By Michael Dowling
Clarke Daily News

The Top Ten Most Read Articles of 2011
Ranking #1. Archaeologist Claims 12,000-Year-Old Solstice Site in Clarke County – 8,004 Views. The leading story of 2011 was the discovery of an ancient solstice site in the county. The Clarke Daily News broke the story and archeology sites around the world picked it up boosting readership from places like the UK, Australia, Germany, and France.

As 2011 winds to a close many people find themselves bidding it a welcomed good-bye. The challenging economy and a string of natural disasters including an earthquake, rank the year as an epic low spot for many American’s. However, as we at the Clarke Daily News look back, we see many good things and look expectantly towards what 2012 holds in store.

As we begin our third year publishing the news and events of Clarke County, we see a community that is seriously interested in the well being and welfare of its residents. Volunteer efforts are consistently in the

news and the county always takes a keen interest in the education and welfare of our youth. We see hopeful residents who persistently struggle to prosper and build a better community in a radically different region and economy that has become the “new normal.”

Yet, in spite of all of the challenges that steal people’s time and energy, they still nurture a desire to stay connected with their community. Time constraints and the ever increasing pressure of day to day life often prevent people from being involved in civic and community events. That’s why more and more residents are turning to the Clarke Daily News to stay connected and informed.  Last year 435 thousand visitors read over 1.3 million pages on our site.  That’s a big number for a little county.

So, as we close out the year and look back on the events of 2011 we thought we would share what our readers felt were the most interesting and important stories of the past year. The following list shows the top 10 articles that garnered the most page views. It provides an interesting perspective into not only what Clarke County residents are interested in, but what the outside world sees when they look into Clarke County.

Loudoun Daily Monitor

BLUEMONT, VA. – The Paleoindian site found just across the Loudoun border with Clarke County has received an official  site number (44CK151) from the Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources (DHR) adding it to the state’s inventory of archaeological sites.

In October at the Eastern States Archeological Federation’s annual meeting, archaeologist Jack Hranicky announced Virginia’s Spout Run Paleoindian Complex as the oldest above-ground Paleoindian ceremonial site in North America.

“For the DHR to give this prehistoric site a number is the procedure for recording sites which are added the state inventory,” Hranicky said. “This preserved site has numerous properties that prove its use by Paleoindians and classifies it as a major ceremonial/calendar site on the Shenandoah River.”

Initial site excavation and investigation offer a glimpse into a highly developed culture living in Virginia over 12,000 years ago. The site has above-ground concentric rings, ceremonial altar, jasper tools, summer/fall focus and calendar using the summer solstice as a start for the year. Jasper is a cryptocrystalline stone in geology known to be a preferred mineral to fashion tools by Paleoindians during the Younger Dryers period, which occurred after the Earth returned very quickly into near glacial conditions of cold, dry and windy.

Virginia is a national leader among the 50 states in registering historic sites and districts. For more information contact www.dhr.virginia.gov.

“Next we’ll be working with the DHR and U.S. Department of Interior to nominate it as National Historic Landmark,” Hranicky added.

Site owners Chris and René White, both Native American descendants, plan to establish a sacred retreat called the Sanctuary on the Trail, a faith-based neighborhood and community outreach-initiative where spiritual leaders across denominations can meet to create possibilities for communities, churches and tribes on challenges and issues facing them.