This is another thong tree out at our woods called Fallen Timbers. I can't say exactly where this tree stands. The angle of the shot didn't leave me any landmarks. I know of three or four such trees in our woods that I could walk directly to if I wanted. This isn't one of them however. My guess is that this is at the eastern side of our square, which would mean that we are looking to the west. If so, it is pointing toward a number of the mysterious mounds a little farther up the hill.
Once again, I am being romantic. Is this a tree shaped by the First People, or is it the result of some natural mishap in the forest? I prefer to consider it the former, but there are plenty of people who would insist on the latter.
The facts are that the Osage
did live in this area of Missouri for centuries before being pushed out. And sign trees have been authenticated in the area. And the mounds that may be burial sites are all human sized and aligned east to west. The best scraper I found came from the woods at Fallen Timbers, and maybe I could realize my ambition of finding an arrowhead if I made a more systematic search there.
Puzzles like these keep bringing me back to the woods.
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December 7th, 2005 at 10:16 am
This anomaly would rarely, if ever, occur in the wild. The fact that there are 4 or more in a small geographic area removes the chance factor. This is a typical Indian “trail tree”.
What you need to do is create a map of the Fallen Timbers property and map the trail trees – what do you see when you “connect the dots”? Where does the trail lead? When you walk the property look for things that are out of place. If you walk around and notice a few rocks in an area that contains no other rock formations – stop and see if they line up, is there a pattern? Again, you are looking for things that don’t belong.
A quick search has not turned up any information on the burial practices of the Osage, but mounds all declinated east/west matches Seminole burials.
December 7th, 2005 at 10:34 am
A windfallen tree atop another tree will produce that. Later the windfall has decomposed, but the living tree is bent where it grew around it. Your tree looks too young to be any tribal product.
Buy an increment borer from Forestry Suppliers, Inc. and determine the age of the tree.
Of course that will ruin the fantasy…
December 7th, 2005 at 11:18 am
I like Farmer’s Wife’s idea. A map of these trees may reveal intention. What a great way to identify the land, and for you to have a new way of perceiving landmarks. I hope you do it and draw a map for all of us to see.
December 7th, 2005 at 12:19 pm
It’s hard to tell this circumference of the main trunk, and without any frame of reference it’s difficult to determine the size of the upper trunks. Can you estimate? Next time hang a hat or something on the tree.
One tree bent by a windfall is possible but 4, 5 or more suggest the trail tree. There’s something else that’s working in favor of the trail tree explanation. The elbow of this bend seems to have a “nose”, or a nobby protrusion at the bend. This is a defining feature. The natives would make a cut at the bend, to hasten the bending procedure. The cut would be packed with moss and a “nose” would form.
Check the other trees and see if they also have a “nose”. See if they align in a direction. This would be pointing to an area of importance – a trail, as you’ve suggested a burial spot, the way to game, fish, etc.
December 7th, 2005 at 10:22 pm
Thong tree? I don’t see a thong on that tree. My parents have some trees that look a bit like that. They also have a field in which we used to find arrow heads. Hmmm.. Making me wonder.
December 14th, 2005 at 3:10 pm
I have photographed and recorded about 45 Thong Trees in Pulaski County and the surrounding area. One tree falling upon another can bend a tree, although Thong Trees are different.
Characteristics of true Thong Trees are:
1. Normally White Oak.
2. Located next to a trail or road.
3. Have a significant bump (the results of topping the tree).
The last issue is to date them, this practice of bending trees was also used by the white man and more than likely is still practiced by Native Americans today. The most conclusive proof I have that these were not acts of nature is that I have found two white oak Thong Trees that were bent to resemble a 4, one points to the other and they are both of similar diameter, (at least 200 years old), the neat thing is that the second one points to a group of 3 Thong Trees (an intersection) next to an old ford site on the Roubidoux.
These trees have been referred by different names, Thong Trees comes from the procedure to tie the sapling down with a leather thong. Other names are Language Trees, Trail Trees, Water Trees, Bent Trees.
I have always though that a Thong Tree map on the web with photos would be nice for the State of MO although there are more skeptics than believers of this vanishing treasure.
January 2nd, 2006 at 1:53 pm
I work for the in the woods, and have an opportunity to see a lot of these Thong Trees. I also have found them to point to water, caves, shelters, and have found myself on wildlife trails which also probably were indian trails since wildlife will usually take the easiest path through the woods. (same as most people). Follow one sometime and see where you end up…..
November 11th, 2006 at 3:20 pm
I just found two of these in my landlord’s woods. I didn’t know what they were until someone encouraged me to do some research. Both trees are very large and pointing in the same direction (west I believe) and they’re not very far from one another. Is there a place I could upload a couple of pictures of them? Thanks.
January 4th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
The A or 4 shape is interesting, cause that’s what I saw in a small Cherokee Village in Osage territory.
February 16th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Rebel
What is the meaning for the shape A or 4? I have seen trees that have
the 4 shape and trees that form a v shape but not the A shape….
Thanks Hapannin
March 14th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Found you guys by accident but glad to see others interested in these trees. My brother and I spend a good bit of time in the woods around north Georgia and have run across many examples of the indian trail tree. Unfortunatly they are disappearing with all the new development in this area.
One of the best examples in our collection is now 20′ from the parking lot of the new North Side hospital at Johns Creek in North Fulton. This tree still shows a crutch mark in the bark used to pull it over, the elbow is fully formed, and has a pointer on the hump oposite of the elbow. In this area we have located 8 trees within a half mile area all pointing back to a known village located on the Chattahoochee river off McGinnis Ferry road.
The land this tree sits on will be developed for high end condos within the next year.
Jeff
March 18th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
If you want to know the truth about the “thong”..trees, AKA “hoot owl” trees, e-mail me and I will provide proof of their purpose.
March 23rd, 2007 at 8:52 am
Paul:
Please email me at mike.dean.walker@us.army.mil I am interested in the proof of the purpose of thong trees AKA “hoot owl” trees.
Mike
May 4th, 2007 at 11:38 am
I would like to know about the proof of the thong trees. We have these trees in our area.
Thanks,
Sammie
May 28th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Please mail proof on trees!
Please GPS tree location and send to the Mountain Stewards to place on the database of trees.
Please go the the following site for more Trail Tree Information:
http://www.mountainstewards.org/project/
To see photos of trees and GPS Location select: Database
To see the tree trail select Google Earth: Yellow dots will represent trees recently found.
Trail Tree Blog will keep you informed on the Trail Tree project.
July 9th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
These are tree’s formed by the local Indians to mark where water is located. The area of the Ozarks have many still around. The Osage Indians did form these.
October 8th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
We currently live in Saline Co., Arkansas. But my family was raised in Hollis, Arkansas. I seen many of these trees and never had a clue. My daughter is doing a report in Ar. History on the Trail of Tears. In researching this and family asking us about school, suddenly I find out family members believe my great-grandmother’s great-grandfather is John Ross the principal chief of the Cherokee nation. My uncle ask me if I had heard of thong trees. After explaining it I remember seeing these many times in many different places. I’m glad he urged me to look on the internet. My daughter and I have made plans to search everywhere we can and especially around the Saline River close to where we live. We would love to get involved and share pictures of the thong trees we find. Let us know how to do that, if you can.
January 26th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
There is what I believe to be a thong tree on my lot which I bought in ‘90 to build my retirement home on. It was in on the heavily wooded and undeveloped end of a housing development. I was able to select the trees to be retained after clearing for my house to be built so I kept the “thong tree” which has proven to be a curiosity to my neighbors. After moving into the house in ‘91 and exploring the immediate area I discover that my lot is where two old wagon trails intersect which I think adds credence to my tree being authentic. It is not one of the registered thong trees mentioned in the Missouri Conservation Magazine article a few of years ago. The direction indicated is generally NNE which is toward the Gasocnade River closest to me. The tree is approx 30′ at the base and otherwise healthy except for the shape.
April 14th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Just looking at the image, it is possible this was intentionally bent. There appears to be significant callus material near the outer edge of the 90 degree turn. Also, 90 degree angles rarely appear in nature.
Often small saplings are bent by falling trees to form an inverted u-shape. When this happens, another branch on the sapling can assume dominance and grow straight up from the bent trunk forming a 90 or close to 90 degree angle. If the other side of the bent trunk dies off, breaks off, or rots off, it could form something similar. However, this tree does not show the enough callus tissue to have closed over a wound the size of the now horizontal trunk section. Most trees, especially maples and oaks common to the Ozarks would take a very long time to heal a wound that large, if they ever do. Large wounds like that tend to rot and decay before they heal over, and the decay retards the healing process.
I’m inclined to say that this tree was intentionally shaped this way, and since size is not a reliable indicator of age, it may well be old enough to have been a supple sapling when the Osage chose to make it a marker.
July 17th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Does anyone know of any historic accounts of Indians creating or using these trees at the time they were allegedly created? Or even any anthropological accounts?
We know a lot about native material culture and beliefs from the thousands of white explorers, traders, and missionaries who lived among and sometimes married into native tribes. If these really were native navigation devices we would have primary accounts saying so. I don’t know of any such accounts.
February 1st, 2009 at 9:59 am
Interesting, I have a “goal post” thong tree at my door and another I refer to as a “rhino tree” because of its size and shape close by.