Talk:Great Dismal Swamp

Gaters
I heard that the Dismal Swamp is the northern limit of the natural american alligator range but have no source; is this true? If so, it would be of interest to note in the article. I also heard that the swamp is about the natural northern limit of the sabal minor palm; is that true as well? I have never been there, just second-hand tales; I have no reputable sources to cite either. I would appreciate if anyone can inform me about these questions one way or the other. Thanks. --Paulsprecker (talk) 18:03, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

copied links
lots of this page appears to have been copied from one of the links - official site National Park Service, Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. It might be worth checking the licence of this material.
 * Its a governmnent site. I wouldn't worry about it.  --NoPetrol 02:34, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)

so why is it called the great dismal swamp?
surely that's the number one fact people would be looking for on this page? It was for me. - stib 13:28, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

That is an excellent question. Here is one source.
 * "Dismal Swamp is the area's historical name, believed to date back to colonial times. While there are a number of stories about its origin, the most credible is that it was named in 1828 by Government Surveyor John Wedge who was exploring the area at the time under the instruction of Governor Arthur.


 * It is recorded that the group had a "dismal" experience surveying the swamp. They were constantly wet and had to sleep on fallen logs and in trees to try to keep dry at night. The neighbouring swamp apparently offered some respite from the damp and hence earned the nickname Welcome Swamp. 

However, in apparent conflict with that source, there are other indications that the label "Dismal" was applied to the swamp earlier, perhaps by William Byrd II of Westover Plantation, who wrote "Description of the Dismal" He was born March 28, 1674, and died Aug. 26, 1744.

I wasn't able to find a quick source on where the "Great" label came from either. I'll do a little more digging, try to get more sources, and see what we can work into the article. Vaoverland 17:05, Apr 15, 2005 (UTC)


 * That page seems to be about another Dismal Swamp in Tasmania. Apparently many different people, upon encountering swamps, find them dismal, and this is an experience that recurs on several continents. Personally, I'd rather be in the Great Dismal Swamp Chamber of Commerce.  That way, I could have a bunch of brochures printed up inviting people to spend their vacation in the Great Dismal Swamp, or relocate their business to the Great Dismal Swamp; and I would eagerly hand them out to anyone who got within striking distance.  Smerdis of Tlön 20:20, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

A Uses/Facilities Section?
Just wanted some feedback on if the article could use some more information about the various trails, hunting, camping and other uses of the refuge. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ambrnjhn1 (talk • contribs) 12:36, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

199.67.140.242 (talk) 13:53, 19 April 2010 (UTC) What is a Veenbrand? It's refered to in the article but I can't find out what it is?

It's Dutch for "peat burn". This is what the article said on the 6 Nov 2009 version before someone blanked the entire history section, not sure why that happened. Can someone enlighten? 64.234.82.192 (talk) 07:32, 13 June 2010 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Great Dismal Swamp. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20111014034322/http://gis.wwfus.org/wildfinder/ to http://gis.wwfus.org/wildfinder/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 14:28, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Great Dismal Swamp. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100513021118/http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-great-dismal-swamp-national-wildlife-refuge-virginia-sidwcmdev_068750.html to http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-great-dismal-swamp-national-wildlife-refuge-virginia-sidwcmdev_068750.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 23:27, 22 October 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Great Dismal Swamp. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20120531071218/http://www.gorp.com/hiking-guide/travel-ta-scenic-drives-biking-fishing-camping-sidwcmdev_068620.html to http://www.gorp.com/hiking-guide/travel-ta-scenic-drives-biking-fishing-camping-sidwcmdev_068620.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 10:55, 25 December 2017 (UTC)