An upcoming lecture at the McCracken County Public Library will spotlight a local nature preserve’s ecology and rare features, as well as its historic ties to the Trail of Tears.
Mantle Rock Nature Preserve is a 367-acre natural area in northern Livingston County with unique natural features, including one of the largest natural arches east of the Mississippi River. A two- and three-quarter-mile loop trail follows the same route that thousands of Cherokee people took during their forced relocation along the Trail of Tears in the late 1830s.
Shelly Morris, director of Freshwater Conservation for the Kentucky Nature Conservancy Shelly Morris plans to discuss the organization’s relationship to Mantle Rock, including its restoration and management actions, as well as the history of the Trail of Tears in the region at a presentation Thursday evening at the McCracken County Public Library.
She said her role involves protecting water quality, flood risk resiliency, and biodiversity in Kentucky. As part of the presentation, Morris, along with Bob Jost, the vice president of the Kentucky chapter of the National Trail of Tears Association, will = provide an overview of the site, putting it in a historical context.
“So the talk this evening at the library is going to be about Mantle Rock, and also about the Trail of Tears in general, as it is in the context of Western Kentucky. Bob is going to speak primarily on just the bigger area regional context,” said Morris. “And then I'm going to speak about our Mantle Rock Nature Preserve, which is owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy and has a really important place in the historic story of the Trail of Tears.”
Mantle Rock is in northern Livingston County with unique geological features. It is also part of the National Trail of Tears northern route.
“This area is very unique in western Kentucky. Whenever you typically think of western Kentucky, you think of flat, expansive, agriculture and flat farm fields and not a lot of topography and not a lot of rock.” said Morris. “Whenever you get up into northern Livingston County, northern Crittenden County, up along the river, we actually have a lot of really unique geography and geology that is more similar to what you find in Southern Illinois up in the Shawnee National Forest, Garden of the Gods, places like that that people think of. These large rock outcroppings, bluff lines, arches, that sort of thing. So in this area of Mantle Rock and the surrounding area, you have a lot of rolling hills. We have a lot of exposed rock, a lot of sandstone glades that are very unique, and a lot of really rocky, clear water creeks. And so it's a very different site from what you typically think of with western Kentucky.”
Mantle Rock Preserve is open to the public. Along with large parking areas, there is also a three-mile trail system, with signage indicating the historic significance of the space and its connection to the Trail of Tears.
Morris said she hoped that attendees would come away with some information, maybe new to them – whether it’s about the Trail of Tears the history of the place, or the natural landscape features.
“The Nature Conservancy became interested in this because of the rare sandstone glades that are on the property. There's a lot of rare and unique plants, some that are found nowhere else in the state. I think people need to know about it, and understand where western Kentucky falls into that story. So I hope that people come away with some new knowledge about these things.”
Shelly Morris and Bob Jost will be presenting “Evenings Upstairs: The Mantle Rock Preserve, A Witness to the Trail of Tears”, Thursday, Nov. 14 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the McCracken County Public Library. The event is free and open to the public.
