Washington's Path Through the Post-glacial Butler, PAIn 1753, the future first president of the United States, George Washington, was sent to western Pennsylvania to deliver a message to French soldiers stationed near Presque Isle. At just twenty-one years old, young Washington traveled north from Fort Duquesne through what is now Butler County. Although aware of the critical and dangerous nature of the mission, it is unlikely that the young explorer was aware that he was traversing a land with physical characteristics shaped by 100,000 years of geological history (WTA, 2013). After embarking from present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Washington first entered Butler County on November 30, 1753. Traveling north on an Indian trail, the first sign of the area's catastrophic past would appear. of place with the rolling hills typical of the western Pennsylvania landscape. Peering into a valley more than 400 feet deep, the impressive gorge was littered with enormous boulders, thus framing Slippery Rock Creek. These relict boulders of rock types foreign to the area are known as "glacial erratics" and are indicative of the strength of the encroaching glacier. As defined by the National Snow and Ice Data Center, “Glacial erratics are stones and rocks that have been transported by a glacier and then left behind after the glacier melts. Erratic boulders can be transported hundreds of kilometers and can vary in size, from pebbles to large boulders. Scientists sometimes use erratic finds to help determine the movement of ancient glaciers.” (NSIDC, 2014)To understand the unique aspects of a gorge created in a few days it is necessary to look back to events that occurred 100,000 years ago. Described by James Lovelock in his book, The Age...... middle of paper ......ail. For the geotourist, these two locations share a common geological basis and history. Both parks have the same rock formations and formed their topography by the same glacial events (Fleeger, et al. 2003). Works Cited Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA DCNR Map Viewer, http://www.gis.dcnr.state. pa.us/maps/index.htmlFleeger, Gary M., Bushnell, Kent O., and Watson, Donald W. “Moraine and McConnells Mill State Parks.” Pennsylvania Geology Trail. 2003. Print. April 29, 2014.Lovelock, James. "The Ages of Gaia: A Biography of Our Living Earth." New York: Norton, 1995. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), “Glacier Landforms: Erratics,” All About Glaciers, 2014. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, The Importance of McConnell's Mill and Moraine State Parks, 2007, www.waterlandlife .org/e-conserve/fall-07/paul.htm