Steps: 2,058,552
Miles: 866.33
Maybe some of you remember the old TV show called "In Search Of" that was hosted by Leonard Nimoy. Feeling like a member of the production crew, I set out in search of Fatland Ford, not the estate building(s), but the actual river crossing.
A "ford" in this sense is a shallow (and usually narrow) place in a creek, river, or stream, that people used to get across the water before bridges were built. Fatland Ford crossed the Schuylkill River in the vicinity of Valley Forge National Historic Park.
I knew the ford was in the area of the General Sullivan stone on the Riverside Trail in view of the backside of the Fatland Ford Estate.
I had some rare company on this walk. A woman from Europe attending a work-related conference in King of Prussia was on the trail with binoculars and a trail map. She was looking for birds. Specifically, she really, really, badly, wanted to see a Northern Cardinal. This bird is not native to Europe, but was at one time, exported there for people to keep in cages.
Anyway, I mentioned to her, that the Riverside Trail was better than the Schuylkill River Trail for bird watching. So she tagged along with me, and asked me what some of the trees were, not an expert, I pointed out the sycamore and walnut trees and told her that we might see some Woodpeckers - as they are common along both trails.
As usual, as soon as I started looking for birds, I saw absolutely none. Its like a bird repellent, saying, "I'm looking for birds". I just don't get it. We walked about a mile and half and saw nothing, not even the White-Chin Strap Ducks! We parted ways when she took a branch of the trail up to Walnut Hill, and I turned around to start my search for the ford.
Stone Marker near Fatland Ford
The stone reads "The site of General Sullivan's Bridge. Erected by the American Army 1777-1778, Destroyed by freshets in the winter of 1778-1779. This stone is erected by the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania."
"Freshets" is an old-timey word for "floods". General Sullivan was General George Washington's Quartermaster (in charge of supplies) during the encampment at Valley Forge.
Is it an old wagon road or the ruins of a canal?
Next to the marker stone, is this ditch. I looked at it for a while, and am not sure if it was a wagon road or the remains of a canal or neither of those things. The wagon road to the ford, if this is even it, has long disappeared from the world.
The Schuylkill River is not really navigable, and like the Potomac River to the south, they built canals around the rapids and falls, in order to move stuff up and down the river in the days when roads where scarce and boats could move far more supplies in a single trip. The Schuylkill Canal opened in 1825 and is also, like the wagon road, largely long gone.
Is this the ford?
Across the river is what looks like a boat ramp and a wagon road. Is this the ford? I am not sure. I do know that the Reading Railroad (now Norfolk Southern) is on the far side and some of you may have noticed the blue Conrail locomotive on the rightside of the picture. Was the "road" that I could see, just the service road for the railroad? Also I do know that the river is high and even now, the water is only a couple feet deep here. Usually you can walk almost the whole way across on the rocky river bed without getting your feet wet.
Ripples due to submerged rocks
Like the ripples you see in the previous picture, these ripples are caused by submerged rocks just inches below the surface. The setting sun made the lighting bad for seeing rocks, but I like how it looks on the greening trees across the river. I now need to head back to the car, so enjoying the nice weather, I stroll along, taking in the sights, which did not include any birds.
A walnut tree with a zit
Actually this tree has a noteworthy gall or burl and is a landmark along the Riverside Trail. Certain large galls or burls follow a chronic fungous infection. In other cases they seem to result from injuries, burns or continued irritation. In most cases the causes are not understood, but this one is a sight to see!
Birds! And big ones at that!
I have just about walked back to the car and the pedometer is reading 8+ miles and my legs are really tired. This leg weary condition, especially with other members of my family, seems to bring out the carrion eating buzzards (Turkey Vultures). Sorry folks, these aren't eagles. Just hungry birds looking at a high calorie meal in the form of a walker that looks like he might keel over soon.
6 comments:
Man...Im beginning to whish I was back up that way. So damn beautiful.
You really post some interesting stuff, Iggy. I don't know where you get it all!
Towanda had canals on the river back in the old days, too. My grandparents had many pictures and told us stories when we were kids.
By the way, the Norfolk Southern is messing with our railroad cars full of soybean meal and distillers grains again. It's hard to make feed when we can't get in the ingredients when we need them. (oops...sorry. my mind wandered again)
*hugs* (going to bed now)
I agree with what Tori said. Very interesting and informative. If my history teacher was as interesting, perhaps I would have paid more attention in school!
I dug out my copy of "The Schuylkill Navigation: A Photographic History" by Harry L. Rinker and found out that the canal was on the other side of the river from where I saw "the ditch", so the the ditch is not ruins from the canal.
Towanda is a beautiful area. I wish I could go back in time and see what it looked like when the canals were there. Black and white pictures just aren't the same. :)
Very pretty pictures, Iggy!
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