Thursday, October 10, 2024

Goat Hill - Uxbridge, MA

Reader Stacey writes:

I came across your blog when trying to find info about the stone structures that I’ve seen on Goat Hill in Uxbridge. I go hiking in this area often and nearly every time I see something I hadn’t noticed before. Here is a link with just some of the photos I’ve taken recently:  

Some info about the area: the hill overlooks the Blackstone River with Wolf Hill and Lookout Rock to the northeast on the other side of the river. Lookout Rock is said to have been used by Native Americans to oversee the valley. Goat Hill is deposited with huge glacial erratics and a ton of quartz. The eastern slope of the hill was utilized for the Blackstone Canal and towpath, but I don’t think the features on the upper terraces and the western/southern slopes are as modern as the canal. All throughout the area are old stonewalls (that look to vary in age and construction), cairns, rock piles, split boulders, rock shelters, manitou stones, and effigies. Many of these features seem to be “connected”, either in close proximity to one another or physically connected by stone walls.

The photos are really just a tiny portion of what’s there and I’m surprised I can’t find much online about it. If you haven’t explored this area, I think you would find it really interesting and would love to hear what you think. I think the photos have the location info attached, but I also have a map in CalTopo that I’ve marked the locations of some of the features. 

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