Mounds and Skull - Lower Yoder Township

It was just a beauitful day for being in the woods. Spotted this large, mess of a rock mound right off the bat.

RJ is standing on what's left of am old military road that probably dates from the French and Indian War.

Showing off a section of the originial Mountain Road - that dates to at least 1774 according to 'Frontier Forts of Western Pennsylvania'.

I just can't seem to ever stay from this stone skull - I always take a couple of shots of it when passing this way.

I think I am about the only one that thinks this is something - and I always will.

This is the first mound I ever found many years ago and it will always continue to be my favorite. This is about 1/2 mile from the stone skull.

Closeup - but around the other side

A hollow - that looks like it was built that way.

Found this new small rockpile nearby.

Evans Hill Area - Part 4

Part 4 and a wrap up of my visit to Evans Hill. I am now going to head to the area of the woods directly behind where I am standing - where I last left off HERE.

These two things caught my eye. One is a short, rectangle like, stump of a wall like thing - more cigar shaped than anything else and the other is a circular mound that looks burial to me.

This example is exactly the same as the type I've found elsewhere.

This possible structure right by it - on the other hand - I'm not very sure of. Could be field clearing - but to me - it does look like a long rockpile - it does have some age to it.

As far as you eye can see - more rock on rock.

And small rockpiles.

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Now heading back out to the car - a different way than where we walked in and in the words of my 7 year old nephew - "what a beautiful view" - I have to agree - with a nice rock on rock example pointing the way.

Nice size cairn that shows its age.

Another mess of a cairn.

Back to back cairns - I've posted example of these structures before.

Trying my best to show them both in one shot.

Closeup of the cairn on the upper left of the previous picture. See that triangle stone - it points north - according to my GPS.

RJ proudly showing off his coyote skull he found there.

Another mess of a cairn.

From the other side.

Another rockpile

This one and this next example.

All in all - this site is alot to take in. When we were almost done walking around - one of the homeowners (who is nice to us) stopped to talk. He owns the land where THIS GRINDING STONE is. I was asking him about his property - because I'd spotted lots more rockpiles and a wall that shows some age. He told me - the wall was there before him as were some of the rockpiles - but not all though. He said he'd made some of them clearing his backyard.

Wrapping up this long, four part series...there are more walls and rockpiles out there that next time I go out I will get some shots of - once the snow melts that is. My opinion of the site hasn't changed the more I explore the area. I believe it was once held as a very sacred and ceremonial place - more so than most of your average sites. I believe that the area now destroyed by the strip mine - most likely was like this section - full of rock on rock and small rockpiles.

Evans Hill Area - Part 3

Out of the woods and back to the field full of very large - round rockpiles. RJ is about to check out this rockpile - which I believe is field clearing with an older - round rockpile in the distance.

This is one of those rockpiles that shows up in the 1939 aerial shot. But like I said - looks like field clearing. Though having said that - it is built up on the bottom like the others - I guess someone could have dumped these larger stones on top. But I really don't think so.

This is a shot of the large rockpile that was in the distance. Off to the left hand side (not shown on this picture) was this...

Is this possible rock mound - but I didn't get a chance to check this possible structure out better - just off in the woods.

Another rockpile in the field - made up of larger stone - which again looks more like field clearing. But it looks like there might be something off in the distance - that I didn't have time to follow up on.

Another rockpile - with the previous pile behind it - this is hard to tell - considering the size of the tree growing out of it. But I do think it's more likely to be field clearing.

But now we're heading to a section that I do believe are structures of very large size. See what I mean about bigger stone on the outside and smaller used in the middle.

Some of these larger rockpiles are built up higher on one side - actually they are all built up (like a ramp) on the same side of each of these.

And again - it looks like a possible manitou stone in the upper left hand side.

Another rockpile - but first - before I talk about this one - there is another rockpile underneath where that tree fell in the distance. But I didn't get a chance to get any shots of it.

This stone is actuallly wedged in there pretty good - with what looks like some stray bullet damage.

The center of the structure.

This is another rockpile - note the 'ramp'.

RJ heading to the ramp.

It's built up more like a small wall - with the mound off in the distance.

Another rockpile in the same area - that looks like field clearing to me.

The thing is just a mess.

RJ off to check out another of the rockpiles.

Again - larger stone on the outer ring - smaller towards the center.

Evans Hill Area - Part 1

Spent some quality time exploring the woods all around the Evans Hill Mound. And everytime I go - I am even more convinced this site is Native American and a Solar Calender. But the problem lies in not being able to search the site in gridlike patterns - that I like to do. As I have said before - the locals are none too friendly. And there were three of us - my little nephew and reader Bill Carney. So whenever I go out there - I always feel like this time - I'll be arrested. I'm not used to that. On my side of the Laurel Mountains - no one ever bothers me - which is the way I like it. But enough complaining. And on a more positive note - on to my visit:

Imagine the area around the mound in the shape of the letter U. The mound would be at the top and this area would be the back, bottom left of the U. Walking into the woods from the strip mine road (remember the strip mine is behind this site) . These simple, multiple rockpiles and rock on rocks greet you. There are actually seven of these types in this shot.

Some are large and some of smaller along with some following in lines to each other.

Little RJ taking his measurements of this nice, simple rock on rock.

A semi-oval rockpile with the strip mine in the distance. The ever expanding strip mine has already destroyed a lot.

More rock on rock - besides being timbered in the past.

It's probably hard to tell from this shot - but this rockpile is oval and shows it's age.

Three rockpiles here.

The next couple of pictures shows different angles of this possible structure. I'm not entirely convinced this is something. But having said that. It is a rockpile - shaped like a cigar - it's those two rocks tipped together that are interesting. Looking through the opening - you can just barely see THIS ROCK SHELTER.

 And this makes it even more interesting with two possible manitou stones touching - surrounded by a circle of rock which is on top of a small low to the ground boulder.

Another closer look

This is the view looking out the opposite direction

This rock on rock reminds of a bird effigy

A cairn showing it's age

Just out of the woods with the mound and larger rockpiles in the distance.