Raised trail?

[DashRyan]

I am familiar with lidar maps. Boyds maps in particular have been very helpful in exploring deeper into some of my favorite areas of the pines.
Recently I came across a raised trail or berm in Double Trouble. Which was odd because it is similar to a lot of ditches or irrigation trenches, which is what I thought it was before I went and looked at it. It's east of Dover Forge and north of Cedat creek, but it goes arrow straight to the water.
What do you guys think this feature might be?

 

[Boyd]

This appears to be the location of your screenshot

https://boydsmaps.com/#17.00/39.911414/-74.278587/lidar2022hd/0.00/0.00

But from your description, I think you're referring to the trail running (more or less) from North to South here, which is actually a bit East of the crosshairs in the screenshot?

https://boydsmaps.com/#17.00/39.910599/-74.278705/lidar2022hd/0.00/0.00

If you crank up the vertical exaggeration and play with the lighting controls in the terrain viewer you can clearly see that it's a raised trail, as you say. There are two holes along the East side, I can't tell if they're cellar holes or something else. Unfortunately, I don't know what it was and don't see any clues on historical topos or aerial imagery.

https://boydsmaps.com/terra/#39.910.../2000/887/-2000/54.25/4.9/3d/shader40/0/0/z17

 

[DashRyan]

Yes. That's it. About 3 feet high and 3 feet wide. It's old enough that some pine trees are about a foot thick growing through it.
Love your maps!

 

[bobpbx]

That is a very good question Dash. I lived in Bamber 38 years, just a few miles away, and I never realized that berm. Ditches are normal in the area, but that berm is a puzzle for sure.

 

[bobpbx]

I think there's an old blueberry field in that area. I can see them scraping the ground flat to set them in. Maybe that's the pile from using a bulldozer.

 

[DashRyan]

I think there's an old blueberry field in that area. I can see them scraping the ground flat to set them in. Maybe that's the pile from using a bulldozer.

The blueberry field is closer to the dover forge trail than it is to this berm. I like the way you're thinking though. If it is a spoil pile or heap from cultivation, it sure is strait and regular. I thought it might be covering a drainage pipe.

 

[DashRyan]

I think there's an old blueberry field in that area. I can see them scraping the ground flat to set them in. Maybe that's the pile from using a bulldozer.

 

[DashRyan]

This 1931 aerial shows what could be the same feature on the right.

 

[DashRyan]

Do

This 1931 aerial shows what could be the same feature on the right.

It's faint but visible below the E in forge.

 

[Boyd]

Yes, this appears to be it here:

https://boydsmaps.com/#17.00/39.910410/-74.278490/njgin1930/0.00/0.00

 

[DashRyan]

That line crosses north over dover rd and goes all the way back to South Toms River

 

[DashRyan]

Or it is dover rd.

 

[bobpbx]

Or it is dover rd.

That is a thought, but I don't think it's a road to cross Cedar Creek. The road to Bamber did cross at the sawmill here below. And, more importantly, there is no road shown on the topos from 1870 on up.

 

[bobpbx]

But here's a piece of the puzzle. See how it bends down into the creek, and then a possible canal shoots over to the old canal that used to be on the north side of Dover Forge Pond. maybe they used it to pull product via mule out of that lowland swamp.

 

[DashRyan]

But here's a piece of the puzzle. See how it bends down into the creek, and then a possible canal shoots over to the old canal that used to be on the north side of Dover Forge Pond. maybe they used it to pull product via mule out of that lowland swamp.

View attachment 21075

Like Ore Pond? It's certainly a closer source of bog iron, if that's what it was.

 

[bobpbx]

Like Ore Pond? It's certainly a closer source of bog iron, if that's what it was.

I've been in that swamp, and it has, up by the old forge, heavy orange coloring. So, yeah, maybe. There is a Dover Forge Ledger, maybe there is something in there that can be tied to that practice.

 

[bobpbx]

This gives a clearer picture. There is no stream when it dips down, it simply dips into the lowland near the canal.

 

[DashRyan]

This gives a clearer picture. There is no stream when it dips down, it simply dips into the lowland near the canal.

View attachment 21076

Do you think that part is raised as well?

 

[bobpbx]

Do you think that part is raised as well?

I wondered the same thing, because it appears to be. Maybe it is, but perhaps they gave it a gentle slope too by building it a bit thicker at the base. I can see that slope area in my mind; heavy on the mountain laurel, inkberry holly, maybe a pine, dangleberry, and greenbriar. At the bottom, sphagnum, northern long sedge, collin's sedge, red maple, black gum, perhaps high-bush blueberry, swamp magnolia, and usually Walter's sedge scattered about.

 

[Boyd]

Do you think that part is raised as well?

I made the terrain viewer just to answer questions like that! Hold the right mouse button down and move the mouse from left to right to rotate the 3d view. Now try running the vertical exaggeration slider from left to right to stretch everything vertically. You can easily see what is raised. This is the advantage of 3d versus a flat map view, where it can be hard to tell if something is a "mountain" or a "valley". Playing with the lighting controls can also help you see details that aren't visible in the flat map view where the lighting is always the same.

This is a zoomed-in view with the vertical exaggeration set to the maximum. This kind of distortion makes a relatively flat surface look like the grand canyon, but can be useful in examining details that you otherwise might not notice. (again, remember this link is not compatible with phones, you need a computer)

https://boydsmaps.com/terra/#39.909...0/-676/887/-1521/54.25/10/3d/shader40/0/0/z17