About an hour west of Wytheville is an Indian village, recreated from discoveries based on an archaeological site which was excavated as I-77 was being constructed, back in 1970. To accommodate the freeway, a creek was re-routed across the Indian village. Archaeologists were given 30 days to dig and collect what they could. Using what they found, archaeologists built Wolf Creek Indian Village and Museum.
During the dig, scientists discovered 11 houses, a palisade (fence), and 14 burials. The inhabitants lived here for five to seven years, sometime between 1480 and 1520. Evidence shows they probably grew corn, beans and squash.
A young lady, about 10 years old, and her two small dogs gave me a tour of the place and explained tools and implements, although not always accurately. I really enjoyed her though, she was trying her best!
The original homes were made with reeds, but in the recreation bamboo was used for longevity. The roofs were originally made of the bark of chestnut trees, but in the reproduction a rubber facsimile was used. Chestnut trees used to be the predominant forest trees in the area but were wiped out by chestnut blight.
It seemed like a pleasant place to live, at least during the warmer months. During the winter months, the outside walls would have been covered in mud and grass to make them warmer. The rooms were actually roomy, with high ceilings. I didn't have to stoop to enter.
There were lovely vistas on the way to and from the Indian village.
After our little adventure, Lee and I had dinner at a wonderful restaurant in a very old house in Wytheville, first built in 1782. It has been added to over the years in a rambling way, resulting in fun eccentricities.
The dinner was good, with southern fried grits. Yum!
In the back were two gift shops:
It was a delightful day, with great finds!
3 comments:
This is a lovely description of a charming place!
I remember visiting the Wolf Creek village years ago, having trouble finding the turn-off from the main road, parking the RV in a curve because they had no bus/RV parking, and taking the tour. The guide suggested we should take our dogs to the creek where they could explore and play. One got so very wet that we had to let him dry off a bit before we continued on our trip.
Wolf Creek was one of those locations my wife and I enjoyed so much that we wanted to visit it again some time but we never did.
Happy trails !
Jeffrey
I hope this goes through. How did bamboo get there? I thought it was not native to the US but to Asia.
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