The Witnessing Sisters
The frost-bitten wind was quiet, though, still present as the snow began to thin and recoil against the sun’s rays, which swept across the stretch of grass. Atop the slope stood an old white oak sister, humbly defiant; her branches stretch out like sixty-year-old trees, although they are certainly older than that. Her crown spreads 93 feet across the air, her trunk has a circumference of 226 inches (nearly 19 feet) and she stands strongly at 141 feet tall. Nothing but snow, inclined frozen ground and cold roots surround her for at least twenty or so feet in all directions. A few hundred feet below, at the bottom of the slope stands another sister, similar in age and size but different in shape. She appears to be uncurling from herself, as if stretching or attempting to bend backwards. She stands at the entrance of the clearing at the bottom of the hill, a greeter to all that enter the space from that end of the clearing. Part of her trunk and roots stretch into the dirt path that has been created by thousands of feet, human, animal, and machine. Between these two standing sisters lays a third; fallen kin who lay victim to fire and wind. Her hollow body shelters decomposed leaves, crystals of frozen water molecules and maybe a slumbering mammal or two.
The dry, crisp air holds a certain stillness the trees know as winter. The weight of the snow on their branches is somehow familiar, the strength of the trees seems aware of natural occurrences, such as the seasons and the other occurrences they bring with them like snow and rain. The strips of bark covering the trees grow more scaley-like the higher the eyes travel upward to the naked tips of the branches. The scaled arms appear ancient and distant as they stretched up to 141 feet above ground. The sight is rare and unusual if given moments to sit with, the gaze upon 550 years of living life may stun if pondered on. However, to the talons of an owl, the ancient bark may simply be a good grip. A path that seems to have been dusted away of snow on the ground reveals the sign of visitors from that day or the day before. The dirt path has been there for only five summers or so and is occasionally grown over, but nothing risked its existence in the winter compared to the summer saplings of tall grasses and wild flowers.
About 550 years ago, around 1440 AD, the Three Sisters in Sugarcreek MetroPark were saplings that had just broken through the deep, moist, and well-drained soil’s surface, breathing in clean air while absorbing nutrients from the soil that may no longer exist there. Spring and summer was much cooler then, some bodies of water would remain partly frozen over due to the Little Ice Age of this time. The saplings’ roots were thin and porcelain white, but within a few weeks, the roots integrated into the diverse root system, growing darker and thicker, expanding their reach. For the first few decades of the trees’ lives, summers and winters held a small space of difference. But slowly, birds began to migrate back to the area, mating and laying eggs and the trees, shrubs and grasses were filled with birdsong. Mammals began to crawl out of their slumbering dens, searching for food. The first summer of warmth for the young trees was eventful; there seemed to be more movement in the natural world when it was warm. After ten years, Big Sister may have been 20 feet tall, for she is the largest of the three, while the other two sisters could have been between 10-20 feet as well.
The trees witnessed wolves hunting, the occasional black bear scavenging for berries and the acorns their branches provided, foxes hopping in the early morning fog after rabbits. Thousands of mammals scurried across the space between the sisters in the summer, weasels, mice, porcupines, and for a time, they witnessed wolverines, cougars, and lynx hunting, lounging or strolling through the forest. Some of these creatures stretched out on the sturdy limbs of the trees to slumber. Dark, glossy tree roaches scatter up and down the highways within the crevices of the bark to this day. During their first hundred years, human presence was rare for the trees. Native groups were scattered throughout the land and occasionally the aroma of smoke from built fires would indicate their presence. During their first hundred years of life, a large group of natives may have developed a community close by, some of them stood in the face of the trees, gazed upon them respectively, collected their acorns, and maybe even climbed them. They were quiet like the trees, with the occasional rush of sound from hunts or celebrations, just as the leaves against a gust of wind. Their children may have played amongst the roots, slept below the trees. They may have congregated in the middle of The Sisters, sang their songs and told their stories. One or two may have even been buried among The Sisters. It was during this time, that the Inca Empire was expanding quickly in the western parts of South America.
Two hundred and some years pass and a shift begins to take place. New men arrive, loud pale men who come from the North, bringing seeds from there with them. And guns. The Sisters’ forest is large and alive, teeming with wildlife. Soon after these explorers arrive, more join them and the sounds always heard in the natural world, such as the gurgling of the creek below The Sisters (which was not always there), the rustling of creatures in the brush, a bird’s wings against the air or it’s beak against wood is joined with sudden gunshot, shouting, hammering, sawing, and laughter. Some trees surrounding the sisters fell as a result of the men arriving, but the sisters somehow prevailed. Soon, battles take place in the area between natives and foreigners and the sounds, smells, and smoke fill the air. In Europe, the Renaissance is coming to an end.
Three hundred years pass; the trees are more than 60 feet tall now. Their branches can be trees alone and their trunks are strong, wide bases. More settlers arrive and suddenly villages sprout from the ground, Centerville then Bellbrook later on. The trees miraculously are never bothered, although it’s possible they were threatened multiple times with the idea of church pews, tables, chairs and beds. They continued on with their growth though, witnessing the changes in the air while also experiencing the pulse of progression within the seasons. Baby rabbits are born a few feet away from one of The Sisters year after year. Multiple does give birth to their fawns by all three in a span of a few years and field mice run up along the tree’s branches. Bats occasionally rest amongst their leaves and owls and hawks peer below from the aging branches, patiently in search of their next meal. Many animals and plants die at the foot of the trees, many, in their final moments, may peer up at them as they leave this plane. The winters during this time were fierce. Predators such as wolves, bobcats, cougars and mountain lions prowled and hunted their prey within the woods and prairies, hunting big game such as elk, bison and deer. Bears sought out shelter and hibernated like many of the other animals in the area. Many winter storms left the trees “waist high” in snow, sometimes for weeks. The city of Dayton was founded in 1796 toward the end of their third century.
Four hundred years pass. Most of the natives such as the Miami and Shawnee have been driven out of the area along with bison, elk, wolves, bobcats, mountain lions, and cougars. They now cease to walk through the Sisters’ path and black bears do not return for their supply of acorns after the last known black bear in Ohio (which at this point is officially a state of the Union) is killed in 1881. Farming takes off in the area and most of the land surrounding the trees becomes farmland for at about a hundred years. The trees now sit with never again witnessing a wolf’s breath in the air, pleasuring a black bear with their fruit, or providing a resting spot for a bobcat or a mountain lion. The lack of predator presence is felt throughout the natural system, and so is the lack of large game. Elk and bison are no longer feeding in the prairies, which now are in the process of becoming farmland. Big Sister and the two others may sense the dramatic change in prairies not too far from them. The air quality is also different and this they can surely sense, for the industrial revolution has been well on its way. But they continue to sit and grow, extending their roots farther along the slopes. The Little Ice Age comes to an end around 1850. An Osage Orange Tunnel is also created toward the entrance of the park around this time period, which is still there today.
Then, the five hundred mark arrives. 1940. Beyond a lot has changed in the world around the trees since they had sprouted. Machines and technology take root, the natural world is at risk (the DDT period) and more people populate the areas. People have trickled their way to the trees, however it isn’t until 1966 that the land is bought and conserved as a park. The trees witness horseback riders make their way through the tall grass, possibly being one of the first times, if not, at least the first time in many years that the trees witness horses and groups of people. Eventually, however, horseback riding ceases on the Three Sisters Trail. Paths are slowly created to make the journey to The Sisters easier. They may have been sensitive to all the commotion with the ground and surroundings, as white oaks tend to be when it comes to construction. But these sisters have weathered blizzards no other trees have witnessed, storms of another caliber, and animals some only got a glimpse of. Their roots may be the thickest and deepest in the area. Although it seems unknown whether The Sisters were directly threatened by DDT, they endured such evets. Also threatened were the other species of trees such as Hackberry, Black Birch, Tulip Poplar, Honey Locust, Sassafras, and Sycamore.
Much happens in the 2000s. In the early 2000s, one of The Sisters is struck by lightning and goes up ablaze. The wood screamed and hissed as the flames licked her innards. The fire somehow dies down, sparing the wounded sister but leaving her with dark scars. For some time, humans couldn’t step in the clearing with the trees as ropes were hung up around the area. Eventually boardwalks and a fence was put in place to preserve the roots of the trees, preventing people from damaging them in any way. Many children were then able stare up close in wonder and curiosity, their voices entering The Sisters’ space consistently for the first time maybe in their history. Eventually the boardwalk was taken away and a simple dirt path led up to the trees. Hands now touched the trees repeatedly, foreheads and cheeks pressed against their bark. Then, in 2008, a windstorm ended the rooted life of the wounded sister. The sound of snapping wood filled the space and the crash took hundreds down with it, birds, small mammals maybe, and thousands of insects. The two other sisters waved violently in the wind, present for the end of her journey as one of the ancient pillars of the land. After a year, the fallen sister began to hollow until she appeared to be a den or safe house for critters. The trees also witness the return of many species that were driven out earlier in history, such as a large variety of birds and mammals.
As the years progressed, so did the trees’ natural decline. Big Sister and the Greeting Sister at the bottom of the slope stand like grandmothers who have endured so much, but stand strongly, nurturing their surroundings with their bodies as they always have. As 2020 rolls by, the Fallen Sister is shockingly almost out of sight, sinking farther into the ground she stood on for centuries, feeding it and everything else that touches her. Throughout their years of contact with people, which is a blink compared to the rest of their lives, they have provided a space of peace for hikers searching for it, a place of reflection. They have witnessed all sorts of conversations, of birdsong and little animal grunts. Their time will come, like all things. But for now, they are living treasure and proof of the resilience found in Ohio’s natural world.
A big sister takes a photo of a little brother next to Big Sister, while a little sister watches. The three wander around the three trees in the snow in the early morning, taking in the morning silence and song. About two decades prior, their small legs marched along the dirt path with their parents, with nothing but love to bring The Sisters.
The dry, crisp air holds a certain stillness the trees know as winter. The weight of the snow on their branches is somehow familiar, the strength of the trees seems aware of natural occurrences, such as the seasons and the other occurrences they bring with them like snow and rain. The strips of bark covering the trees grow more scaley-like the higher the eyes travel upward to the naked tips of the branches. The scaled arms appear ancient and distant as they stretched up to 141 feet above ground. The sight is rare and unusual if given moments to sit with, the gaze upon 550 years of living life may stun if pondered on. However, to the talons of an owl, the ancient bark may simply be a good grip. A path that seems to have been dusted away of snow on the ground reveals the sign of visitors from that day or the day before. The dirt path has been there for only five summers or so and is occasionally grown over, but nothing risked its existence in the winter compared to the summer saplings of tall grasses and wild flowers.
About 550 years ago, around 1440 AD, the Three Sisters in Sugarcreek MetroPark were saplings that had just broken through the deep, moist, and well-drained soil’s surface, breathing in clean air while absorbing nutrients from the soil that may no longer exist there. Spring and summer was much cooler then, some bodies of water would remain partly frozen over due to the Little Ice Age of this time. The saplings’ roots were thin and porcelain white, but within a few weeks, the roots integrated into the diverse root system, growing darker and thicker, expanding their reach. For the first few decades of the trees’ lives, summers and winters held a small space of difference. But slowly, birds began to migrate back to the area, mating and laying eggs and the trees, shrubs and grasses were filled with birdsong. Mammals began to crawl out of their slumbering dens, searching for food. The first summer of warmth for the young trees was eventful; there seemed to be more movement in the natural world when it was warm. After ten years, Big Sister may have been 20 feet tall, for she is the largest of the three, while the other two sisters could have been between 10-20 feet as well.
The trees witnessed wolves hunting, the occasional black bear scavenging for berries and the acorns their branches provided, foxes hopping in the early morning fog after rabbits. Thousands of mammals scurried across the space between the sisters in the summer, weasels, mice, porcupines, and for a time, they witnessed wolverines, cougars, and lynx hunting, lounging or strolling through the forest. Some of these creatures stretched out on the sturdy limbs of the trees to slumber. Dark, glossy tree roaches scatter up and down the highways within the crevices of the bark to this day. During their first hundred years, human presence was rare for the trees. Native groups were scattered throughout the land and occasionally the aroma of smoke from built fires would indicate their presence. During their first hundred years of life, a large group of natives may have developed a community close by, some of them stood in the face of the trees, gazed upon them respectively, collected their acorns, and maybe even climbed them. They were quiet like the trees, with the occasional rush of sound from hunts or celebrations, just as the leaves against a gust of wind. Their children may have played amongst the roots, slept below the trees. They may have congregated in the middle of The Sisters, sang their songs and told their stories. One or two may have even been buried among The Sisters. It was during this time, that the Inca Empire was expanding quickly in the western parts of South America.
Two hundred and some years pass and a shift begins to take place. New men arrive, loud pale men who come from the North, bringing seeds from there with them. And guns. The Sisters’ forest is large and alive, teeming with wildlife. Soon after these explorers arrive, more join them and the sounds always heard in the natural world, such as the gurgling of the creek below The Sisters (which was not always there), the rustling of creatures in the brush, a bird’s wings against the air or it’s beak against wood is joined with sudden gunshot, shouting, hammering, sawing, and laughter. Some trees surrounding the sisters fell as a result of the men arriving, but the sisters somehow prevailed. Soon, battles take place in the area between natives and foreigners and the sounds, smells, and smoke fill the air. In Europe, the Renaissance is coming to an end.
Three hundred years pass; the trees are more than 60 feet tall now. Their branches can be trees alone and their trunks are strong, wide bases. More settlers arrive and suddenly villages sprout from the ground, Centerville then Bellbrook later on. The trees miraculously are never bothered, although it’s possible they were threatened multiple times with the idea of church pews, tables, chairs and beds. They continued on with their growth though, witnessing the changes in the air while also experiencing the pulse of progression within the seasons. Baby rabbits are born a few feet away from one of The Sisters year after year. Multiple does give birth to their fawns by all three in a span of a few years and field mice run up along the tree’s branches. Bats occasionally rest amongst their leaves and owls and hawks peer below from the aging branches, patiently in search of their next meal. Many animals and plants die at the foot of the trees, many, in their final moments, may peer up at them as they leave this plane. The winters during this time were fierce. Predators such as wolves, bobcats, cougars and mountain lions prowled and hunted their prey within the woods and prairies, hunting big game such as elk, bison and deer. Bears sought out shelter and hibernated like many of the other animals in the area. Many winter storms left the trees “waist high” in snow, sometimes for weeks. The city of Dayton was founded in 1796 toward the end of their third century.
Four hundred years pass. Most of the natives such as the Miami and Shawnee have been driven out of the area along with bison, elk, wolves, bobcats, mountain lions, and cougars. They now cease to walk through the Sisters’ path and black bears do not return for their supply of acorns after the last known black bear in Ohio (which at this point is officially a state of the Union) is killed in 1881. Farming takes off in the area and most of the land surrounding the trees becomes farmland for at about a hundred years. The trees now sit with never again witnessing a wolf’s breath in the air, pleasuring a black bear with their fruit, or providing a resting spot for a bobcat or a mountain lion. The lack of predator presence is felt throughout the natural system, and so is the lack of large game. Elk and bison are no longer feeding in the prairies, which now are in the process of becoming farmland. Big Sister and the two others may sense the dramatic change in prairies not too far from them. The air quality is also different and this they can surely sense, for the industrial revolution has been well on its way. But they continue to sit and grow, extending their roots farther along the slopes. The Little Ice Age comes to an end around 1850. An Osage Orange Tunnel is also created toward the entrance of the park around this time period, which is still there today.
Then, the five hundred mark arrives. 1940. Beyond a lot has changed in the world around the trees since they had sprouted. Machines and technology take root, the natural world is at risk (the DDT period) and more people populate the areas. People have trickled their way to the trees, however it isn’t until 1966 that the land is bought and conserved as a park. The trees witness horseback riders make their way through the tall grass, possibly being one of the first times, if not, at least the first time in many years that the trees witness horses and groups of people. Eventually, however, horseback riding ceases on the Three Sisters Trail. Paths are slowly created to make the journey to The Sisters easier. They may have been sensitive to all the commotion with the ground and surroundings, as white oaks tend to be when it comes to construction. But these sisters have weathered blizzards no other trees have witnessed, storms of another caliber, and animals some only got a glimpse of. Their roots may be the thickest and deepest in the area. Although it seems unknown whether The Sisters were directly threatened by DDT, they endured such evets. Also threatened were the other species of trees such as Hackberry, Black Birch, Tulip Poplar, Honey Locust, Sassafras, and Sycamore.
Much happens in the 2000s. In the early 2000s, one of The Sisters is struck by lightning and goes up ablaze. The wood screamed and hissed as the flames licked her innards. The fire somehow dies down, sparing the wounded sister but leaving her with dark scars. For some time, humans couldn’t step in the clearing with the trees as ropes were hung up around the area. Eventually boardwalks and a fence was put in place to preserve the roots of the trees, preventing people from damaging them in any way. Many children were then able stare up close in wonder and curiosity, their voices entering The Sisters’ space consistently for the first time maybe in their history. Eventually the boardwalk was taken away and a simple dirt path led up to the trees. Hands now touched the trees repeatedly, foreheads and cheeks pressed against their bark. Then, in 2008, a windstorm ended the rooted life of the wounded sister. The sound of snapping wood filled the space and the crash took hundreds down with it, birds, small mammals maybe, and thousands of insects. The two other sisters waved violently in the wind, present for the end of her journey as one of the ancient pillars of the land. After a year, the fallen sister began to hollow until she appeared to be a den or safe house for critters. The trees also witness the return of many species that were driven out earlier in history, such as a large variety of birds and mammals.
As the years progressed, so did the trees’ natural decline. Big Sister and the Greeting Sister at the bottom of the slope stand like grandmothers who have endured so much, but stand strongly, nurturing their surroundings with their bodies as they always have. As 2020 rolls by, the Fallen Sister is shockingly almost out of sight, sinking farther into the ground she stood on for centuries, feeding it and everything else that touches her. Throughout their years of contact with people, which is a blink compared to the rest of their lives, they have provided a space of peace for hikers searching for it, a place of reflection. They have witnessed all sorts of conversations, of birdsong and little animal grunts. Their time will come, like all things. But for now, they are living treasure and proof of the resilience found in Ohio’s natural world.
A big sister takes a photo of a little brother next to Big Sister, while a little sister watches. The three wander around the three trees in the snow in the early morning, taking in the morning silence and song. About two decades prior, their small legs marched along the dirt path with their parents, with nothing but love to bring The Sisters.
Works Cited
“Fort Ancient Culture.” Fort Ancient Culture - Ohio History Central, ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Fort_Ancient_Culture.
“History of the Parks.” Five Rivers MetroParks, 18 July 2019, www.metroparks.org/about/history/history-parks/.
“Mammals: Mammalia.” Welcome to Ohio Biota -, 21 Aug. 2020, ohiobiota.com/mammals/.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, et al. Ohio Wildlife History Timeline: Wildlife in Ohio History, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 2007, www.epa.ohio.gov/Portals/42/documents/wildlife%20Ohio%20history%20timeline.pdf.
Randall, Cotton, et al. “Trees of Ohio Field Guide.” Division of Wildlife, Feb. 2019, ohiodnr.gov/wps/wcm/connect/gov/75213562-401d-4129-86bd-c9197f766b71/Pub+5509+Trees+of+Ohio+WEB.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE.Z18_M1HGGIK0N0JO00QO9DDDDM3000-75213562-401d-4129-86bd-c9197f766b71-na6vMOm.
Ted, Fr. “Three Sisters Aging Slowly Stand the Test of Time.” Fraternized, Word Press, 7 May 2009, frted.wordpress.com/2009/05/06/three-sisters-aging-slowly-stand-the-test-of-time/.
“Timeline Middle Ages and Early Modern Period.” Environmental History Resources -, 2020, www.eh-resources.org/timeline-middle-ages/.
“Tour the Trees in Your MetroParks This Summer.” Five Rivers MetroParks, 11 June 2020, www.metroparks.org/tour-the-trees-in-your-metroparks-this-summer/.
Walton, Jessie. “The Forgotten History of Ohio's Indigenous Peoples.” Midstory, 23 July 2020, www.midstory.org/the-forgotten-history-of-ohios-indigenous-peoples/.
“White OakQuercus Alba.” White Oak Tree on the Tree Guide at Arborday.org, 2020, www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=883.
“Fort Ancient Culture.” Fort Ancient Culture - Ohio History Central, ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Fort_Ancient_Culture.
“History of the Parks.” Five Rivers MetroParks, 18 July 2019, www.metroparks.org/about/history/history-parks/.
“Mammals: Mammalia.” Welcome to Ohio Biota -, 21 Aug. 2020, ohiobiota.com/mammals/.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, et al. Ohio Wildlife History Timeline: Wildlife in Ohio History, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 2007, www.epa.ohio.gov/Portals/42/documents/wildlife%20Ohio%20history%20timeline.pdf.
Randall, Cotton, et al. “Trees of Ohio Field Guide.” Division of Wildlife, Feb. 2019, ohiodnr.gov/wps/wcm/connect/gov/75213562-401d-4129-86bd-c9197f766b71/Pub+5509+Trees+of+Ohio+WEB.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE.Z18_M1HGGIK0N0JO00QO9DDDDM3000-75213562-401d-4129-86bd-c9197f766b71-na6vMOm.
Ted, Fr. “Three Sisters Aging Slowly Stand the Test of Time.” Fraternized, Word Press, 7 May 2009, frted.wordpress.com/2009/05/06/three-sisters-aging-slowly-stand-the-test-of-time/.
“Timeline Middle Ages and Early Modern Period.” Environmental History Resources -, 2020, www.eh-resources.org/timeline-middle-ages/.
“Tour the Trees in Your MetroParks This Summer.” Five Rivers MetroParks, 11 June 2020, www.metroparks.org/tour-the-trees-in-your-metroparks-this-summer/.
Walton, Jessie. “The Forgotten History of Ohio's Indigenous Peoples.” Midstory, 23 July 2020, www.midstory.org/the-forgotten-history-of-ohios-indigenous-peoples/.
“White OakQuercus Alba.” White Oak Tree on the Tree Guide at Arborday.org, 2020, www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=883.
