In Podcast #5 the Virginia Trekkers take you to Belle Isle.  Learn how this island in the James River used to play an important part in the Richmond iron industry; find out how it was used to bring electricity to the trolley system in the city; explore the grounds of a terrible Civil War camp where many Union prisoners died; see the quarry where granite was once mined for buildings and other structures; and visit Hollywood Rapids, one of the most famous spots for rafters and kayakers on the James.  Come on!  Let’s go trekkin’! (Trouble viewing the YouTube video? Try Vimeo or direct link).

There was a dog prisoner on Belle Isle named Jack.  When a group of firefighters from Pennsylvania joined the Union army, they brought their pit bull mascot with them.  He was very brave and would charge to the front lines in battle.  He was captured during the Battle of Salem Church near the Rappahannock River and spent six months in the prison camp on Belle Isle.  The Union army exchanged one of their Confederate prisoners to get him back.  Jack went on to fight more battles alongside his comrades.  There is a book about him and a movie was even made about him! Learn more about Jack here.


Here is a Google map of Belle Isle. Use the +/- buttons in the bottom right to zoom in or out.



This is a 360 view on Belle Isle. Click and drag to take a look around!


Social Studies

K.3 (2015) The student will sequence events in the past and present and begin to recognize that things change over time.


K.4 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to recognize Virginia’s earliest communities by

c. recognizing that places change over time;


1.4 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to understand Virginia’s history by

b. describing how life in various Virginia communities has changed over time; and


1.7 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to connect geography to historical events of Virginia and the United States by

a. identifying landforms and bodies of water of Virginia and describing how they affect the way people live;


VS.2 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between physical geography and the lives of the native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by

c) locating and identifying water features important to the early history of Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River, York River, Potomac River, Rappahannock River, and Lake Drummond and the Dismal Swamp);


VS.7 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the issues that divided our nation and led to the Civil War


VS.8 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the reconstruction of Virginia following the Civil War by

c) describing the importance of railroads, new industries, and the growth of cities to Virginia’s economic development.


VS.1 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the relationship between physical geography and the lives of Virginia’s peoples, past and present by

c. locating, identifying, and describing the impact of Virginia’s bodies of water on its history, economy, and culture.


VS.7 (2023) The students will apply history and social science skills to understand the key people, events and issues of the Civil War and Virginia’s role


VS.9 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to understand the ways in which Virginia became interconnected and diverse by

a. explaining the importance of railroads, waterways, new industries, and the growth of cities to Virginia’s economic development in the late 1800s;


USI.9 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to understand the cause, major events, and effects of the Civil War


Science

K.4 The student will investigate and understand that water is important in our daily lives and has properties. Key ideas include

a) water has many uses;


K.10 The student will investigate and understand that change occurs over time. Key ideas include

a) natural and human-made things change over time;


4.8 The student will investigate and understand that Virginia has important natural resources. Key resources include

a) watersheds and water;

b) plants and animals;

c) minerals, rocks, and ores; and

d) forests, soil, and land.


5.8 The student will investigate and understand that Earth constantly changes. Key ideas include

c) the rock cycle models the transformation of rocks;

d) processes such as weathering, erosion, and deposition change the surface of the Earth;