Starting Point: Home
The start of this run is at my home, where I was born, raised, and lived my entire life. It is located on a small cul-de-sac with only 9 other houses in the middle of the suburbs near Philadelphia. My parents bought this house in 1996 and since then have made several additions and renovations, such as the unattached garage, deck, and driveway in the front. I loved this house for many reasons, but most importantly because it is a place where I felt safe when being anywhere else was scary and overwhelming. I made some of my closest friends in this neighborhood and was able to explore everything I wanted to as a child safely. One of these things was running, and once I was old enough, I began to go on runs alone all the time, always originating from here, my house. The Lenape Indians who lived in this land hundreds of years ago lived in small, tight-knit communities scattered across the land. That same theme seems to appear in the current layout of the area, as many small neighborhoods are scattered throughout the town, with most people having a good relationship with the members of their community.
Stop #1: Crossing the Street
The first stop on this run is at the stop sign at the end of my cul-de-sac. Although only a couple hundred feet from my house, this spot has a lot of sentimental value for me. This is where my sister and I would wait every day when we were younger to catch the bus. While we waited, we would play with the dangling leave of the huge willow tree planted on my neighbor's lawn, treating it like a magical new world separate from the rest of the block. I think that this tree was one of the first natural things that I felt a strong connection to, even though I never really understood that connection was there until I was older. For Indigenous people, the willow tree was thought to be a sign of good luck that protected the people from storms and other bad weather. Similarly, I feel that this tree brought me good luck, and standing at the end of this road was a subtle highlight of my childhood.
Stop #2: Stoplight
The next stop on this run is a little bit down the major road near my house: Blackrock Road. This is the first part of the run where you will encounter a busy intersection with a stop light. The other street in this intersection is called Upper Indian Head Road, aptly named because of the large Lenape Indian population that formerly lived in the area. For me, passing this point was a major milestone in maturing and gaining trust. When I was younger, I was not allowed to go past this point since my parents did not want me to cross a (relatively) dangerous street. I would be allowed to run in the adjacent neighborhood, which was a bit larger and had some more safe loops I could traverse, but the light was always off-limits. Eventually, as a got older, my parents let me go past this point and cross the street. While I was apprehensive to do so at first, eventually I decided to try and found my favorite loop to run on: the one I am taking you down now. The Lenape youth also had to go through coming-of-age rituals where they were entrusted with a larger responsibility within the tribe depending on their gender and what was needed. And while my ritual may be less difficult, its impact felt just the same.
Stop #3: Entering the Woods
This next stop is one of my favorites on this run. Going from the busy road into this little wooded escape is such an amazing feeling. I have always loved getting away from the chaos of modern infrastructure and entering a place that feels (even if it isn't) natural and calm. I have included a video with the sounds of the creek and the birds chirping where you can also still faintly hear the cars zooming on the road behind. I think this juxtaposition is so interesting as it is a spot where I feel that I have escaped, yet am still surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the world around me. This creek used to be connected to the larger Perkiomen Creek nearby, which was the area where a majority of the Lenape built their homes to ensure that they would be near water to live. It is also historically connected to the Allegheny River in Western Pennsylvania, which got its name from the Native American allegewihanoe, meaning the river of the cave people. The Cherokees who used to live in this area were driven from the caves near the river by the Lenape, who resided there until the settlers arrived. Overall, this area has a lot of historical significance and a lot of significance for me in my life.
Stop #4: Oaks Elementary School
After exiting the woods, you will quickly approach a small elementary school called Oaks Elementary. This school is part of a larger network of public schools in the Springford School District and, while I did not attend, I have been there many times. My neighbors and I used to walk there a lot as little kids and play on the basketball courts or the swing set. The school opened for the first time in 1967, and ever since has been one of the premiere elementary institutions in the area. And when I would run past, it was always really nice to see such a pretty place and imagine how happy all the students were to be there. While the method of education is vastly different, the Lenape Indians also had forms of education for their children that consisted of storytelling, ceremonies, and different observations of the land. In this way, indigenous children would be prepared to eventually become elders within the tribe and pass on the traditions of the people.
Stop #5: The Playground
At the very back of the elementary school, you will find a playground and an asphalt area covered with different exercise activities. These activities were set up for the students to partake in during gym class, but during COVID they took on a whole new meaning for me. Like most of America and the world, I felt very isolated during the peak of the COVID pandemic. I was at home every day and only got to see my parents and some friends over Facetime. While we all did our best to stay entertained, it was difficult for boredom not to set in. One of the main activities we did to get some time outside was to go on walks. And one of the most common walks my family and I went on was the exact loop I am taking you on now. When we would get to this stop, we would often go along the route and do all of the exercises, making fun of each other for our lack of balance or general ineptitude for the workouts. It was one of the best memories I had during COVID and really made my family and me closer. Interestingly, it was my mom who was the lead on doing these walks and making us do these cute little exercises. This is very similar to the Lenape who previously lived here, whose tribe was matriarchal and emphasized the importance of female leadership, or Takachsin.
Stop #6: The Firehouse
After finishing the playground exercises, you will continue down the road until you reach the Oaks Fire Station. This firehouse has been around for many decades and has several memorials to the brave men and women who have served at it or served in other wars. I often see the firetrucks sitting inside the massive garage here and find it so incredible that people are willing to dive head-first into danger to help others. At this point in the run, I know that I am getting a little bit tired, so having a pretty landmark like this to look upon as I continue is always so refreshing. As in many different indigenous tribes, fire (or tentey) is a very important part of Lenape culture. Fire is regarded as grandfather in Lenape tradition, being the most ancient and wise member of the tribe. Its balance, water, is grandmother, and without these two elders, the Lenape would both culturally and physically be lost. So while fire can be dangerous, necessitating something like the fire station to combat it, it can also be beautiful and provide life and customs to a whole group of people.
Stop #7: The Baseball Fields
After passing the fire station, you will go down the hill and reach the Upper Providence Little League Baseball Fields. There are several baseball fields here as well as a running trail, playground, and small soccer field. Throughout my childhood, I was extremely close with my next-door neighbors. And although baseball was definitely not my strongest sport, it was a lot of theirs. So we would often go to these fields in order to watch the games and just spend tie together. At a time when it was very difficult for me to make friends, it was always really comforting knowing that I had these people and this place to enjoy. I would frequent the snack stand, go on the playground, and walk around the loop while enjoying all the games going on. This strong sense of community and friendship that I developed strongly mirrors the emphasis on community in the Lenape tribe that formerly resided here. Family was a loose term for these people as everyone and everything in the area was considered part of the broader family of the Lenape. Their beliefs that both a land and a people make up a community feel reflected in my experience, as both the neighbors I went with and the place we met held significant value to me.
Final Stop: The Bridge
The last stop on this run is past the back side of the baseball fields. Similar to stop #3, this is a small pocket of nature that is relatively calmer than the rest of the run. I like to end my run here because it feels like a very calming place to relax my body and soul as I begin to cool down. There is a very pretty little wooden bridge here where a small creek runs, birds chirp, and animals live relatively undisturbed. I really love this area because it is one of the few places that I can go to escape from my stress and feel truly calm and at peace with everything. With this, the running trail comes to an end. I hope that learning about why each of these stops is so important to me and how they can be connected to the previous inhabitants of the land can help you appreciate the run in your own way. Be sure to cool down, do some stretching, and maybe I will see you some time as we both go on this run together.
