Fort Hill Earthworks EarthCache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(not chosen)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This EarthCache highlights a unique geological and archaeological
feature within the Fort Hill State Memorial. This EarthCache was
developed under Special Permit (#E0308) from the Ohio Historical
Society. This park is open Daylight Hours Only and the
Collection of Specimens, Either Biological, Cultural, or Mineral
is Strictly Prohibited. Fort Hill State Memorial is closed
during deer gun season which is usually the last week in November.
Please stay on designated trails, see trail map by clicking
here.
Remember as always, Leave No Trace.
Parking (included as a child waypoint) is available at the Fort
Hill State Memorial Parking Lot at N 39 07.297, W 083 23.791. To
get the most enjoyment of this beautiful area I would suggest
making a large anti-clock wise loop. That way you’ll get to see the
historic log cabin and spectacular views of the Baker Fork Gorge or
trek up Reeds Hill and Jarnigan Knob. You can start by taking Gorge
Trailhead (included as a child waypoint) at N 39 07.364, W 083
23.811. Then just past Sunset Run you’ll arrive at the junction of
Deer Trail and Gorge Trail. If you take Deer Trail, that will take
you over Reeds Hill and Jarnigan Knob. This will be a bit longer
but it will eventually bring you close to one of your goals. If you
decide to continue on the Gorge Trail, that will take you to the
log cabin and on to spectacular views of the gorge. You’ll want to
continue to follow the Gorge Trail to the Fort Trail, be sure to
take the northwest junction of the Fort Trail. This will go off to
the northwest then turn back toward the northeast close to where
the trail crosses the fort wall. Then just follow the Fort Trail
and it will take you back to the parking area. In all total, your
hike will be between 5-8 miles.
Fort Hill
Fort Hill State Memorial is at the western edge of the Allegheny
Plateau, immediately south of the glacial boundary, this hilly area
contains an impressive diversity of geology, soils, flora, and
fauna. Fort Hill State Memorial also contains one of the best
preserved Native American hilltop enclosures in North America. The
Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) constructed a long earthwork
hilltop enclosure as well as at least other two ceremonial
buildings in the area. Geologically this area has bedrock outcrops
of Silurian (Peebles dolomite and Bisher dolomite), Devonian (Ohio
Shale) and Mississippian (Bedford Shale and Berea sandstone)
periods. Along with Fort Hill, Washburn Hill to the northwest and
Long Lick Hill to the north are capped with Berea sandstone.
Geological Cross Section of Ft. Hill
This area of Ohio is on the border between the unglaciated portion
of the state-the Allegheny Plateau and the glaciated portion-the
Central Lowland. The Central Lowland is an area where the
topography is fairly homogenous from the advance and retreats of
the glacial ice sheets where basically the ice sheets “bull-dozed”
the topography. The Allegheny Plateau is an undulating area of
hilly peaks and valleys. During the past Illinoisan glaciations,
some 240,000 years before present, the Baker Fork Gorge was formed.
The gorge was formed as a result of an ice dam that blocked the
north-flowing steams creating a large meltwater lake. As the lake
level continued to rise, it eventually reached a level where it
began to spill over gaps in the surrounding topography. To north it
formed the Heads Branch of the Rocky Fork Creek. Here it began
eroded the upper layers of Ohio shale and exposed the underlying
Peebles dolomite that comprise valley walls of the Baker Fork
Gorge.
Archaeologically, the major undertaking of the construction of the
earthen wall by Native American people is truly an extraordinary
accomplishment. One has to take into consideration that the Native
Americans only had rudimentary digging implements and
transportation techniques all of which was simple hand tools,
baskets, and small containers. The earthen wall itself is
approximately 8,850 feet long, it height varied from about 6 feet
to 15 feet, and it base width is about 40 feet. It is broken in 33
locations for gateways which are from 15 to 20 feet wide. The
gateways are irregularly spaced and the function and reasoning for
the opening is still unknown. The wall was built slightly below to
more or less level to the apex of the hill. The exterior of the
wall is much steeper than the natural slope of the hillside. Very
few artifacts have been recovered from within. In 1964 staff
archaeologist from the Ohio Historical Society excavated a small
circular enclosure. There they discovered broken potsherds, chert
tools, and other artifacts that are indicative of the Hopewell.
Also other similar archaeological sites in southern Ohio, such as
Fort Ancient in Warren County, have yielded similar artifacts to
those discovered during the 1964 excavations.
The Earthen Wall
To claim a find, please email me the answers
to the questions below. Also you will need to upload a
picture of yourself holding your GPSr with FORT WALL sign in the
background with your find log. Logs that do not follow the
finding requirements will be deleted.
Question 1: While hiking the Gorge and Fort Trails what rocks
outcrop are visible on the surface at Fort Hill State Memorial?
Question 2: Using some rough numbers and rough averaging of the
earthen wall’s dimensions, estimate of the total volume of soil
that the Native Americans used in the construction of the wall? Now
compare that to today’s equivalent, a 5 gallon bucket one would
find at a local hardware store. How many buckets full of soil would
it take to construct the earthen wall?
Sources:
Camp, Mark J.
2006 Roadside Geology of Ohio.Mountain Publishing Company,
Montana.
Hansen, Michael C.
1988 Natural Bridges in Ohio, Ohio Geology.
Potter, Martha A. and Thomas, Edward S.
1970 Fort Hill. The Ohio Historical Society, Ohio.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)