North Fork Moormans River
North Fork Moormans river This marks the parking lot where you can access the North Fork Moormans River. While I was hoping to hike up through the river on this tour, it was closed due to a stream bank restoration project since there had been a lot of traffic and this also helps the native brook trout that live in the water. Therefore, I will be touring down towards the Charlottesville Reservoir, which will be the next stop. Throughout this tour, I aim to make place, as Mishauana Goeman states in “Land as Life” by “relating both personal and communal experiences and histories to certain locations and landscapes- maintaining these spatial relationships is one of the most important components of politics and our identity” (Goeman 73). Personal connection Over the last three years, this has been a place that has been meaningful to me in various ways. Not only is it a short drive from grounds, but it is an area where you can go and enjoy different places of nature. One of the reasons why this place has significance is because I go fly fishing here often. Fly fishing has been a great passion of mine ever since my father taught it to me at a young age. While fishing here, focusing on catching a fish is not exactly the biggest reason for spending time fly fishing. It is because it really allows you to notice all of the different types of trees, rapids in the river, bugs, animals, and other aspects that you might not think about when walking through grounds or other developed areas. It is also a great way for me to really be in the moment and appreciate everything around me at the time. As I walked down the North Fork Moormans River, I heard many different sounds. Immediately, you can hear the loud running of the water through currents over the rocks. However, as I moved down the river, I later hit a more calm current, allowing me to hear different birds chirping. While looking around, there are a lot of smooth rocks around, that lie in between the tall green trees on the bank. However, many trees have fallen either in the river or on the banks. I wondered how long these trees have been here and how this area might have changed over time. When looking down at the sand on the banks and in different areas, I noticed different footprints on the sand and riverbank. While most were shoes, I could tell some were animals like dogs that people brought to walk there or animals that live in the area. History and Significance of North Fork Moormans River The North Fork Moormans River starts in the eastern area of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western Albemarle County and flows into the Charlottesville reservoir. While the river currently looks like how people might think it has for a while, it has changed over time. In 1995, a significant flood caused changes to the structure and banks of the river and the native trout population (North Fork Moormans River). It is intriguing to think how this river might have also changed at times before the flood occurrence. The reason for the name “Moorman '' for the river is because of Charles Moorman, who purchased land in the area at the intersection of the Mechum and Moorman rivers in 1735 (History Today). The United States Board on Geographic Names decided on this name in 1933 (History Today) . However, this land originally belonged to the Monacan, Manahoac, and Shawandasse Tulle Nations before settler colonialism occurred (Native Land Digital). According to research, the Monacans predominantly lived in the area of what is now Sugar Hollow. The Monacans spoke Algonquian languages, along with Manahoacs and Shawandasse Tulle, and lived in different areas throughout what is now Virginia (Our history). Furthermore, the Monacans were allies with Manahoac, and both were Siouan speaking (The Monacan in Virginia). While walking through the North Fork Moorman river, I thought of how many different experiences and stories this area has seen. Also, how the land has changed throughout the centuries. Works Cited Education, Virginia Department of. “Monacan Indian Nation.” VDOE :: Virginia's First People Past & Present - Monacan Indian Nation, www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/history/virginias-first-people/today/monacan-indian-nation/index.shtml.Encyclopedia Virginia Staff . “Monacan Indian Nation.” Encyclopedia Virginia, encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/monacan-indian-nation/.Hawkins , Blair. “Water Supply History.” Water Supply History - Blair's Magazine, 5AD, 2017, www.blairhawkins.net/posts/Rivanna/#:~:text=The%20city%20of%20Charlottesville%20acquired,build%20the%20University%20of%20Virginia.“History Today .” The History Search | Moormans River, www.thtsearch.com/content/Moormans_River/.James , Phil. “Sugar Hollow Reservoir: A Cool Drink of Water.” The Crozet Gazette, 13 Jan. 2010, www.crozetgazette.com/2010/01/13/sugar-hollow-reservoir-a-cool-drink-of-water/.“The Monacan in Virginia.” Virginia Places , www.virginiaplaces.org/nativeamerican/monacantribe.html.Native Land Digital , 8 Oct. 2021, native-land.ca/.North Fork Moormans River, 2022 Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, dwr.virginia.gov/waterbody/north-fork-moormans-river/.“Our History.” MONACAN INDIAN NATION, www.monacannation.com/our-history.html.Paullin, Charles O. “The Moorman Family of Virginia.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 12, no. 3, 1932, p. 177., doi:10.2307/1919177.
Charlottesville Reservoir
Charlottesville Reservoir The Charlottesville Reservoir is the next stop, which receives most of its water from the North Fork Moormans River. Personal Connection The Charlottesville reservoir is a place where my friends and I enjoyed hanging out during the pandemic. While you are technically not supposed to swim in it, we would hang out with chairs on the bank of the lake. As you can see in one of the videos, the lake is decently sized and surrounded by mountains. It is much different from the North Fork Moormans River. It is quieter with calmer water, which enabled me to hear the sticks and leaves crunching while walking, birds chirping, and the trees moving from the wind. While its primary purpose is to serve as a water source, it also provides a great place to relax and enjoy the water and green mountains that surround it. While most areas around the reservoir are pleasant, right at the dam is the opposite. It has many areas fenced off with signs that read “Danger, no trespassing”, “No swimming” and “restricted area no unauthorized personnel beyond this point”. Even though the signs make sense since dams can be quite dangerous, it still shows limits of access in the area. Historical Significance When taking place at the reservoir, many different thoughts came to my mind. First, the reservoir was built in 1924, to provide plenty of water to the area of Charlottesville from that time to the present day. The water would travel through a pipeline from Sugar Hollow to Ragged Mountain (Hawkins). By 1925, the average output on a daily basis was 2.5 million gallons of water (James). The Charlottesville Reservoir also is known by the Moormans River Dam, Sugar Hollow Dam, Moormans River Intake, and the Sugar Hollow Reservoir (James). Since the dam is not that old, I thought of how different this place would look without the dam. Also, the different prior habitats were destroyed to create space for the reservoir. Works Cited Education, Virginia Department of. “Monacan Indian Nation.” VDOE :: Virginia's First People Past & Present - Monacan Indian Nation, www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/history/virginias-first-people/today/monacan-indian-nation/index.shtml.Encyclopedia Virginia Staff . “Monacan Indian Nation.” Encyclopedia Virginia, encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/monacan-indian-nation/.Hawkins , Blair. “Water Supply History.” Water Supply History - Blair's Magazine, 5AD, 2017, www.blairhawkins.net/posts/Rivanna/#:~:text=The%20city%20of%20Charlottesville%20acquired,build%20the%20University%20of%20Virginia.“History Today .” The History Search | Moormans River, www.thtsearch.com/content/Moormans_River/.James , Phil. “Sugar Hollow Reservoir: A Cool Drink of Water.” The Crozet Gazette, 13 Jan. 2010, www.crozetgazette.com/2010/01/13/sugar-hollow-reservoir-a-cool-drink-of-water/.“The Monacan in Virginia.” Virginia Places , www.virginiaplaces.org/nativeamerican/monacantribe.html.Native Land Digital , 8 Oct. 2021, native-land.ca/.North Fork Moormans River, 2022 Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, dwr.virginia.gov/waterbody/north-fork-moormans-river/.“Our History.” MONACAN INDIAN NATION, www.monacannation.com/our-history.html.Paullin, Charles O. “The Moorman Family of Virginia.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 12, no. 3, 1932, p. 177., doi:10.2307/1919177.
Moormans River
Moormans River The final place is the Moormans river which receives its water flow from the North Fork Moormans River/Charlottesville Reservoir. Personal Connection The Moormans River is another place in this area that I have spent many hours at during my time at UVA. It is much flatter with a wider river than the North Fork Moormans River. It also looks very different compared to many large rocks and boulders around the bank. I have always liked to come to this area because it is very accessible with different paths and a great place to forget any stress and enjoy miles of nature. I will spend time here with friends or alone walking through the paths and river sections and will fly fish as well. During my time while I was recording my tour, I ran into many different species. I saw rabbits, squirrels, lizards, birds, and many bugs starting to come off of the river, which led to brook trout eating off of the river's surface, as seen in the second video if you look closely. One of the ways I enjoy spending time is especially during the spring in this area. As discussed, many flies and bugs hatch around the river during this time, and I spend much time trying to figure out what these flies look like or what type they are and match them with a fly for fishing. The flies that were hatching during this time looked white, and I could get a few bites from small brook trout by mimicking it. This has always been something I find interesting is how different times of the year, the area is a habitat for different species or insects. However, I did notice that there has been much more work done on the banks of this river, making it less natural compared to the North Fork. For example, I noticed benches in different areas, more defined paths, and man-made bridges for cars or walking to cross rivers. Also, since this area is relatively flat, there are many more houses and farms. However, I was curious about how long this area has been developed with farms and more accessible areas and how it has changed over centuries like in the other places. Historical connection After researching the Monacan Nation, I learned that they lived in villages, typically along rivers, and that their homes were made out of bark and reed mats formed into a dome shape (Our History). As discussed earlier, most research states that Monacans most likely lived in this area, and I became curious if this area of what is now the Moorman river is somewhere where they might have had a village. Also, the Monacans grew the “Three Sisters” crops: corn, beans, and squash, which probably could have been grown in this area as a source of food (Our History). They also hunted elk, deer, and small game. While I have not seen any deer or small game in the area, there could have been a larger population in this area in earlier centuries. While I could not find anything in my research to confirm where the Monacans lived in what is now the Sugar Hollow area, I feel like this river area could be a possible place, and it is vital to think of how the area has changed over centuries. When inquiring what Moormans river was named before, there was not much available. To provide a brief history of the Moormans and how the river received its name, the Moorman family was first recorded in Virginia in 1686 (Paulin). The family purchased the land near what is now Moormans river in 1735, and it was named after Thomas in the family. However, research is unclear as to whom they purchased the land from. They were most likely part of settler colonialism in the area. While the Moorman family enslaved people during this time, the American Revolution pushed many Quakers, as were the Moormans, to be anti-slavery. In 1778, Charles Moorman freed his thirty-three slaves (Paulin). Connecting the Moorman river to Indigenous history, it is a headwater to the South Fork Rivanna River, which leads to the Rivanna River. The Monacan tribe lived on the banks of the Rivanna River. Thomas Jefferson recorded in the 1750s that “several Indians had been observed visiting one of the mounds on the Rivanna River '' (Encyclopedia Virginia Staff). Furthermore, the location was recorded by John Smith that the area was Monacan territory, but it is unclear whether the Monacans built the burial mounds (Encyclopedia Virginia Staff). However, in 2000, the Monacan Nation led a blessing ceremony at the burial site (Encyclopedia Virginia Staff). When connecting the history of the Rivanna River and Monacan Nation, it demonstrates how the area of what is now Sugar Hollow and Moormans area was originally Monacan territory since they are close and connected rivers.Works Cited Education, Virginia Department of. “Monacan Indian Nation.” VDOE :: Virginia's First People Past & Present - Monacan Indian Nation, www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/history/virginias-first-people/today/monacan-indian-nation/index.shtml.Encyclopedia Virginia Staff . “Monacan Indian Nation.” Encyclopedia Virginia, encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/monacan-indian-nation/.Hawkins , Blair. “Water Supply History.” Water Supply History - Blair's Magazine, 5AD, 2017, www.blairhawkins.net/posts/Rivanna/#:~:text=The%20city%20of%20Charlottesville%20acquired,build%20the%20University%20of%20Virginia.“History Today .” The History Search | Moormans River, www.thtsearch.com/content/Moormans_River/.James , Phil. “Sugar Hollow Reservoir: A Cool Drink of Water.” The Crozet Gazette, 13 Jan. 2010, www.crozetgazette.com/2010/01/13/sugar-hollow-reservoir-a-cool-drink-of-water/.“The Monacan in Virginia.” Virginia Places , www.virginiaplaces.org/nativeamerican/monacantribe.html.Native Land Digital , 8 Oct. 2021, native-land.ca/.North Fork Moormans River, 2022 Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, dwr.virginia.gov/waterbody/north-fork-moormans-river/.“Our History.” MONACAN INDIAN NATION, www.monacannation.com/our-history.html.Paullin, Charles O. “The Moorman Family of Virginia.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 12, no. 3, 1932, p. 177., doi:10.2307/1919177.
