Signs of Civilization

Remains of Wooden Pipe

As I approached Carter Falls, I saw an unusual coil of wire in the ground.  Obviously man made, this wire looked continuous and wound its way through the woods.  As I travelled further down the trail, I could coils of wire along with some wooden stakes.  It kind of looked like a barrel with no ends. 

Wooden Pipe along Trail

Finally, as I passed the falls, the origin of the wire became obvious.  It was the remains of a large wooden pipe.  In doing a bit more research, the trail was passing by an old electric power generating station that used to supply electricity to Longmire.  The pipe diverted water around the falls to power the generators.

Although information is not complete, the pipe seems to date from before the 1920's.  (Cast Iron pipe became readily available after then.)  There are no signs of the power plant anymore.  The only signs of civilization I saw at the site was a small metal pipe protruding from the ground and a the end of a large cable. 

This is an example of how temporary human structures can be.  Within 50 years, the forest has all but reclaimed most elements of civilization.