Some people may call me crazy, and others might say I’m just plain weird, but I have developed an obsession with walking through the woods looking at rocks. I’ve even been known to talk to them at times. Every rock has a story to tell.
My latest adventure led me to a place in the woods, where, according to the Northeast Antiquarian Research Society (NEARA) online database, a ceremonial stone landscape (CSL) and possibly a stone chamber are located. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information available about this place, except for a brief description of its location and what might be there. I knew what my next step would be - locate and document this site.
Cairn
The first step in this journey was to locate the site. The directions in the database were simple and easy to follow. They took me to a spot in the Yale-Myers Forest, a beautiful forest managed by Yale University that features many hiking trails and ruins. This site is off a marked trail, although the trail itself does not go through the CSL. It is also easily accessed from a local road.
On a chilly late-winter day, I traveled to the site, fully expecting not to find it easily. From past experiences, it usually takes me two or three trips to locate a place. I found it on the first trip. Well, some of it. There was a cairn, which was quite obvious, and several stone prayers. I had already been exploring that day, and I was pressed for time, so I only had time for a quick walk. It was enough to know that this was the place and I would have to come back.
Stone Prayer
Arriving home, I searched the New England Antiquities Research Association (NEARA) online database for additional information on this site. I found two pieces of information. The first was a copy of a handwritten report on the site written in 2002. It included directions to the site, a brief description of what is there, and two pictures of a stone chamber and a Native American “marker” tree. How hard could that be to find?
This would mean another trip into the woods. I’ll talk about that trip in a later post.
Side Bar
I want to address something I have been struggling with. That is the issue of divulging the location of the sites I find. There are two schools of thought on this matter. One is that they should be made public so that others can visit and study them.The other side is that they should remain hidden. There is a legitimate concern that if a site’s location is made public, it will be open to vandalism. Unfortunately, this is a very real concern. There are those outside the preservation community who would like nothing more than to topple a cairn or deface a stone chamber with spray paint. I am on the fence about this.
I would love to be able to find these sites so I can document them with pictures, but there is so little information regarding their locations I spend hours trying to find information on them.
I love walking through the woods, but I could see a lot more with the correct information. I have reviewed the NEARA online database (accessible only to members), but unless I’m missing something, there is very limited information. When I find something, I do send the information to the appropriate people, although I never hear back from them. Well, except for one time.
For the time being, I will not disclose location information. If you are a skilled detective, you may be able to determine the location. And if you're really serious, you can email me, and we can discuss it further.
More to come.
