THE DISMAL SWAMP OF VIRGINIA 



Bv Arthur Holuck 



^^si^HE Dismal Swamp, usually called 

 f) the Dismal Swamp of Virginia, 

 ^*^ lies partly in Virginia and partly 

 in North Carolina ; but it is more ac- 

 cessible from the former, and as most 

 of those who have explored or visited 

 it have entered from the Virginia side, 

 the name of that State is commonly 

 linked with it. Its topographic, geo- 

 logic, biologic and economic features 

 may be found described in numerous 

 governmental reports ; many historical 

 events are connected with it ; it figured 

 more or less prominently in certain 

 events of the Civil War, and it has been 

 made the subject of numerous articles, 

 stories and traditions published in 

 works of fiction and in magazine and 

 newspaper literature. 



The area of the swamp is about 1,500 

 square miles. The surface is almost 

 level, sloping gradually from the south- 

 west toward the northeast, with an ele- 

 vation above mean tide level of from 

 23-12 feet, and in consequence, the 

 drainage is so imperfect that, through- 

 out most of its extent, it remains con- 

 stantly inundated. Certain portions, 

 however, become more or less dry in 

 periods of drought, and quite a large 

 portion of its former area — some 700 

 square miles along the eastern border- 

 has been permanently reclaimed in re- 

 cent years, by means of drainage, 

 ditches and canals. 



Near the center lies Lake Drum- 

 mond, an almost circular body of fresh 

 water, about 2^4-3 miles in diameter, 

 with an almost uniform depth of about 

 6 feet. The surface is now about 22 

 feet above mean tide level ; but previ- 

 ous to the completion of recent drain- 

 age operations it was somewhat higher. 



The lake may be reached by means 

 of any of the several artificial channels 

 which have been cut through the 

 swamp. Washington and Jericho 

 ditches are only navigable at high 

 water, by small boats or canoes, which 

 have to be poled carefully and more or 

 less laboriously, by reason of the vege- 

 tation which has grown into the sides, 

 and the trees which have fallen across 

 in many places, during recent years. In 



l^criods of drought these ditches often 

 become dry and may be used as foot 

 ])aths or trails. 



The Dismal Swamp Canal, however, 

 is a permanent, broad artificial channel, 

 which will probably be made a part of 

 the great interior waterway which is 

 planned to extend from New Jersey to 

 Florida. It is navigable for steamboats 

 of small size and is sufficiently wide for 

 steamboats and barges to easily pass 

 each other. The "feeder," by means of 

 which it is connected with Lake Drum- 

 mond, is also a wide channel, navigable 

 at all times for row boats, motor-boats, 

 etc., as far as the upper lock, within 

 about three-fourths of a mile of the 

 lake. This lock controls the water of 

 the lake, and a lower one, at Deep 

 Creek, controls the entrance to the 

 canal at tide-water. 



During the past year I was fortunate 

 in being able to visit the swamp under 

 unusually favorable conditions, as one 

 of a party all of whom were guests of 

 the Lake Drummond Canal Company. 

 The company provided transportation 

 from Norfolk, by steamboat, up the 

 canal to the mouth of the feeder; 

 thence by large rowboats, towed by a 

 motor-launch, up the feeder to the lock 

 near Lake Drummond, where a camp 

 site had been prepared on the bank of 

 the feeder, and tents and two days' 

 supply of provisions provided. 'J'his 

 site was perfectly dry, in a partly 

 cleared area on the border of the forest 

 and was admiralily adapted for the pur- 

 pose. One night was spent there and 

 the following day Lake Drummond was 

 navigated in rowboats, to the mouth of 

 Washington Ditch, where a transfer 

 was made to smaller boats, which were 

 poled up the ditch to Suffolk. From 

 thence the trip back to Norfolk was 

 made by rail. The swamp was thus 

 traversed from one side to the other ; 

 two days and a night were spent there, 

 and uiuisual op])ortuni(ies for observa- 

 tion were enjoyed. 



The camp site had been covered with 

 a dense growth of "cane brake" (Arun- 

 dinaria inacrospcniia), but a large area 

 was cleared for our accommodation. 



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