Horse Pens 40

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Horse Pens 40

Horse Pens 40 is a privately-owned outdoor nature park located in St. Clair County near Steele, Alabama. The park is situated atop Alabama's third-highest mountain, Chandler Mountain in the foothills of The Appalachian Mountains. The park is known among the rock climbing community as a premier bouldering site in the American Southeast. The site is also home to a "Bluegrass Park" where it hosts festivals showcasing the genre several time per year. The biggest of these festivals occurs on the Fourth of July. The park features both RV and primitive camping.

Each year, the park hosts a leg of the "Triple Crown" bouldering competition.

[edit] History

The natural rock shelters located in Horse Pens 40 have seen over 15,000 years of human habitation. The park contains ancient Indian burial grounds dating from the earliest inhabitants of this area, all the way up to the time of the Cherokee removal known as the "Trail of Tears". The Creek and Cherokee tribes at various times used the natural rock formations to trap and corral horses, as a natural fortress in times of war, and as a sheltered village area in times of peace. The site played host to the only peace treaty ever signed between the Creek and Cherokee tribes.

During The American Civil War, the site was used as a hiding place for horses and their owners wishing to avoid invaders from the north and the Confederate recruiters and 'Bushwhackers'. Once it was discovered by Confederate forces, Horse Pens 40 was then used for the storage of supplies to be used by Confederate troops as they passed nearby.

In the late 1880s, the area was settled by The Hyatt Family of Georgia. The original deed from this era refers to "the home 40, the farming 40, and the horse pens 40," each tract consisting of 40 acres of land. This is how Horse Pens 40 got its name. Descendants of the original Hyatt family still occupy nearby areas of the mountain.

Around 1958, a man from Huntsville, Alabama named Warren Musgrove discovered the acoustic quality of the natural amphitheater and developed the park as a venue for Bluegrass and Gospel music concerts. The park served as a venue showcasing many legends of the Bluegrass genre including Bill Monroe, Charlie Daniels, Ricky Skaggs, Lester Flatt, Ralph Stanley, Doc Watson, and Norman Blake. Emmylou Harris made her first public appearance at Horse Pens 40, "standing barefoot on a wooden door propped up on the rocks." During this period, the park was designated by the Alabama State Legislature as "The Home of the South's Bluegrass Music".

The park is currently owned by the Schultz Family.

"Lookout Point" at sunset	"Elephant Rock"	From left to right, "Mushroom Rock", "The Stone Fort", and "The Horse Pens"	One of the many vertical rock faces at Horse Pens 40
Bouldering at Horse Pens 40.	One of many unusual rock formations at Horse Pens 40.