As I tread through Centennial Woods, I wouldn’t naturally think that the land had been inhabited by humans for thousands of years. However, upon studying the land closer, it is evident that the land has been treaded by humans for many millennia. The first people who treaded the area were the indigenous people who lived here for thousands of years. Those people were likely the Abenaki, who originally learned the names of all the plants and animals of Centennial Woods. The next time the land was recorded using was with the Green Mountain Boys, a militia group led by Ethan Allen during the 1700s. In the 1800s – 1900s the land was purchased by the Ainsworth family, who used the land for farming. There is evidence of this near the hemlock forest on the way to my sight. In the hemlock grove, barb wire for cattle boundary can be seen on the left-hand side. Similarly, there are older trees on the left side indicating where the boundary ended. The land was owned by the Ainsworth family until 1908 when it was sold to UVM.
As I conclude on this phenological exploration for this year, I found myself very reflective on the land use history and the indigenous people who lived here for many years. Below you’ll find a poem I wrote about the people who lived here before us.
The Land we Tread on
The city
Burlington
A town amongst the green mountains
Filled with families, students, and stories
But whose story is being told?
I hear about getting creemees, days on church st, and summer nights at north beach
But no one tells the stories of the ancestors
The people who treaded on this land
The people who cared for, and died for this land.
I will say their names and learn their stories
The Abenaki, Missisquoi, and Pennacook
The people whose stories were once erased, but can be found through the soil
The trees whisper their tales
As do the people
The people are here, they are alive, and their story needs to be told
Burlington
A city that now stands where Indigenous people once stood
Land of the Abenaki, Missisquoi, and Pennacook
Say their names, Learn their stories, Read the soil
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