Buffalo Bayou History Presentation & Canoe Trip December 3, 2009

Dates: Thursday, December 3, 6:30-8:30pm. Canoe trip Saturday, December 5, 1:00pm—5:00pm

Travel through time beginning when Texas and the Arboretum site experienced a glacier that formed Buffalo Bayou, the Trinity and Brazos Rivers along with occasional alluvium terraces and the commencement of the woodland era. Observe the development of the various Early and Late Prehistoric occupations that created trail-roads across and along the Cibolo River. Learn about the early explorers attempting settlement on the Santa Rosa del Alcazar in the search for gold and silver in the 16th century and those trading mirrors for fur and hides during the 17th century. Follow travelers through the Arboretum during the 18th and 19th centuries in fording the bayou at “Dutchman’s Crossing." Hear about the lives and activities of the first settlers in the Arboretum and Archery range as well as those along Buffalo Bayou at the place known as “Pleasant Bend, Texas” and “Dolly Varden Point.” This class will be followed by a half-day canoe trip down the bayou to see important sites firsthand. Be part of an exciting floating classroom of natural, fluvial, historical, and geological information in our cities most important natural asset.

Janet K. Wagner, a Texas Registered Landscape Architect, founded a company that provides premium historical and cultural resource investigations to execute reports with detailed archival analysis of the development of historic communities and sites. Janet currently serves as President of the Houston Historical Society and Vice Chair of the Harris County Historical Commission. Don Greene has been involved in outdoor education and preservation for 30 years, and has been a professional guide and outfitter since 1975. He is an American Red Cross canoeing instructor, Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and Swiftwater Rescue Technician.

Instructors: Janet Wagner & Don Greene
Class size requirements: Minimum of 5, maximum of 12.

Official Website: http://houstonarboretum.org/buffalobayou_history_canoetrip.asp