddling back to our launch site!  It was a fun experience!

 

 

  The Mariner's Restaurant is a destination on Lake Sibley that one can paddle to or drive to.  Regardless of how you get there, it is a FANTASTIC place to enjoy seeing the sun set over a lovely expanse of calm waters.  You can watch it from inside (because the entire dining area is all glass), or go outside on the deck that is above the water.

My photos and comments in this article have barely scratched the surface of the numerous activities that await you when you visit the southwest section of Louisiana, known as "No Man's Land"!  You can find out more from their website by visiting www.VisitNoMansLand.com and for information about other areas of Louisiana, check out www.LouisianaTravel.com or phone the Louisiana Department of Tourism at 225-342-9282.  I predict a visit to these charming locations will give you "MILES OF SMILES"!!