Stallings Island, located east of Stevens Creek, is a forbidden place to humans, but not goats or donkeys. Well, it is forbidden to one donkey, aptly named Buster.
In 1861, archeologists made a major discovery on the island. Amid piles of freshwater mollusk shells, archeologists found remnants of pottery from the Archaic Period. Some of the pottery discovered dates back some 4,500 years, according to noted southern writer, Tom Poland. The island is considered to be the birthplace of ceramics produced in North America.
The island was named Stallings after the hunter-gatherer people who once called the Savannah River area, then known as “Westobou,” home. The Stallings culture did not practice agriculture but rather subsisted on fish and mussels as evident by the huge piles of shells, known as middens.
Further archeological digs unearthed human skeletons showing that the area was also used as a burial ground, leading some to call it the “Island of the Dead.”
According to Nancy Glaser, executive director of the Augusta Museum of History, the site remains an active archeology site.
“The first dig occurred there in 1861, and as technology continues to get better, there will be more digs there in the future,” Glaser said.
The Augusta Museum of History has a large collection of artifacts recovered from Stallings Island on display.
At first, the island and its historic treasures remained known only in the archeological community, but as word spread, looting became an issue.
The island was acquired from the Knox family by the Archeological Conservancy in 1997. They erected a fence around the dig sites, but the dense vegetation still made it easy for looters to access the site and blend in with the surrounding foliage without being seen.
In 2008, the Conservancy razed much of the underbrush and placed a herd of goats on the island to control the vegetation. However, packs of wild dogs made their way to the island and began killing the goats.
To protect the goats, the Conservancy added donkeys, who are notoriously territorial and have no problem taking on a wild dog.
Everything seemed to be going as planned until one particular donkey, named Buster, reached maturity.
Buster is a massive beast and is more the size of a grown horse than a donkey. While attempting to mate, due to his size, he broke the hip of the female he was attempting to mate with and the female had to be put down.
Not only was Buster big for his breed, but he was one ornery ass.
Buster began attacking the other young male donkeys and the Conservancy decided to remove him from the island. However, removing such a large animal from an island in the middle of a flowing river is easier said than done.
After the volunteers corralled him, Buster was fitted with a harness and a life jacket and was slowly coaxed to follow the guide boat and swim across the river. According to the Conservancy, the process took several hours, but Buster was able to safely make it to shore.
These days, Buster spends his time at Big Oaks Rescue Farm far away from Stallings Island.
There are four donkeys living on Stallings Island as of March 25. According to Andy Colbert, the owner of Outdoor Augusta, who takes kayakers by the spot, they have names – Abigail, Buster Jr., Hercules and Jenny. Whether or not Buster Jr. is the progeny of the original Buster is not known to Colbert.
Meanwhile, Stallings Island remains a favorite destination for kayakers and even though it is illegal to land on the island, the animals will approach boats that get near the shore looking for a treat.
…And that is something you might not have known.
Scott Hudson is the senior reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
