Tomoka State Park--A History Lesson

Today, we visited Tomoka State Park. This turned out to be such an interesting place! On our lunch break, I noted that we probably couldn't see all there was to see in a single day. It simply isn't possible. I do believe we'll make repeated trips in order to really explore all we can (whatever that means!).

While today would have been a perfect day for canoeing, our goal was an any-weather hike, discovering nature and history. The hike is a half-mile trail which winds its way through the oak hammocks that were once inhabited by Timucuan (TI-moo-kwan) Indians.  (For those who are unaware, a  hardwood hammock is a "dense stand of broad-leafed trees that grow on a natural rise of only a few inches in elevation". They occur on patches of limestone, sand, and shell at elevations that usually do not flood.)

History
One of the very special aspects of this particular nature trail is that you actually do hike through an old Timucuan village. The village is named Nocoroco. There were many interesting things to see here including:

Various structures for housing, meat-hanging and other daily needs

And Indigo vat (did you know Indigo was made with urine?)

What appears to be a fire pit

While all of this so very interesting, the thing which is certain to capture one's attention is the 40-foot tall "Chief Tomokie" statue. This artistic piece was donated by Frederick Dana Marsh in 1955 and depicts a legend of Chief Tomokie being slain over a golden cup. (We're doing more research into this legend.)

Of course, this wonderful travel through history was also a nature hike. Tomorrow, I will be posting about the nature aspect of this trip.

Happy Homeschooling!