In the Piedmont
Posted March 03, 2008 by PHayes
Web of Water Webisode 2: In the Piedmont from Web of Water on Vimeo.
As I traveled through the Piedmont I noticed the river had changed since leaving the mountains. I passed through rural farmland enjoying the sounds of animals and agriculture. It was a balance between the peacefulness of the river and the activity of population along its banks. All the lakes on the Upper Saluda are man-made. That meant carrying my kayak across many dams on the river beginning at Lake Greenwood State Park and ending at Lake Murray. Paddling the Piedmont you can see man adapting the river to his needs all around you.
From the Piedmont we will head to the Sand Hills and continue to observe how the earth shapes the waterways and the waterways shape the earth.
Watch the Webisode and think about these questions:
1. What are some of the ways that man has adapted the waterways to his needs?
2. These rivers have always served as a mode of transportation and trade. What trade items have been popular along the Upper Saluda during its history? How did the trading of these goods effect the
populations along the rivers?
3. What is a canal? What are some of the uses of a canal?
4. I was able to see a number or minerals along the waterway that had become apparent from erosion. What is a mineral?
5. The Piedmont experienced a Gold rush in 1827 -- proving that ores are abundant near the Upper Saluda. What is an ore?
6. We see a lot of red clay in the Piedmont. What valuable commodity was fashioned from this Red Clay that helped build our cities?
7. We paddled near historic Laurens tracing the steps of American Revolutionaries. What revolutionary battles took place in the Piedmont, near the Upper Saluda?
Here are the answers to Mountain Webisode challenge questions
1. The cold water in the mountains holds more oxygen than the warmer water on the coast of South Carolina.
2. The most populous tribe in the upstate of South Carolina was the Cherokee nation. Early relations with the settlers were rough, but soon the Cherokee began trading with the British. The peace was not to last long though and soon Andrew Cummings negotiated a peace treaty that saw some of the Cherokee travel all the way to England for its signing. This treaty bound the Cherokee to the British up until and during the American Revolution. This did not bode well for the Cherokee upon the Colonists defeating the British in the war. Before the end of the 19th century the Cherokee would have their land taken from them and they would be relocated from South Carolina. The United States government forcibly removed many Native Americans from their homelands under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The Trail of Tears is the route by which the Cherokee and other Native Americans departed for land in the west.
3. The many trees creating the foliage of the mountains are primarily: 1) conifers / pines (pitch pine, Virginia pine, short leaf pine) and 2) deciduous hardwoods (pignut hickory, mockernut hickory, scarlett oak, white oak, chesnut oak).
4. Fossils are found only in sedimentary rocks. The mountain region comprised of metamorphic rock created with the smashing together of the North American and African plates. Since no fossils are found in metamorphic rock there are no fossils in the mountain region.
5. Lichen are the result of a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungus. The algae turns the sun's energy into food and the fungus helps to decompose organic materials.
Stayed Tuned!
Views: 128