This is a 1000-acre tract on Briar Creek in McDuffie County, just west ofCamp Gordon Military Reservation. The land has two ponds ---a third has been drained--- which were constructed about 1913 using a mule and scoop. The dikes for the two ponds are wide enough to drive a pick-up truck on. The ponds contain about 223 acres, open and wooded land amounts to about 714, and about 63 acres is swamp beside Brier Creek.
Fish and Game Division of the Department of Natural Resources is interested in this parcel of land to help provide fishing ponds for local people to take the pressure off the overcrowded area at the McDuffie Hatchery, which is just a mile or so away (nw). The hatchery has reached its capacity, both in furnishing public fishing ponds and in hatching pools, and visitation has risen to 15,000 in a season. Leon Kirkland said the Bowden tract would provide good facilities, much cheaper than the state could build.
A Heritage Trust team visited the site January 10, 1975. At least three areas of archeological interest were observed during the afternoon. Two were pointed out by the owner, Hugh Dobbins of Atlanta, whose grandfather owned the land also.
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