Module III-The Landscapes of Life

How are landscapes formed and how, in turn, are cultures shaped by their landscapes?

Glaciers shaped the land and formed the soils upon which the people of Ohio live and work. I grew up in Apple Creek, OH which is a topographical contrast of postglacial lake beds, wetlands and gently rolling hills. The geography of Apple Creek supports a culture of agriculture due to its flat low lands and loamy, silty soil which is suited for pasture land and the production of high yielding crops.

Google Earth map with a glacial deposit map overlay. Glacial deposit map taken from U.S. Geological Fact Sheet 036-99
This map overlay shows surface glacial till deposits in green, sand and gravel deposits in yellow-orange, and silt and clay deposits in blue. Unglaciated areas are light brown. Darker colors, which indicate thicker deposits, can be used to trace old valleys, filled with complex glacial deposits, across the central part of the State.

Growing and bailing hay to feed livestock is an important part of Ohio’s agricultural culture. Entire families work together to harvest this time sensitive crop. Here my niece, nephew, brother, step-father and children all work together to cut, dry, bail and store last summers first crop of hay.
Photo by Brenda Papoi 2009

Global information systems like Google Earth help put our world into perspective. Often times, we become so entrenched in our daily routines we forget to look around. Cultures become clearer once we "step back" and take time to understand the landscape of life.

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