Yes, it might be a bit cold for hiking this time of year — but some like it frosty, and some like discovering nature’s wonders as the leaves hibernate.
However, if you come across a bent tree in the woods on your voyage, don’t just assume that you’re looking at some kind of natural aberration or a sickly piece of timber.
Instead, look at where it points. It could be an important Native American marker.
Take the village of Winnetka, Illinois. If you’re familiar with it, it’s likely because exterior shots from the Chicago suburb are featured in many of the movies the late John Hughes either wrote or directed, including “Home Alone,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
Long before Macaulay Culkin was using Micro Machines and glass Christmas ornaments to cause a trail of destruction for two idiot thieves, however, natives were making a trail of their own in the area.
“When the area we call Winnetka had nothing but footpaths, how did the inhabitants know where to turn for medicinal plants, ceremonial sites or fresh water?” the Winnetka Gazette reported in 2010.
Answer: bent trees.
If you’ve ever seen an oddly bent tree in our local woods? You may have happened upon a Indian marker – a trail tree.
This is a Indian Marking Tree: trail tree is pointing towards Jacobs Well, Texas. pic.twitter.com/WV00meNbaq— 🦋🦋T71🦋🦋 (@Tackle71Wall) January 27, 2022
Have you ever encountered a tree like this in the woods?
“The original Green Bay Trail was likely blazed by wooly mammoths,” they noted regarding one of the paths through the town.
“Mammoths could use their heightened sense of smell to find their way; Native American travelers developed a system of Trail Marker Trees to assist them in navigation.”
Thus began a series of so-called “trail-marker trees” in the city. According to the Gazette, local researcher Dennis Downes was first introduced to the system of trail-marking when he was young and “his interest was piqued through contacts on the North Shore, especially in Winnetka.”
“He has spent nearly 30 years of his adult life locating, documenting, and educating others about these historical icons,” the Gazette noted.
The trees, he says, “were part of an extensive land navigation system in our country that already was in place long before the arrival of the first European settlers.
“While the Native Americans had a widespread trail system in place, the Trail Marker Trees served as exit signs off of these routes bringing them to areas of specific interest and then directing them back to the main route, much like the exit signs off of our major interstates today.”
Now, of course, sometimes trees are deformed by nature — often without an explanation. Natives needed a way to look between these trees and those they used for navigation.
“The different shapes of these Trail Marker Trees were distinct in their appearance, and always followed some specific guidelines,” he said.
“The trees they used were young hardwoods, usually oaks, because they were flexible enough to be bent and would then keep that shape permanently,” the Gazette noted. “Examples of these trees have been found all across the United States. Hundreds of years ago, Trail Marker Trees were prevalent throughout the North Shore.”
However, in Winnetka, the last remaining Indian Trail Tree was removed in 1984 after rotting to the point of being hollowed out. Nevertheless, these trees can still be found today, although their numbers are diminishing:
🌲Tree Modification is An American Indian Tradition Involving the Manipulation of Trees Into Navigational Tools Along Indian Trails To Direct Travelers Towards Settlements or Water🦌🌳🐟#America #Flooding #BlackAmerican #KattWilliams #GetOverIt #Trees#Nature #Sacred #Woodlands pic.twitter.com/NETKPFQ6PQ
— Jackson Harlem (@NGRLCST) January 6, 2024
🌞👨🏽🌾Discovered An Indian Trail Tree By My Home‼️🌳🦅
🌲American Indians Made Trail Trees As Permanent Markers Along A National Trail System Indicating Safe Paths, Nearby Water, Villages, or Council Meetings Locations🪬#NGRLCST #BlackAmerican #AmericanIndian #Trees #Woodlands pic.twitter.com/qddj4Yje1z
— Jackson Harlem (@NGRLCST) April 19, 2024
And what they point to, American Forests’ former managing editor Katrina Marland said in a 2013 article about the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, are still important reminders today.
“Native Americans would bend young trees to create permanent trail markers, designating safe paths through rough country and pointing travelers toward water, food or other important landmarks,” she wrote.
“Over the years, the trees have grown, keeping their original shape, but with their purpose all but forgotten as modern life sprang up around them. Today, we may not need these ‘trail trees’ to navigate, but their place in history makes them invaluable.”
So, when and if you encounter a bent tree, take a closer look. It might guide you to a piece of our American past that shouldn’t be forgotten.
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