Rock Eagle and Columbus Day

Since it's Columbus Day, it seems an appropriate time to celebrate the folks who first discovered America - I don't mean Columbus. Heck, I don't even mean the Cherokee Indians (in my area of the country). I'm talking about people who lived here thousands of years ago, so long ago that the Cherokee didn't even know who they were. But who left their mark nonetheless...
     In Rock Eagle, Georgia, there is an Eagle shaped from piled rocks - the Rock Eagle Effigy Mound. Hubbie and I took a road trip to go see it recently.

     They know very little about the people who created the Eagle, but there are a few effigies around the state like this.
     At Rock Eagle, a tower was built during the CCC era so you can climb up and get a better view. Heck, the tower is something to see in itself - it feels like a mini medieval castle with metal framed windows (no glass), rock walls and log stairs that go up, and up and up!
     Here's Stan taking the photo of the Eagle.
     Add to that, in the North Georgia Mountains where we used to live, there's a fish trap built into the Toccoa river. It's hard to see unless the water is running a little low, but rocks were placed to form a "V" in the river, directing the fish to where they could be caught more easily. I've heard the Cherokee built it, but I've also heard it's been dated back 2 to 3,000 years old. Whichever is accurate, it's amazing that it's still there!
     So! So much for anybody discovering anything. But I suppose some folks like having the day off. Happy Columbus Day!