The 60th Unnamed Cave is privately owned with access being restricted to ensure its examples of Native American pictographs are protected and preserved for generations to come.
The cave was well known to the Native Americans of the region... stoke marks left on passages walls and ceiling from river cane torches are apparent throughout the cave showing clear signs of exploration, some being in excess of 700 years old. A short distance in however, other signs appear in the form of pictographs. These images range from objects like a mace, to human like figures, and quadrupeds that may likely be dogs. In alignment with examples of cave art, anthropomorphic images appear as you move deeper, away from the entrance.
Sadly, in 2005 a clean up effort was conducted by a local Grotto (caving club) with the intention of removing the extensive graffiti found on the cave's passage ways. Wire brushes and solvents were used, but it was sometime before the cavers realized that they were scrubbing away Native American pictographs in addition to modern era graffiti. A significant amount of damage occured as can clearly be seen in the photo below highlighting the importance of requesting an archaeological assessment prior to any graffiti removal efforts.
This cave is also special in two Pleistocene jaguar skeletons were found in the 1950's by cavers who were mapping the cave. The remains were encrusted in layers of travertine and were damage while being dislodged from the cave floor. These remains were sent to Dr. Lewis Gazin, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the US National Museum for identification and were identified as Panthera Augusta, making them the fourth recorded finding in a 50 mile radius.
TO VISIT:
These trips were made possible through explicit permission from the land owner in support of the Veteran's Adventure Group. Access is typically restricted and a steel gate has been constructed to prevent unauthorized access to aide in preserving the cave's contents for generations to come.
I'd encourage you to check out the National Speleological Society's website and consider joining a local Grotto (caving club) where you can sign up for trips to caves like this and learn from experienced cavers.
No comments
Post a Comment