Indian Paths in the Great Metropolis
And so, long years after the native life had departed and the name and even the place of the once busy village had disap- peared from sight and human memory, the humble but indestructible debris of shell and sherd and spearhead have re-opened the book of history, and recorded in no uncertain terms the place of one-time aboriginal habitation. And in the trodden paths that once united these recorded, recovered, or other unknown sites, the forerunners of our modern means of communication are found, a practical and permanent result of the life and the arts of the wild men.
A study of the topography of known Indian paths affords very clear indication of the reasons governing the selection of their route. Where the land lay reasonably level, the course was fairly direct, swerving only around obstacles such as rocky projections, and probably diverging to avoid heavy growths and fallen timber.