It is “Spooky Time” in Texas !!!

Starting about October, with Halloween in the “air,” we start thinking about the “spirit world, the weird, and the scary.  Not only in Texas, but in many places of the world, the mysterious pimple mounds appear, and the theories of how they are formed are varied and numerous.  From  CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology we learn a lot of factual information.:

“Pimple mounds are generally quasi-circular, micro-topographic features less than 1 m high and up to 20 m in diameter. When truncated by cultivation, mounds may appear on aerial photographs as a regular pattern of small, light-toned patches contrasting with the surrounding darker soil. This study describes the spatial distribution of ten pimple mound sites in southern Saskatchewan, and examines the morphology and composition of individual mounds at the Little Manitou Lake site near Watrous, Saskatchewan, Canada. Most known Saskatchewan mound sites are within the flat to undulating grasslands of the Prairie Ecozone and in the meltwater channels and gravelly outwash plains associated with massive glacial spillways. Although truncated mounds are still visible on some aerial photographs, few intact mound sites are found. At the Little Manitou Lake mound site, mounds had a density of between 2.25 and 16.96 mounds per hectare and an average spacing between 22 and 48.03 metres. Mounds were quasi-circular in shape, an average of 0.36 m high, 14.7 m in diameter and 9.8 m3 in volume. Trenches through three mounds showed gravel-rich, highly bioturbated soil horizons. Results of this study support the biological hypothesis that advocates mounds are formed due to bioturbation by burrowing animals and their predators. In areas where thin soils overlay a rigid subsurface material, burrowing animals create thick, well-drained mound soils over time by moving soil towards their nest as they construct their network of subsurface burrows. Mound formation is considered a polygenetic process that continues to operate today.”

A Scientific Monthly article of 1948 (Koons, Frederick C., 1948, The Sand Mounds of Louisiana and Texas. Scientific Monthly. vol. 66, pp. 297-300. Krinitzsky, Ellis Louis, 1949, Origin of pimple mounds. American Journal of Science. vol. 247, no. 10, pp. 706-714.) states “some of the mounds are pitted at or near the center, usually by one, and rarely by as many as three, small pits…” 

The Preserve consists of nine land units and six water corridors encompassing more than 97,000 acres. Established in 1974, Big Thicket was the first Preserve in the National Park system and protects an area of rich biological diversity.    A convergence of ecosystems occurred here during the last Ice Age. It brought together, in one geographical location, the eastern hardwood forests, the Gulf coastal plains and the Midwest prairies.

In December 1981, the Preserve was designated an International Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere Program.

In July 2001, the American Bird Conservancy recognized the Preserve as a Globally Important Bird Area joining thousands of others around the world. The Big Thicket National Preserve is home of thousands of the ancient mysteries mounds – some visitors had said that these mounds, some over thirty feet wide and three feet tall in the flooded woods could have been made by humans due to their regularity of shape.  These mounds occur often in southwestern Louisiana and run south and west into southeast Texas in a stretch that is approximately one hundred fifty miles wide. 

In the  book, Weird Texas, by Westley Treat, Heather Shade, and Rob Riggs, it is mentioned that the Karankawa, a tribe of Indians who inhabited this area into the nineteenth century, and were so primitive they lived at a level just above animals.

Westley also tells in the book about meeting a young couple from Sour Lake just at the gateway to the thicket and her parents had put a mobile home right on top of a pimple mound to keep it above the high water that is a constant threat in the area, and Angie, as a young child, immediately started having visions, and among the strange events that occurred, was the visits by a small Indian girl who as a ghost, kept coming back until they developed a non-verbal friendship through their eyes.  Could this have been a link to the mystery of the pimple mounds????  Visit some of them and see what you find

out about the them?  At the worse, you will enjoy the Big Thicket area, and be sure to take a canoe trip

Top 5 Reasons
People Love Canoeing in The Big Thicket

The waterways of the Big Thicket National Preserve area have among the most popular canoeing destinations in Texas for over 20 years. Groups and families from all over the world come here to experience the Village Creek and Neches River canoe trails.

So what makes this isolated area so popular?

It's Fun! The number one reason people love canoeing in the Big Thicket area is because it's fun. Regardless of your age, where you're from or your experience level, you'll find the Big Thicket has something to offer. Whether it's an old fashioned "water fight" or exploring nature, you'll remember your trip for many years to come.

It's Relaxing. Imagine floating along the current through pristine areas inaccessible by car or foot. It's as if time just stands still for you and all of the cares of work, bills and life just seem to float away with that current. Even if it's just one day of canoeing, you'll go back to life feeling physically and spiritually renewed.

It's Unique. Canoeing in the Big Thicket takes you deep into areas untouched by civilization. It's like a trip through the discovery channel, seeing wildlife and nature you thought you'd only see on television. You'll experience first hand what it's like to explore cypress swamps, sandy beaches and deep tropical forest with a diverse variety of wildlife, strange looking vegetation and even carnivorous plants.

Quality Time. Families and groups especially like the quality time they can spend together during a Big Thicket canoe trip. No phone calls, no pagers, no interruptions. Learning and working together as they maneuver their canoes through wonderful waterways; laughing and talking as they take a break for a picnic along the shore; and just "getting away from it all" so they can get to know one another again.

Healthy and Educational. Rowing a canoe, breathing fresh air, learning new skills, developing coordination and finding out about wildlife and nature. Who would have thought so much fun could be educational and healthy, too!

To find out more about canoe trips and lots of other activities to do in the Big Thicket National Preserve

Click Photo for Canoe Trip Info

Happy traveling.