6th Grade Natural Bridge Field Trip by Ms. Tabasso

Today, the sixth grade students of Walton Middle School traveled 90 miles southwest to Rockbridge County to visit Natural Bridge.  This was a culminating trip for the current social studies students, who have completed two projects about Native American tribes in North America.  The second semester social studies students have established some great background knowledge by attending this trip that they will be able to use during their studies in January.

You may be asking yourself, What exactly is Natural Bridge?  Well, Natural Bridge is just that a natural bridge that was carved out by Cedar Creek, a tributary of the James River, thousands of years ago.  The Native American Monacan tribe considered it to be a scared place after a victorious battle over the rival Powhatan tribe on the site.  White settlers discovered Natural Bridge in March of 1749, and it is also believed that George Washington may have even traveled to Natural Bridge while surveying the area.  The initials GW can be seen about 23 feet from the top of the bridge giving proof that he was there.  George Washington is not the only president who is tied to Natural Bridge--the land Natural Bridge is located on was acquired by Thomas Jefferson in 1774.  It served as one of the first tourist attractions to visiting Europeans in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.  Fast forward to modern day, it is still a place of mystic and wonder, especially to our sixth graders today!

We choose a perfect autumn day to visit.  The temperature was quite comfortable—not too hot and not too cold.  Although the sky seemed rather ominous, the rain held off and we were able to stay dry!  As soon as we arrived, students hopped off the bus and stretched their legs—an hour and forty five minutes was a long time for those little legs to be cramped up!  We made our way down 137 stairs to the base of Natural Bridge.  We experienced breath-taking views, and many students pulled out their phones and cameras to document the nature beauty.  We continued to make our way along a trial next to the creek and under the amazing bridge.  There were mini-traffic jams as students “ooh-ed” and “aahh-ed” with open mouths as they gazed all the way up!  

We rounded under and past the bridge and a little bit farther up the path, we came upon a Monacan village.  There were two guides who were able to provide the students with a tour of the village.  They were very helpful along the way and taught the students new things specifically about the Monacan tribe.  They even got to say a few Monacan words.  The first stop was a traditional Monacan house.  Then the students checked out the “kitchen”.  Most were really excited about seeing the kitchen, given that fact that it was just about lunchtime!  They learned about the top three foods cooked by the Monacan—deer, turkey, and turtles.  Turtles were the best because they had their very own serving bowl.  They also were shown steel knives and a copper pot acquired by the tribe by trading.  They also saw the predecessor to the steel knifes—rock knives that you had to be extremely careful not to break.

We made our way to a longhouse where the Monacans would hold important meetings.  They even had a fire going inside of the longhouse, which made it a tad bit smoky, but mostly cozy.  They also saw a trading post and learned more about the tools and communication Monacans used.  At one point, the guide blow on a conch shell, and the students learned it was used to signal an upcoming battle.  Macy commented, “#Shellphone!”  We ended our visit eating lunch just outside of the Monacan village.  All in all, the students learned a lot and got to spend a lot of time in the great outdoors experiences a bit history and natural beauty!