New-York tribune., 1922-06-25

III IL ~
unique geographical position Of the
s,si served the purpose Of tho Indians
later was utilized by the whites.
,.s,uries before the coming Of Hendrix
s.,.on the eastern shores Of Long Island
4 :, literally mint, yielding unlimited sup
-, 4 vsmpum. which found its way 20 re-
-. sections Of the country. The great pro-
| -, sections Of the country then. rs to-
| . ,,v 70 the north and west. yielding grain.
'.s,,,o. furs, pipes and pottery. a primitive
.-~srcial system was thus developed TO sur
vneng proportions.
rbs lower section Of Manhattan Island in
.-.hi.4or.c times was unproductive and could
., ,,sef sustain any considerable popula-
-, The ground was either rocky or Gov
- with swamps and bogs. The "fnsnciers'
: those carly days were not farmers. An
s-,s,ng the situation which centuries later
=, % make the island the worlds financial
,,,.s-. they built village which became
| ,,,,sr of exchange between the eastern end
| = Iorg Island and the mainland. Incident
! ,rv. trade must have been attracted to Man
,,-.sn Island from amazing distances. and
-.s-sssntatives Of distant sections OF the
,.rr.rv must have been drawn 20 this prehis-
pri, financial center as they are to-day.
lnong tho Indian relics unearthed in this
-ron arc pieces Of pipes and pottery, which
Ia. been brought from North Carolina
Tb;, revelation Of the prehistoric condi.
,,r, q Manhattan Island has been made AS
,,s5l+ n tireess research under the auspices Of
=, Museum OF the American Indian. the Heye
Foundation. The beautiful museum A. Broad
uv and l55th Street houses by far the most
trnlete collection Of Indian relics ever as
ynbled. totalng over 100000 exhibits. The
tracing o. the Indian trails Of New York and
~ vicinity. which is the work of Reginald Pei
han Bolton. throws an entirely new light on
sr unfamiliar period Of local history.
Years Of patient and intelligent research
have beer required 10 fix these ancient trails
md reconstruct the civilization which once
rread over the present site of New York City.
rvsrv section Of the city has been explored
q, re'ice. often with gratifying results. The
written history Of the period and every possi-
Ne reference in old manuscripts maps ana
Documents have been compared. Tens Of tnou-
sands of references have been made and an
s,borate card index system followed IN pre-
serving them The Importance of the oiscov-
ere. thus made possible has amply justified
these years Of labor.
II "a difficult 70 realize the importance ot
,bs old Indian trails upon the future history
Il the country. Millions Of people to-day are
Il Ernr rl,4r ID
city streets or great highways OF trade. Inc
,sc that the trails still survive, after centuries
da very different civilization. is remarkable
tribute 20 the intelligence Of the Indian path
snssrs With unerring instinct the Indians
made the paths or trails between the various
.ssons skillfully avoiding waterways, swamps
and farmlands. while seeking the easiest
GRADES about all elevations. The trails FIRE
ouently mad sharp turns at an angle OF 30
degrees
The trails were originally the instruments
of woodEmen and followed the lines Of least
resistsnce They ran from village 70 village
from tribe 20 tribe, from camp 20 camp, or
from the stations 10 the water or food supplies.
A glance al the map Of New York City shows
that maze Of trails once spread over this
section. which denotes surprising population
and an immense amount Of intercommunics-
ton. The prehistoric New Workers were
amazing travellers according TO their needs
Many Of these trails ran between the camps
a. he Indians. or the villages they inhabited
according 20 the change Of seasons Like tne
modern New Workers. the ancient inhaoitahtS
Of Manhattan had one residence for summer
ard another for vinter--a town house, 50 TO
rpssk. ard a country establishment-and the
care with which these trails were made shows
that they we're constantly used.
The TACT that these trails may still be
traced after several centuries Of disuse proves
TIA, they were intelligcntly laid out and IN
thsir day much used. In our climate any pain
or even little used road is soon wiped out ny
The reeurrent seasons. The lines Of the In
tsn trails of prehistoric Now York may still
bs definitely traced. The skill Of tho indians
IN laying out these paths and maintaining
them resulted in their undoing. The trans
made IL possiblo for the white man 10 pass
Easily and swiftly through the otherwise track
sss forest and pursue the Indians 10 'hel'
villages and hiding places.
Il is interesting in this connection to point
o., that the famous wsrpaths Of the Indians
Vers not well defined trails. In building
tsil for ordinary use in time OF peace 'he
nos. obvious and direct route was selected
When an Indian tribe went on the "arpa'h'
familiar phrase, they used the most remote