Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Stone Pile Cluster

I went for a hike today to video tape a cluster of stone piles that I had found last year and was surprised to find a dozen stone piles that I hadn't found before. I will have to go back when the trees are bare to mark them with my GPS. This puts the number of stone piles or cairns in the Hi-Tor area over up over 300. I have found many references to other places in America where these stone monuments are found but I have never heard of one area with so many individual piles. Some readers may have noticed that some of the pictures and videos show stone piles that aren't as nicely constructed as ones from Pennsylvannia or New England. I think the reason for this is the bedrock in this area. The bedrock is a fragile shale. My guess is that it changes the appearance a little. The 13 cairns shown in the latest video clip are circular. They start at a spring that forms the beginning of a small creek bed that eventually leads to the Susquehanna.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is fascinating. There are some large cairns on state land in Masonville, NY and I am aware of some much smaller cairns or niches nearby. At least 2 of these smaller niches have a common feature of a red stone at the base of the pile. Interestingly enough, they are at one of the headwater creeks of the Delaware River. If you travel less than 1/2 mile north of here, you are at the headwaters of the Susquehanna.

stonepilewhisper said...

Thanks for the comment. I would be interested in documenting the cairns that you describe. Could you send me some more info? keukashoe@mac.com

pwax said...

Very nice. I need to visit more often. Those are great rock piles and a nice little video.