Sunday, August 29, 2010

The Terrian of History

I was think about on Bike ride Saturday, as I was crossing the Santa Ana River:
From 8-28-2010
and I since I've been working on My historical fiction , I've been thinking how people crossed the river without bridges. The Santa Ana is no big deal, but since my writing focuses on the early settlers of my Home county (That way I can Claim Cape Girardeau as well as Jackson) My character will have to cross the Mississippi. A slightly bigger Hurdle.
I 'm still working on how they did this. Most Native tribe kept Canoes at convenient locations and used a honor system to ensure that not all the canoes wound up on one side.
My Main concern with this was the Mississippi's Current. the Present day current is powerful enough that you will wind up downstream of where you planned. This was not as big of problem, mainly because Humanity has changed and Tamed the river so it more predictable and doesn't wipe State Capital on whim, like happened at Kaskaskia, where the church and the bell is all that is left, and it's now on the "wrong" side of the river:
From 7-8-2010

The river is now narrowed, deeper, and Faster.
And the land has changed , too. Most of the Original settler were Shawnees. Among was a young would become famous in the War of 1812: Tecumseh. He moved from Fort Wayne to Cape in 1788 from what is now Fort Wayne, Indiana. They largely followed the Wabash to the Ohio and then the Ohio to Present day Cario, Il and then up "the Father of the Waters"
Only My research showed that Tecumseh had an accident near Paducah, KY and broke his hip. He eventually walked the 60 miles form Paducah to Cape on Crutches (You don't me to give away the whole story. do you?) My question was why was on the Kentucky side? Not only the did the have to cross the Ohio, but also the Cumberland and the Tennessee.
we turn to history. Not was the Illinois side a swamp, but you may have noticed that I didn't say present day Paducah. That's because there was a Chickasaw Village there(Paducah is named for their Chief , Paduke ) and they probably would have stopped there to resupply, consider the only other spot where they could was Vincennes, IN and they may not had much luck there, as that was a Major US outpost at the time.
Just a reminder that we think is permanent, is indeed, Impermanent

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