Who used the natural resources in the Great Dismal Swamp?

• A. Tourists
• B. Hunters and fishermen, sailors, colonial Virginians, and runaway slaves
• C. Merchants and traders
• D. Farmers

Answer: (B)

People used what the Great Dismal Swamp had to offer—its timber, wildlife, and overall shelter—for different needs. Hunters and fishermen could gather food from the swamp, while sailors and colonial Virginians relied on the area as a source of materials and a place to move through Virginia’s coast. Runaway enslaved people used the swamp as a hidden refuge where they could hide and survive. That mix of groups shows how many kinds of people interacted with the swamp’s natural resources. Tourists aren’t part of this history, and farmers would be more tied to farmland than the swamp itself.