Evening star., 1928-03-18
WIS Mite Legend Treasured Chapter in D. c. Indian Lore

shown In the wills given, and was we'll
provided for by her husband. They
say that rolling stone gathers no
moss. but just to the opposite is It true
that rambling story picks up many
things that never happened.
Taggart describes the location and
shape Of Widows Mite as being in the
form Of parallelogram and extending
from the river at the old Observatory
grounds I'm northerly direction, and
that greater portion Of 1t was in
cluded in the City of Washington.
Bryan is more specific and says that
it occupied that portion of the City Of
Washington which lies to the north
ward from the Naval Medical Hospital.
at Twenty-fourth and E streets north
west. 1t extends through the city in
a comparatively narrow strip TO Florida
avenue beyond which 1t extended from
about Seventeenth street to Rock Greek
At an early date the northern por-
ton was sold to Anthony Holmead.
whose name appears in the agreement
made with the Commissioners In 1901.
Benjamin Stoddert and James NJ.
Lingan, merchants of Georgetown, pur-
chased in 1884 part of Widows Mite.
and their names also appear In the list
Of original proprietors. Lingan's hold
ings were in the vicinity Of Dupont
Circle.
The lower part of the tract. together
with portion of the Vineyard. patent
ed to william Hutchinson in 1895. with
portions of other tracts, was merged into
q tract called Mexico, and owned By
Robert Peter.
THROUGHOUT the District OF Co.
lunbia and vicinity there are va
rious Indian sites and quarries. An ex-
tended review Of these will not be az
tempted in this article, especially since
only few of the Indian tribes Of this
locality have been mentioned. One site.
however, to which ! shall refer, is that
described by Prof w. II. Holmes in his
chapter on "Quartzite Bowlder Quarries,
District of Columbia" in Bulletin 60 Of
the Bureau of American Ethnology.
These quarries are mainly just west
of Sixteenth street, where that street
| crosses Piney Branch, or rather what IS
left Of It. The cement bridge crosses the
| valley at this point and the ancient
quarries even extended slightly to the
east of the bridge. Every argument
was made to preserve this valley, Now
disfigured beyond recovery. no: only
for the preservation Of the Indian WORK.
shops, but for its scenic beauty as we'll.
Maybe it could not be avoided, but the
large cement sewer which runs through
the vslley-even though that part TO
the west Of the bridge will be preserved
does surely not lend enchantmens 10
the view.
| Prof. Holmes expresses a tone of re-
| HrrfRA ha in ah0ntar NM
| quarry: ''It is cause for lament that
this beautiful valley. the resort for gen.
| erations of the landscape paint sfs Of
Washington, Is fast being reduced
l910) by deep cutting and filling 10
the monotonous condition of the ordi-
nary suburb. and the charming rock
| bordered stream is becoming a deeply
buried sewer In the future it viii be
known only through incidental refer
ences in literature, as here made: and
the interesting traces Of aboriginal oc-
cupation and enterprise will be forever
obl;terated. In 1892. when the quarries
were investigated by the writer. only
two dwellings were located within the
area Of the map: there was but one
bridge, and the stream itself had not
been molested in any way
Here the Indians found bowldels Of a
superior quality for the purpose CT
manufacturing all classes Of implements
which they desired. These cretacecus
bowlers were mainly of quartzite and
quarts. and their outcropping along this
former stream indicates what was once
the shore line Of the ancient cretace-
Gus sea.
Fortunately. the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission. which
Is handling the reservation and park
situation In the District of Columbia, Is
aware Of the irreparable damage done
along this line IN the aast. and Is
keenly alert toward being of public serv-
ice In the future. and much beautiful
scenery. still existing. win unqueSti N
ably be saved to posterity II is easier
to save the trees the valleys. and the
scenery than it Is TO reproduce them.
once they are destroyed. II is hard 10
duplicate nature and any attempt 10 do
so is only satisfactory where the real
! thing cannot be had