FORT BENNING PUBLIC AWARENESS & EDUCATION PLAN FOR CULTURAL RESOURCES Byline:
This Plan proposes sharing information in an array of formats (see
CONTENTS below) about the various eras
of human occupation at Fort Benning
by stirring the audience to recognize the value of cultural and natural
resources and to appreciate the significance of Fort Benning in our
national heritage. Published by Southeast Archeological Center, National
Park Service and U.S. Army, Fort Benning, Georgia. 1997,
46pp. Introduction Most people look at a river and see only water. A rare few catch glimpses of the past flowing by. The same can be said of a stretch of land. Only infrequently does an observer look at a landscape and see beyond what exists and envision what once was. Yet, even if the majority does not easily picture the past without prompting, being curious about earlier times seems to be innately human. The Public
Awareness and Education Project, of which this Plan is the first step,
seeks to shed light on the rich cultural and natural heritage of Fort
Benning near Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama. Dozens of individuals
generously contributed suggestions for this plan. Many also offered
future assistance to implement various components. Their names and a
synthesis of their ideas are presented in the following pages.
Before the establishment of Fort Benning in 1918, however, there were many others who occupied the ground, dating as far back as the waning Ice Age when PaleoIndians hunted in the region. Indeed, human beings have been an ongoing presence in the area for thousands of years, drawn by the teeming life in the Chattahoochee River and by other abundant natural resources. Native Americans were residents until the 1800's when they were removed by government order. However, many signs of their presence remain, including countless artifacts, as well as a long list of names for places - Cusetta, Coweta - and waterways - Upatoi and Ochille Creeks, to cite only a few. Farmers, slaves, and mill families followed in the footsteps of the Indians and also left reminders of their existence. Traces of their homesteads can still be found in the soils. And, while their numbers dwindle every year, there are still individuals alive who once lived on the land now occupied by Fort Benning and who have memories of growing up there. This Plan proposes sharing information in a variety of formats, including development of a Cultural Resource Curriculum and Teacher's Guide, about the various eras of human occupation on the approximately 182,000 acres now encompassed by the military reservation. The common goal among these approaches is to educate in an entertaining way, engaging the imagination and stirring the audience to recognize the value of cultural and natural resources and to appreciate the significance of Fort Benning in our national heritage. I
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"Fort
Benning: The Land and the People" popular volume
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