February 28

Split Bow Arch in Big South NRRA is a relatively easy hike, though not “accessible”. It seemed the road to get to the arch’s trailhead was the bigger headache. Crushed gravel, but no signs. I was driving by a sign which said Bear Creek Overlook. Figured I would stop to see what was being “overlooked”, and then in the parking area saw the small sign for the Split Bow Arch Trail, only 0.3 miles. When asked which state is home base for rock arches, most people will say Utah. But Kentucky and Tennessee, here in the Big South area, match their western counterpart. The park also has a section called Blue Heron. This was a thriving mining area starting in 1937, under the ownership of the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company. Ruins of the buildings, as well as the restored Tipple, can be viewed. Just to see the Tipple is worth the drive down to the river. The mine ceased operations in 1962, which is not that far back. Display plaques in the area tries to give visitors a glimpse into what life was like for the coal miners and their families. Bless their hearts.

Mill Springs Battlefield is a relatively new park unit, authorized in 2019. This was the place of the first major Union victory on the western front in the Civil War, in January-1862. The eastern sector of the Confederate defenses west of the Appalachians was now collapsed, with the Union army being able to move into eastern Tennessee. The Federals soon followed with the taking of Fort Donelson (I stopped there a couple weeks ago). A self-guided auto-tour starts at the VC and National Cemetery, tracing the path the Union troops took as they pushed the Rebels back to the Cumberland River. A couple of monuments and markers can be seen at the second stop. The last stop is the ferry dock area, where a gunship feverishly ferried Rebel troops to the south bank of the river to avoid capture.

Camp Nelson also has Civil War history. The Union took control of this area in April-1863, for use as a supply depot. Earthworks and small “forts” were built around the perimeter to fortify the depot. Once the depot was established the Army decided to use the base for recruitment and training of African American soldiers (United States Colored Troops). The main house on the property, became headquarters. The owners, the Perrys, were not happy. Since it was big and all white, the boys called it the “White House”. They Perry family returned after the war and kept living there until 1947.

Hopewell Culture NHP is in southern Ohio. The park consists of six locations. The only fully restored section is at Mound Group. There are 25 mounds. All are reproductions based on documentation gathered over the decades. The U.S. Army, in its infinite wisdom, created Camp Sherman on these grounds to support World War 1 training. The land was razed, as new buildings were erected, at a rate of one every 20 minutes. Then the camp itself was razed, in the 1920s, allowing archeologists to study the site, and begin the restoration. Only Mound 15 has not been restored, its secrets still buried under the surface. The people who built these ceremonial structures flourished here between 200 B.C. and 500 A.D. As with most ancient peoples from across this land, not enough is known about them to properly understand their civilizations.