Nowadays, it is not hard to find a trail. Head up Arkansas 12, and 30 minutes from Beaver Lake, you'll start to see the signs. There's Bench Rock Nature Trail and the Dogwood and the sometimes tricky Fishtrap Nature trail. All clearly mapped out for walking enjoyment.

But that hasn't always been the case for trails.

American Indians didn't have maps or GPS so, according to the research of Don Wells, author and president of the Georgia-based nonprofit Mountain Stewards, they relied on trail trees -- also known as signal trees, marker trees, thong trees or yolk trees. They were adult trees that had been bent as saplings and tied down, he says, and left that way for a year to "lock" in the position.

"They used them to mark trails, crossing points on streams, springs to find water and medicinal sites where they would get plants," he says. "The Indians believe the trees are sacred, and one reason it was hard to find a lot of information about them is because Indians didn't want the white folks to know about them."

In July of 2012, Wells visited Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area to discuss the historical significance of these trees. In a talk titled "Mystery of the Trees," he highlighted both the their meaning and the future prospects for them. The trees are not protected by the government and have been disturbed by urban development and agriculture, he says. He hopes through the Indian Cultural Heritage Program and his book, "Mystery of the Trees," co-authored by his wife, Diane, he can raisie awareness and help to save these natural monuments.

On Saturday, Wells returns with "In the Presence of the Elders," a program featuring new information derived from his research over the past two years, including video interviews with tribal elders speaking about their culture. The research was aided by Sam Proctor, an elder with the Muskogee (Creek) Nation in Okmulgee, Okla., who read his book and offered his expertise to Wells and the Mountain Stewards.

"This presentation focuses on what we are learning from the elders, in particular, the impact of their loss of culture from the American holocaust, about how their daily lives are shaped by their spirituality, and about the wisdom they are sharing with us," Wells says. "As we have explored the knowledge of the Marker Trees, we have learned from the elders how their tribes used trees as a part of their daily lives."

These trees, some over 400 years old, survive to this day. Two of them can be found locally in Hobbs State Park in Rogers, offering a hands-on and home-grown host of history to visitors.

-- Allison Carter

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