Hobbs happenings

Recent archaeological work at

Pea Ridge National Military

Park re-examined

University of Arkansas graduate student, Victoria Jones, will present a two-part program at Hobbs State Park bringing attention to fundamental events that occurred during the largest Civil War battle west of the Mississippi.

According to Jones, "My presentation will focus on the surveys and excavations conducted in 2017 and 2018 within Pea Ridge National Military Park. Specifically, I will first explain the University of Arkansas field school excavations at Leetown, which happens to be the topic of my Master's thesis. This part of the presentation is an update to previously-presented material, sharing the data analysis and results from these excavations.

The second part of this presentation focuses on the 2018 survey and excavations of Clemens Field, Fosters Farm and Field, as well as the continuation of the Leetown excavations." Jones is responsible for the artifact cataloging and analysis of the summer 2017 and 2018 Pea Ridge National Military Park archaeological collection as well as supervision of the students working on the collection.

Clemens Field was where the fighting took place in the early afternoon on March 7, 1862 between Major General Sterling Price's Southern troops, and Union Colonel Grenville Dodge's troops. Price and his men were out maneuvered and fled. At Foster's Farm 500 Federal cavalrymen & artillerymen met face to face with General McCulloch's 7,000 Southern troops. Hopelessly outnumbered, the Federal troops fled. Leetown was made up of a dozen or so log-and-frame homes and outbuildings that served as field hospitals to take care of the wounded and dying on both sides. The Leetown battlefield is where the Confederate Generals McCulluch and McIntosh were killed within 200 yards of each other. The Southern leadership on the battlefield gone, it was time to retreat. The Southern troops retreated 10 miles down the Huntsville Road to Peter Van Winkle's mill, the location of which is now at Hobbs State Park.

Civil War enthusiasts and just plain history buffs will not want to miss this program.

When: Sunday, March 24, 2019

Time: 2 p.m.

Where: Hobbs State Park visitor center located on Ark. Hwy. 12 just east of the War Eagle Road intersection.

Walk on the wild side

with Tamara Walkingstick:

Edible trees and plants workshop

Slated at Hobbs State Park

Many of our grandparents and parents used wild plants for food and medicine. We all know about sassafras tea and the glorious taste of wild blackberries, but we have perhaps forgotten how extensively wild plants can be used as food sources. In the early 1970's, information on native wild foods and medicinal uses of wild plants became very popular. The well-known naturalist, Euell Gibbons, told us, "My love affair with nature is so deep that I am not satisfied with being a mere onlooker, or nature tourist. I crave a more real and meaningful relationship. The spicy teas and tasty delicacies I prepare from wild ingredients are the bread and wine in which I have communion and fellowship with nature, and with the Author of that nature."

Dr. Walkingstick, who will conduct the Wild Edibles Workshop at Hobbs State Park, has recently retired from the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Co-operative Extension Service as an Associate Professor of Extension Forestry. Tamara serves on several boards including the Arkansas American Indian Center, Arkansas Women in Agriculture, the National Network of Forest Practitioners, and is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.

Walkingstick noted, "In this comprehensive 4-hour workshop, you will not only learn to identify some edible species of Arkansas native and non-native vegetation, you will also have the opportunity to sample some tasty dishes. The presentation covers concepts of conservation, history, culture, and plant identification. 30 pages of wild edible recipes are included as well."

When: Sunday, May 5, 2019

Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cost: $25 per person, Check or cash accepted on day of workshop: Participants must pre-register. For information and to register, call: 479-789-5000.