Imagine First Americans’ Life: Woods Walk at Wickliffe Mounds
Wickliffe, Ky.--All around us spring is poised to add new color to Kentucky’s natural landscapes. The seasonal lushness in southwest Kentucky at Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site, where the Ohio River merges into the Mighty Mississippi, is a picturesque backdrop for the Woods Walk scheduled for April 17. Join in and learn more about this historic land and the people who lived there eons ago.
Join experts at Wickliffe Mounds for a Saturday trail walk that includes special note of details in this woodland environment, the Woods Walk trail and a home place for the Mississippian mound builders culture who once lived in the village prior to A.D.1300. The guided trail walk begins at 10:30 a.m. through noon, CST. The trail is an easy walk and short enough to be suitable for children.
Staff from the Kentucky Division of Forestry will be on hand to lead the Woods Walk at the site and point out specifics about the trees, forests and nature that surround the Wickliffe Mounds museum where excavated artifacts from the first inhabitants are on display. Pottery, tools, architecture and burial practices of the ancient people are on display to help imagine what life was like in the village. The bluff that over looks the confluence of the river gives visitors a bird's eye view from atop a ceremonial mound. Wickliffe Mounds is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a designated a Kentucky Archaeological Landmark and is a common ground for Native American Indian cultures, past and present.
Feathered friends aplenty will be part of the Woods Walk event so binoculars are a must to spot flight among the trees. Woods Walk participants will receive an information packet about the woodlands and water in the area that tells about the Native American culture and the evolution of the environment in which they lived.
Regular admission fees to the site apply for the Woods Walk. Adult admission is $5, children 6 to 12 are $4 and children under the age of five are just $1. Group rates are available but require an advance appointment. For a weekend getaway, consider staying at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park on beautiful Kentucky Lake, near Gilbertsville.
For more information about Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site or the Woods Walk program, call 270-335-3681 or email wickliffemounds@ky.gov . The site is located at 94 Green Street in Wickliffe and other information about the site is available and downloadable on the Web at http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/histparks/wm/ .