For the 3^rd year now, 4-H agents have wanted to create a day for just our middle school youth that will engage them, give them an educational field trip and get them excited about being a part of 4-H.  This is just what we did when over 100 youth (almost 150 people in total) gathered together from across 10 counties this spring when a day trip was planned to Mantle Rock.Mantle Rock is known to many in this area as a part of the Trail of Tears, however, when you ask many of the locals, they’ve never visited it.  Mantle Rock is tucked away in the tiny town of what was once known as Joy located on the Livingston/Crittenden County line.  The Trail of Tears at the Nature Conservancy’s Mantle Rock Preserve is an important part of our nation’s history after the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, in which the US government forced thousands of American Indians to leave their ancestral lands in the southeast for new homes in present day Oklahoma.    The Cherokee story of perseverance and survival is told along the original route on the hiking trails at the Mantle Rock Preserve. At mantle Rock, you can walk along the same path that 10,000 Cherokee Indians did in the harsh winter of 1838-1839.  Due to the harsh winter conditions, one of the groups was forced to seek shelter at Mantle Rock for two weeks while they were waiting for the Ohio River to thaw enough for them to pass.   During this time, due to exhaustion, illness and death, many died during this time.

There is a 2.75 mile loop trail with 1 mile of it being the original route.  Throughout this trail, youth were able to enjoy the beautiful and breathtaking views of the rock, water and native habitat.   Youth were divided into 10 groups to hike the trail.  Prior to their arrival, GPS markers were placed along the trail.  The morning of the hike, youth were given a SET lesson in using GPS devices.  As they hiked along the trail, they were also able to spend their time figuring out the scavenger hunt while finding the GPS markers. After a healthy snack, youth then all gathered at the Livingston County Extension office for an afternoon of Leadership and Healthy Adventure games.  Johnna Woodson, a teen Health Living ambassador attended to provide activities to help promote and encourage a healthy lifestyle.  

Our middle school youth and agents always look forward to this yearly event and look forward to finding a new place to explore with our Middle School Youth next year!

Information taken from:

https://www.nps.gov/trte/learn/historyculture/upload/They-Passed-This-Way-508.pdf

https://www.nps.gov/trte/learn/historyculture/upload/Exploring-Mantle-Rock-508.pdf