On early colonial maps of the Front Royal area, the previously cleared 
agricultural areas in the bottomlands along the river are referred to as 
"Poisoned Fields". There is a reference in one of the early Prince William 
county histories to the bottomlands along Bull Run as "Poisoned Fields" as 
well- these were prime garden areas below the large village off  Ball's Ford 
Rd. Apparently the early colonials believed the native peoples had poisoned 
these areas right before they moved out of the area-Barrett
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sunshine49" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 10:53 PM
Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] The American Indian as Peaceful Conservationists


> Large areas of inland Virginia, the Monacan lands, were found by the 
> early whites to be open, devoid of forest. They often took this to  mean 
> there was something wrong with the soil, it would be unfit to  farm. But 
> no, the Monacans had just cleared areas to make for better  hunting. Big 
> game like elk and deer prefer more open areas.
>
> Nancy

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