Recently, Barbara, Ellie and I traveled to Providence Canyon State Park (SP) in southwest Georgia. The park contains Providence Canyon, which is sometimes called Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon”. It is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. It is not as spectacular as the Grand Canyon in Arizonia, but it has a natural beauty all its own. It was cold on the day we were there, but it was well worth the drive. The sky contained some high Cirrus clouds which made for a nice contrast. Here, as at F.D. Roosevelt SP, I enjoyed using my new 10 to 18mm lens.
One of the more unusual attractions of the state park is an abandoned homestead including nearly a dozen rusty, 1950s-era cars and trucks. Due to the environmental damage that removing the vehicles would cause, park officials have decided to leave them alone.
Providence Canyon is not actually a purely natural feature as many of the massive gullies, the deepest of which is more than 150 feet are the result of erosion due to poor farming practices by settlers in the 19th century.
This story of the origin of the canyons has been commonplace since the 1940s, but the formations in the canyons are at least partially natural. Although there were probably a few early arrivals before 1825, the first heavy influx of settlers in Stewart County only came after the Treaty of Indian Springs (1825), by which the Creek Indians were forced to cede all their lands east of the Chattahoochee River. Evidence of the existence of the canyons at this time includes their mention in a deed by James S. Lunsford to William Tatam from 1836.
The park lies on marine sediments, usually loam or clay, with small areas of sand. Loamy sand topsoils overlie subsoils of sandy clay loam, sandy clay, or clay in most of the uneroded sections. Nankin, Cowarts, Mobila, and Orangeburg are the most prominent soil series. The canyons have significant exposure to clay, over which water often seeps. Water is mobile in this well-drained area.
If you are ever in southwest Georgia, be sure to visit Providence Canyon SP. I don’t believe you will be disappointed.
RV There Yet? 