Piney Branch Quarry 1

This first shot is an interesting mystery we have yet to solve. My friend Rod and I went out for an afternoon to do a little bow drill and exploring on the hills above the Piney Branch creek here in DC.

There were several trees in the area with these unidentified markings. As you can see from the photo there are squirrel tracks on the same branch for contrasts. They were on both horizontal and vertical branches, and are 1/8" to 1/4" deep, running 1/2 to 2/3 of the way around the branch. Any guesses?


Besides being a beautiful and wild oasis in the heart of the city, this particular tributary of Rock Creek is a well known archaeological site. Here is a link to a good article.

Native Americans quarried stone here for thousands of years, everywhere you look there are piles of rock broken by ancient flintknappers, many showing patterned flaking.

Quartzite is available in cobbles throughout the Washington DC and Northern VA area, but Piney Branch holds a particularly fine-grained and flakeable variety, as well as a dazzling array
of colors- red, blue, purple, green, tan and clear, banded and sparkling.


My walks here are slow, as you can feel the ancients tool makers around you, sense them as you hold the same stones that they once held. Two years ago I wouldn't have even recognized these artifacts, since I had never knapped this kind of stone. But once you examine them closely, they start popping out everywhere, like a word you just learned. Then, when you realize the massive scale of this workshop, and the shear volume of artifacts surrounding you, it's nearly impossible not to be awestruck.

Beaver Valley Rock Shelter

Set off a small country road in northern New Castle county, Delaware, is a small and mysterious cave that is know to have been used by Native Americans and early colonial inhabitants of the area. The cave entrance is obscured by grape and honesuckle vines during the summer months, but can usually be seen after the foliage dies back in the fall.

I visited this cave once when I was a kid with my Grandfather, and it's well known among the locals of this area. My interest in the cave was renewed after reading about it in "The Delaware Indians: A History" by C.A. Weslager. It should have been obvious, but it never occurred to me that the Native Americans used it.

From a survival perspective this cave is amazing. Not only does it sit no more than 30 yards from a beautiful fast flowing stream, but it's only about half a mile from the Brandywine River, and 7 miles from the Delaware River. According to Weslager's book these lands were probably hunting territories of a Lenni Lenape (Delaware) band which lived further up the Brandywine River.

When you approach the entrance it seems to have been formed there deliberatey. The main chamber has several tiers and goes in about 10 feet. The ceiling was high enough for me to stand inside the entrance (6 ft +), but I had to stoop before going any further. The right hal is a low flat area with only about 4ft of clearance, but this whole area would have been perfect to sleep under.

Although it's damp and muddy, not very inviting in its current state, I can see how it would be a fantastic shelter if cleaned up and cared for a bit. The entrance is high enough to afford a fire that would throw light and heat into the cave, and the low sleeping area on the right could be blocked off but leaning sticks and debris against it. Covering the floor with animal skins or debris would make it even more cozy. To the left there is also a shelf that would be perfect for storing cooking utensils and weapons out of the way.

I've been interested in the pre-history of this area since I was a kid, but after studying survival skills and looking at the landscape from that perspective, I have a much broader appreciation for places like this, and what they must have meant to the native people here.