Riv. Bas. Sur. johN H. KERR RESERVOIR BASIN — MILLER 7 



SOIL 



The character of the soil depends upon the nature of the under- 

 lying rock. The tuffs and other volcanic material produce a lean, 

 shallow soil; the granite produces a strong, rather sandy soil; and 

 the other igneous rocks break down into rather sticky but fairly strong 

 soil. Of all the truly igneous rocks, the diabase produces the leanest 

 and least desirable soil. The volcano-sedentary rocks— the green- 

 stone and sericite schists — as a rule form a lean and shallow soil. Kock 

 outcroppings are not numerous except along stream courses, but almost 

 invariably the partially decayed rock is very near the surface. Such 

 soil is generally lean and does not produce good crops except when 

 heavily fertilized. The granite is invariably deeply decayed, and pro- 

 duces the most fertile soils in the district. Wlien properly cared for 

 and well cultivated, the granite soils yield bountiful crops, and the 

 most prosperous farms in the district are either in the rich alluvial 

 lands along the rivers or in the granite area. 



Much of the district is still in forest, but the greater part of the 

 good timber has been cut off so that what remains is either culled forest 

 or "old field" pine. The original timber consisted largely of oak and 

 other hardwoods witli a moderate amomit of yellow pine. The present 

 timber, while for the most part second class and small, is ample for 

 mining needs and for fuel. 



HISTORICAL AND ETHNOLOGICAL ASPECT 



One of the prime reasons for the archeological reconnaissance of the 

 John H. Kerr Reservoir Basin was to confirm, if possible, the tenta- 

 tive identification of one of the sites on Occaneechi Island as that be- 

 longing to the Occaneechi tribe, which was visited by John Lederer in 

 1670 (map 2) (Alvord and Bidgood, 1912). The Occaneechi wei-e 

 reported to have occupied an island in the Roanoke River in Virginia, 

 presumably the one which bore their name, during the latter part of 

 the 17th century (Mooney, 1894; Byrd, 1929; Swanton, 1922, 1946, 

 1952 ; Alvord and Bidgood, 1912) . 



Since considerable interest has been shown by local organizations, 

 historians, and archeologists in the location of this particular Occanee- 

 chi village, it was decided that if its location could be positively 

 identified, then a definite line of departure, positive dating, could be 

 established for certain culturally affinitive material found within the 

 area. This would give us an established point of departure^ from 

 which to work backward in determining the relative age of similar 

 remains, not only within the reservoir limits itself but from the sur- 

 rounding areas as well. 



It has been said that the Piedmont section of Virginia and North 

 Carolina was claimed by a number of tribes that have since been 



