Archeological Investigations
by Gerard Fowke · English · Gutenberg #18931 · 564,178 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: Archeological Investigations
Author: Gerard Fowke
Release date: July 28, 2006 [eBook #18931]
Language: English
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* * * * *
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 76
ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
I. CAVE EXPLORATIONS IN THE OZARK REGION
OF CENTRAL MISSOURI
II. CAVE EXPLORATIONS IN OTHER STATES
III. EXPLORATIONS ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER
BLUFFS IN KANSAS AND NEBRASKA
IV. ABORIGINAL HOUSE MOUNDS
V. ARCHEOLOGICAL WORK IN HAWAII
BY
GERARD FOWKE
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1922
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY,
_Washington, D.C., February 17, 1920._
SIR: I have the honor to transmit the accompanying manuscript,
entitled "Archeological Investigations," by Gerard Fowke, and to
recommend its publication, subject to your approval, as a
bulletin of this bureau.
Very respectfully,
J. WALTER FEWKES,
_Chief._
DR. CHARLES D. WALCOTT,
_Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution._
CONTENTS
I. Cave Explorations in the Ozark Region of Central Missouri
Page
Introduction 13
The Upper Current River 18
Shannon County 18
Bat Cave 18
Blue Spring, or Fishing Cave 18
Welch's Cave 18
Big Creek Cave 18
Texas County 19
Smith Caves 19
Saltpeter Cave 19
Dent County 20
Mammoth Cave 20
Guthoerl Cave 20
Short Bend Cave 20
Money Cave 21
Saltpeter Cave 21
Watson, Twin, or Onyx Caves 22
House mounds 22
Phelps County 22
Bates Cave 22
Another "Bates Cave" 23
Renaud Cave 23
Marsh Caves 23
Wild-hog Cave 23
Shelters 24
Phelps Cave 24
"Key Rocks" 24
Jones Cave 24
Yancy Mills Cave 24
Lane Mound 24
Cairns on Lost Hill, at mouth of Gourd Creek 24
Exploration of the Gourd Creek Cave 28
Onyx Cave 34
Goat Bluff Cave 35
Cairns at Sugar Tree Camp 40
Tick Creek Cave 41
Cave in Pool Hollow 41
House mounds near Rolla 41
House mounds near Dillon 42
House mounds near St. James 42
Pulaski County 42
McWilliams Cave 42
Davis Caves 42
Berry Cave 43
Maxey Cave 43
Yoark Cave 43
Graves at Laughlin's 44
Kerr Cave 44
Sell Cave 45
Phillips Cave 51
Bell's Cave 51
Camp-ground Cave 51
Bucher Cave 51
Graves near McKennan's 52
Roubidoux Cave 52
Richland Cave 52
Rollins Caves 52
Mix Cave 53
Double Cave 54
Railroad Cave 55
Bat, or Page, Cave 55
Tunnel Cave 56
Brooks Cave 56
Riddle Cave 56
Lane's Cave 56
Dry Creek Cave 56
House mounds 56
Riden's Cave 57
Saltpeter Cave 57
Miller's Cave 57
Ramsey's Cave 81
Graham Cave 83
Pillman's, or Spring Creek, Cave 83
Woodland Hollow Cave 84
Walled graves at Devil's Elbow 84
Cairns on Helm's farm 87
Ash Cave 89
Clemmens Creek Cave 89
Camden County 89
Along the Niangua River 89
A fossil cave 91
Miller County 91
Wright Cave 92
Wilson Cave 94
Bagnell Cave 94
Bode Cave 94
Luckenhoff Cave 94
Jurggenmeyer Cave 94
Daerhoff Cave 95
Cave near mouth of Tavern Creek 95
Bat Cave 95
Grave at mouth of Saline Creek 95
Stark's Cave 96
House mounds 96
Cairns 96
Maries County 96
Indian Ford Cave 96
Lackaye's Bluff Cave 97
Hurricane Bluff Cave 97
Stratman Cave 98
Osage County 98
River Cave 98
Rock-shelter 98
Steuffer Cave 99
Cairns 99
House mounds 99
"Indian Fort" 99
Cole County 100
Natural Bridge Cave 100
Morgan County 100
Speers Cave 100
House mounds 100
II. CAVE EXPLORATIONS IN OTHER STATES
Introduction 101
Indiana 102
Lawrence County 102
Martin County 102
Orange County 106
Crawford County 107
Harrison County 111
Illinois 111
Monroe County 111
Kentucky 112
Hardin County 112
Hart County 112
Edmonson County 115
Warren County 118
Barren County 119
Monroe County 120
Logan County 122
Todd County 122
Tennessee 123
Montgomery County 123
Sullivan County 124
Bledsoe County 128
Sequatchie County 130
Grundy County 131
Franklin County 131
Marion County 132
Hamilton County 133
Alabama 133
Lauderdale County 133
Colbert County 134
Jackson County 135
Dekalb County 137
Marshall County 139
III. EXPLORATIONS ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER BLUFFS IN KANSAS
AND NEBRASKA
Vicinity of White Cloud, Kansas 151
Iowa Point 152
Near the mouth of the Nemaha River 152
Vicinity of Troy, Kansas 153
Mouth of Mosquito Creek 153
Rulo, Nebraska 154
Near Howe, Nebraska 155
Peru, Nebraska 156
Papillion, Nebraska 156
Vicinity of Omaha, Nebraska 156
Long's Hill 157
IV. ABORIGINAL HORSE MOUNDS
New Madrid County 166
St. François County 166
V. ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK IN HAWAII
Introduction 178
Molokai Island 179
The Rain Heiau 180
The sacrifice stones 181
Hawaii Island 182
Kilauea 183
Waimea 183
Quarry on Mauna Kea 183
Kawaihae 183
East Point district 184
Napoopoo 184
Honaunau 184
Keauhou 185
Mookini 185
Laupahoehoe 187
Maui Island 188
Kaupo, or Mokulau 188
Wailuku 188
Waihee 189
Burial places 190
In the Iao Valley 191
Kauai Island 191
Lihue 192
Wailua 192
Dune burials 193
Waimea 194
Conclusions 194
Index 197
ILLUSTRATIONS
PLATES
1. a, Cave on Big Piney River, Pulaski County, Mo.
b, Cave on Big Piney River, Texas County, Mo. 12
2. a, Bluff at Mouth of Spring Creek, Pulaski County,
Mo. b, Pillman's, or Spring Creek, Cave, Pulaski
County, Mo. 12
3. Map of area examined 18
4. Bone and antler implements from Gourd Creek Cave,
Phelps County, Mo. 34
5. Shell and flint objects from Gourd Creek Cave 34
6. Skull from Goat Bluff Cave, Phelps County, Mo. 38
7. Skull from Goat Bluff Cave 38
8. Skull from Goat Bluff Cave 38
9. Skull of child from Goat Bluff Cave 38
10. Flints from Goat Bluff Cave 38
11. Bone and antler implements from Goat Bluff Cave 38
12. Bone and antler implements from Goat Bluff Cave 38
13. a, Cairn 6 miles north of Arlington, Mo. b, Walled
grave 6 miles north of Arlington, Mo. 38
14. Cairns on Roubidoux Creek, 6 miles from Waynesville,
Mo. 46
15. Flints from Sell Cave, near Waynesville, Mo. 46
16. Objects from Sell Cave. a, Pestles or grinding
stones; b, celt, pottery disks, paint stones, and
skiver 46
17. Three skulls from Pulaski County, Mo. a, b, Skull
from Sell Cave; c, d, skull from Bell's Cave, near
Waynesville; e, f, skull from Miller's Cave 46
18. Teeth from Sell Cave and other caves, showing manner
and amount of wear 48
19. Teeth from Sell Cave and other caves, showing manner
and amount of wear 48
20. a, b, Skull from Miller's Cave, Pulaski County,
Mo.; c, part of skull of child from Miller's Cave 68
21. Skull of young woman from Miller's Cave 68
22. Skull of child from Miller's Cave 72
23. Diseased tibia of adult and diseased bones of child
from Miller's Cave 72
24. Skull of child from Miller's Cave 72
25. Cache of flints from ash bed in Miller's Cave 72
26. Flints from Miller's Cave 76
27. Flints from Miller's Cave 76
28. Flints from Miller's Cave 76
29. Axes and pestles from Miller's Cave 76
30. Bone implements from Miller's Cave 78
31. Bone implements from Miller's Cave 78
32. Bone implements from Miller's Cave 78
33. Bone implements from Miller's Cave 78
34. Bone and antler implements from Miller's Cave 78
35. Antler implements from Miller's Cave 78
36. Skivers, showing stages of manufacture, from Miller's
Cave 78
37. Shell spoons, pottery disks, and broken spoon made of
a deer's skull, from Miller's Cave 78
38. a, Heiaus A and B, on Molokai Island, looking west;
b, Heiau A, on Molokai Island, looking north; c,
Heiaus A and B, on Molokai Island, looking south 180
39. a, Heiau A, on Molokai Island, looking south; b,
platform in Heiau A, looking southeast; c, paved way
in Heiau A, looking southwest 180
40. a, Paved way in Heiau A, looking north; b,
fireplace in Heiau A 180
41. a, Heiau B, on Molokai Island, looking northwest;
b, Heiau B, showing stone-paved interior, looking
northeast 180
42. a, The "Rain Heiau," Molokai Island, looking west;
b, The "Rain Heiau," looking south 180
43. a, The "Rain Heiau," looking north; b, The "Rain
Heiau," looking southwest 180
44. a, The "Sacrifice Stones," on Molokai Island,
looking southwest; b, The "Sacrifice Stones,"
looking west 180
45. a, The "Sacrifice Stones," looking northwest; b,
the "Sacrifice Stones," looking south 180
TEXT FIGURES
1. Outline of Cairn (1), at Lost Hill, Phelps County, Mo. 26
2. Outline of Cairn (2), at Lost Hill, Phelps County, Mo. 26
3. Pipe from Cairn (2) 27
4. Outline of Cairn (3), Lost Hill 28
5. Fragment of glass bottle from Goat Bluff Cave 37
6. Pot from Goat Bluff Cave 39
7. Grooved ax from Goat Bluff Cave 40
8. Perforated object of antler from Sell Cave 48
9. Rubbing or polishing stone from Sell Cave 48
10. Flints from Sell Cave 49
11. Incised figure in sandstone near Miller's Cave 61
12. Incised figures in sandstone near Miller's Cave 61
13. Plan of Miller's Cave 62
14. Clay pipe from Miller's Cave 69
15. Perforated bone object from Miller's Cave 79
16. Adz or gouge of chert from Miller's Cave 79
17. Clay pipe from Miller's Cave 80
18. Columella bead from Cairn (4), Devil's Elbow 87
19. Columella bead from Cairn (5), Devil's Elbow 87
20. Plan of Fossil Cave 92
21. Section of Fossil Cave 92
22. Perforator and knife from Wright Cave 93
23. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 18 feet 144
24. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 20 feet 144
25. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 22 feet 144
26. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 26 feet 145
27. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 28 feet 145
28. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 30 feet 145
29. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 35½ feet 146
30. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 47½ feet 146
31. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 60 feet 146
32. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 70 feet 147
33. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 90 feet 147
34. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 93 feet 148
35. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 175 feet 149
36. Cross section of Fort Deposit Cave at 180 feet 149
37. Plan of House Mound in St. François County, Mo. 168
* * * * *
[Illustration: PLATE 1 a, Cave on Big Piney River, three miles
east of Big Piney, Pulaski County. Mo. (Courtesy of Dr. P.J.
Heuer, St. Louis)]
[Illustration: PLATE 1 b, Cave on Big Piney River, in Texas
County, Mo. (Courtesy of Dr. P.J. Heuer, St. Louis)]
[Illustration: PLATE 2 a, Bluff at mouth of Spring Creek, Pulaski
County, Mo. (Courtesy of Dr. P.J. Heuer, St. Louis)]
[Illustration: PLATE 2 b, Pillman's, or Spring Creek, Cave,
Pulaski County, Mo. (Courtesy of Dr. P.J. Heuer, St. Louis)]
ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
I. EXPLORATIONS IN THE OZARK REGION OF CENTRAL MISSOURI
BY GERARD FOWKE
INTRODUCTION
The geological structure of that portion of southern Missouri which
lies to the westward of the Archean rocks near the Mississippi River
is peculiarly suitable for the development of caverns. The Ozark
uplift produced far-reaching undulations, and there seem to have been
no violent disturbances which would result in extensive faults,
considerable displacements, or a pronounced inclination of the strata.
Jointing and pressure cleavage, however, gave rise to innumerable
crevices in the limestone, through which percolating surface water
found its way into all parts of the formations. By its solvent power
this water gradually enlarged the crevices into passages which,
multiplying and uniting, drained constantly increasing areas until
they formed subterranean streams with a perpetual flow. Thus began
caverns; and these grew in depth, width, and height as the rock was
eroded and dissolved. Tributary crevices were subject to the same
action; and there was finally created by each of these water systems a
network of cavities whose ramifications sometimes extend throughout
several townships. In time, sections of the roof, here and there,
became so thin from the combined erosion taking place both above and
below as to be unable to sustain their own weight; the overlying
strata fell into the cave, and the volume of water flowing through it
was augmented by drainage which had previously been disposed of on the
surface. All this had to seek an outlet somewhere, except in those
rare instances where it maintains its downward course until, below the
level of any open stream it can reach, it encounters an impervious
stratum and must lose itself in the deep rocks. Usually, however, it
emerges in the face of a bluff or on the side of a hill; and the
opening becomes "the mouth of a cave." Occasionally, in such
situations, the water continues to flow out; but usually it finds a
way to reach a lower level, and so the cave in time becomes dry
except for such water as seeps through from the earth immediately
above. Sometimes, too, the point of discharge is at or perhaps
somewhat below the level of a stream into which it passes; in the
Ozarks are numerous very large springs or fountains which by inverted
siphon or artesian action are forced up from subterranean streams
lying at a greater depth.
Few large caverns have the floor entirely dry, even when they are well
above the bottom of the valley. Deposits in the front portion may be
dry, perhaps dusty on the surface; but toward the interior moisture
usually accumulates until they are muddy or until the water stands in
pools or puddles. When this is the case there is sometimes a little
stream making its way to the front through a channel which it has cut;
or seepage may dampen, possibly saturate, the lowermost portions of
the otherwise dry earth. These details are controlled principally by
the direction and degree of slopes and by side openings which allow
more or less of the water to escape at some part of its journey.
When a cavern is fairly lighted and has a dry floor, whether of rock
or earth, it forms an excellent abode for a small community unable or
not disposed to construct shelters more comfortable or convenient; and
there is abundant evidence that many caves in the Ozarks were utilized
as habitations by the aborigines. It must be remembered, however, that
in the centuries which have elapsed since hunters or permanent
occupants first entered this region, many superficial changes have
taken place, not only about the entrances but within the caverns as
well. Very probably these alterations have converted caves once
occupied into places which at present are quite unfit for such
purposes. Talus has accumulated in front of the openings or partially
filled the front chambers; it may well be the case that this conceals
much refuse. Caves which, from similar deposits, are now difficult to
enter and dark to the doorway, may have been open and convenient.
Furthermore, caves with wet or muddy bottoms may owe such condition to
causes which have recently come into operation; or if they always
contained more or less water, the primitive dwellers could in many
cases have overcome such disadvantages by digging drains which have
since become choked and obliterated. Very small cavities, such as deep
rock-shelters; or caverns with a great thickness of earth on the
floors, now showing no trace of remains; or those with entrances so
small that it is necessary to crawl through--any of these, if cleared
out to the bottoms, might disclose material dating back to very early
times.
It might seem that the air in a cave constantly occupied would grow
stale and close; while smoke from the fires would in time become
annoying. But Indians used for fuel only dry wood and bark, the smoke
from which would be a negligible factor. The varying pressure of the
atmosphere outside creates a current of air in or out which is usually
imperceptible but which penetrates to the deepest recesses and insures
ventilation.
In view of the very primitive conditions under which cave dwellers
lived, as denoted by the artificial objects which they left, and the
low mentality indicated by the skulls, Mr. W.H. Holmes suggests that a
careful and extended study of these abodes may disclose a culture
lower than that prevailing among out-door dwellers in the same
localities. As no effort would be required to secure warmth and
shelter, and as food was abundant and easily procured, the people may
never have advanced from savagery, or may have retrograded.
None of these possibilities are taken into account when reporting upon
the caves described in the following pages; the information offered is
based entirely upon the present appearance of the places mentioned. To
attempt more would be merely offering guesses.
If "Cave Man"--using this term to designate the predecessor of any
race or tribe known to history--ever existed in the Mississippi Valley
he would not find in any part of it natural features better adapted
for his requirements than in the Ozark hills. But, so far, not the
slightest trace of his presence has been revealed. Products of human
industry have been reported as occurring at great depths under other
conditions, even at the bottom of the loess; though in all such cases
there is some uncertainty as to the correctness of the observations.
No similar reports have been made in regard to any cave yet explored.
On the contrary, whatever may be the depth of the deposit containing
them, the artificial objects exhumed are uniform in character from top
to bottom; the specimens found on the clay or solid rock floor are of
the same class as those barely covered by the surface earth. Moreover,
when they cease to appear they cease absolutely; the rock was swept
bare, or the clay was deposited, by the stream to which the cave owes
its existence, and each is a part of the original formation. In these
circumstances habitation would be out of the question.
By careful search in the caves and rock-shelters of which the Indian
known to history availed himself, extensive and interesting museum
collections can be made. To find an earlier man it will be necessary
to investigate caverns which he found suitable for occupancy and in
which the accumulation of detritus, from whatever source, has been
sufficient to cover his remains so deeply that they can not be
confused with those of a later period; and it may be necessary, also,
to discover with them bones of extinct animals. Should such a place
exist, it is extremely probable that there will be no outward
indication of the fact.
No examination of a cavern is complete or is to be deemed satisfactory
unless a depth is reached where the geological deposits are
undeniably of such age as to antedate the possible appearance of man
upon the scene. This is not assured until the excavation has reached
the original floor, which may be either the bed-rock or the clay left
by the eroding stream when its volume had become so diminished from
any cause that it was no longer able to keep its channel cleared out.
Unless a cave is almost perfectly dry--and few of them are--the bottom
can not be reached until all standing or soil water has been drained
off.
Notwithstanding the most explicit directions, a stranger without a
guide is frequently unable to find a cave unless its position is
plainly visible from some well-defined spot. The winding valleys and
the multitude of ravines sometimes bewilder even those living among
them.
A few definitions of terms, or explanations of statements in the
report, may prevent misunderstanding.
"Refuse," "signs," "indications," "evidence," referring to habitation
or occupancy, mean mussel shells; animal bones; burned or worked
stones; broken pottery; wrought objects of bone or shell; flint
implements, chips, or spalls; ashes; charcoal; in short, the material
ordinarily found on the site of an Indian village, some or all of
which are to be seen where the caverns have been used for shelter.
"Daylight" or "in daylight" is the greatest distance within the
entrance to a cavern at which common print may be easily read or the
nature of small objects lying on the floor determined with certainty.
"Drip rock," "cave rock," or "cave formation" are general terms
including stalactite or stalagmite; also deposits of similar origin
coating the walls. Not all of these may be present in the same cavern.
"Roof dust" is a substance, literally "lime sand," produced by the
superficial disintegration of the roof or walls. This process is
greatly accelerated where lichen or rock moss has gained a root hold
on the stone. Roof dust in a dry cavern is the equivalent of
stalagmite in a wet one.
"Cave earth" is the loose, loamy material usually found in the front
chambers of large caverns. It is made up of roof dust, sand, and silt
washed from the interior, outside dust and vegetable matter blown in
by the wind, with minute amounts of clay or soil carried in by
animals.
"Gravel" in a cavern is seldom noticeably water-worn, but is the
angular débris resulting from the continued fragmentation of chert
nodules released by erosion of the limestone.
A "rock shelter," or "shelter cave," is a room or recess formed by
atmospheric erosion in the face, usually at the base, of a cliff. The
depth from front to back, under the projecting or overhanging
unremoved bedrock above, is generally much less than the length as
measured along the face of the bluff. They are nearly always dry, more
or less protected from storms, and when of suitable size and in a
favorable location were much used as camping places. They are rather
rare in limestone formations but frequent in massive sandstone.
"House mounds" are small, low piles of earth, similar in all respects
to those so numerous in southeastern Missouri and southward. Although
they are usually described as "standing in regular rows," they are in
fact irregularly placed, though seldom as much as 100 feet apart in
the same group.
Measurements of caverns explored were made with a tape line; others
were estimated by stepping, or in the case of elevations, by sighting,
consequently are only approximate, but the figures given will in no
case exceed the actual distance.
Specimens reported from caves not excavated were found on the floor,
sometimes in situations where no addition of cave earth had taken
place since the objects were left there; at other times where they
were brought from below by burrowing animals; and, again, where they
are exposed in the bed or banks of a drainage channel.
In no cave so far examined has any evidence been found to show that
the aborigines occupied any part of it beyond such point as was
adequately illuminated from the entrance. No doubt they may, at times,
have retreated beyond the reach of daylight and been compelled to
dispel the darkness by means of fires; but such instances were rare
and of short duration. Statements are sometimes made that specimens,
usually flint implements, have been found far, possibly several
hundred yards, within the cavern. Such objects do not predicate
habitation at that distance; primitive explorers may have lost them.
It has been pointed out, too, by Mr. De Lancey Gill, that a wounded
animal, taking refuge in a cave and instinctively seeking its dark
recesses, may carry in an arrow or spear whose point remains when the
shaft has decayed. In the case of a large mammal, such as a bear or a
panther, a number of arrow or spear heads might be carried in and be
found close together long after the death of the victim.
Cairns or stone-covered graves are of common occurrence; but with a
single exception the rocks in all those visited or reported are more
or less displaced. This is due to hunters digging out small wild
animals making a den in them; to treasure seekers who believe that
"money" is concealed in them; and most of all to persons who are
curious to know "what there is in there."
The record of the investigations will be given by counties, beginning
at the south and proceeding northward. Descriptions and notes of the
sites mentioned will follow as closely as possible the same
arrangement. A number following the name of a cave refers to its
position as denoted by a corresponding number on the map (pl. 3).
THE UPPER CURRENT RIVER
A number of well-known caverns, some of them quite extensive, exist
along the head streams forming the Current River. As originally
planned, the work included a thorough survey of this region, but owing
to various causes it was only partially examined. Several large caves
were reported as being along the river and its tributaries farther
down than these researches were carried. Notable is one opposite the
mouth of Sinkin Creek, which was described as dry and very large
within; but it was also stated that it can only be entered through a
sink hole with the aid of a ladder or pole 30 feet long. Such a cave
is not likely to have been used for shelter. Others, as they were
described, seemed equally unfitted for this purpose. The only
exception to this general rule is one in Spring Valley south of the
Current and east of Sinkin.
Such as were visited will be described in their geographical order.
* * *
SHANNON COUNTY
BAT CAVE (1)
This cavern is 6 miles above the mouth of Sinkin. It is near the top
of a cliff, fully 300 feet above the river. The entrance is 30 feet
wide and 10 feet high; within is a level earth-covered floor. Being
very difficult of access, it was probably never inhabited.
BLUE SPRING, OR FISHING CAVE (1)
This is situated on the Terrell land, 4 miles below Akers post office.
The entrance, 10 feet high and 20 feet wide, is almost at low-water
level; the river at flood height rises fully 20 feet above its top.
Fifty feet within is a spring or well, 20 feet across, whose bottom is
beyond the reach of a line 60 feet long. It is said that eyeless fish
of 3 pounds weight have been caught in this "Blue Spring."
WELCH'S CAVE
This is 4 miles below Cedar Grove. It can be entered only in a boat,
and the entire floor is deeply covered with soft mud.
BIG CREEK CAVE
There is a cave at the mouth of Big Creek which is often used as a
temporary camping place by hunters and fishermen. The water enters
it whenever there is a freshet in either the creek or the river; so it
could never have served as a place of permanent abode.
[Illustration: PLATE 3: MAP OF AREA EXAMINED
(Numbers refer to corresponding numbers in text)]
* * *
TEXAS COUNTY
SMITH CAVES (2)
On James I. Smith's land, on Big Creek, a mile above Niles, are three
caves. One is merely a round opening 5 feet in width and height, soon
narrowing to a crevice; it would not be mentioned except that in it
was a sandstone slab such as mortars are made of. This bore no marks
of use; but it had been carried in for some purpose--possibly by white
men.
The second cave, 50 feet from the first, has an entrance 20 feet wide
and 4 to 5 feet high. Dry earth extends back for 40 feet; then come
clay and fallen rocks, sloping downward toward the rear. The roof
maintains its level as far as followed. No trace of occupation could
be found.
The third cave, 150 yards from the second, has an entrance 35 feet
wide and 20 feet high. Dry cave earth appears for 20 feet, at which
distance it merges with mud containing large rocks. The cavern extends
for 50 feet in daylight; water from the interior spreads over the
whole floor to the inner margin of dry earth, where it collects in a
little stream which passes out along the foot of one wall. The earth
deposit seems to be thin. The only objects that could be found in the
cave or about the entrance were a small sandstone slab, unmarked; a
small piece of deer bone; and one fragment of shell-tempered pottery.
Not a flake of flint was seen.
These caves are not worth working.
* * * * *
A fourth of a mile from the cave last mentioned is a rock grave on a
ledge which projects at about 40 feet (vertically) below the top of
the hill. As near as can be judged, in its present torn-up condition,
the cairn was originally about 10 by 20 feet in dimensions; so there
were probably two graves covered by the ordinary conical heaps of
stone, the depression between them being filled up to form a single
cairn.
SALTPETER CAVE (3)
Five miles west of Montauk, on Ashley Creek, is a cave noted for
having two entrances which are separated by a triangular mass of rock,
part of the original formation. This partition measures 30 feet across
at the face of the bluff and terminates within 20 feet. The principal
opening is 90 feet wide and 15 feet high. Dry cave earth extends back
90 feet, at which distance water constantly falls from the roof and
flows along the foot of one wall through the minor entrance. The
latter is 30 feet wide, 10 feet high, and its bottom is 10 feet lower
than that of the main opening. The volume of water passing out varies
with the seasons, but is sufficient at times to cover the entire floor
of the side chamber and keep it swept free of earth and small gravel.
In the front portion of the main cavern the dry earth is 5 feet deep
in its thickest part; but as it has all been leached for obtaining the
saltpeter or niter diffused through it, none of it is in the original
position. Some earth has also been brought from farther back, leached,
and added to the pile in front; and much of this has been hauled out
for fertilizer.
Near the main entrance is a large mass of breccia made up of small
angular limestone fragments cemented throughout with stalagmite
material; it projects several feet above the present level of the
earth floor, so the character of the cavern must have changed greatly
since this deposit was formed.
The only artificial object found was a fragment, about an inch across,
of dark, sand-tempered pottery.
Owing to the extensive changes resulting from collecting the
saltpeter, the cavern would not repay investigation.
* * *
DENT COUNTY
MAMMOTH CAVE
The statement has been made that a large dry cavern, known as the
"Mammoth Cave," is in a bluff facing Current River, opposite the mouth
of Ashley Creek. It could not be located; and residents in the
vicinity assert that not only is there no cave near this site, but
there is none known as "Mammoth" anywhere in the region. Some of them,
however, had a vague idea that a cavern bearing the same name exists
"away down toward Eminence; it may be on Jack's Fork."
GUTHOERL CAVE
There is a cave on the farm of Peter Guthoerl, 6 miles east of Salem.
It is small, with very little level space in front of it, and water
from the interior runs or seeps out of it, keeping the floor muddy
throughout the year.
SHORT BEND CAVE (4)
Short Bend post office is 12 miles northeast of Salem. Half a mile
east of it, in a bluff on the opposite side of the Meramec River, is a
cave with an entrance 25 feet wide and about the same in height; the
roof forming a fairly symmetrical Gothic arch. Were it not for the
pile of talus in front, water from the river would pour into the
cavern in extreme floods; these subside very rapidly, however, and
have never percolated through the barrier.
It is said that persons digging in a desultory way have unearthed
bones which were assumed to be those of Indians because they were
"red." No description of them could be obtained, and they may not have
been human bones at all.
The floor is level and dry for about 80 feet back from the entrance,
but no refuse of any kind appeared, except in the pile of talus
outside, which showed a small quantity of flint chips such as would be
left by hunting parties in repairing their weapons.
MONEY CAVE
This is a fourth of a mile down the river from Short Bend Cave. It
takes its name from the customary tradition that Indians concealed a
large treasure here; the legend being authenticated by an "Indian
chief" who told a white man that his people had buried much gold in a
cave in this bluff, built a fire over the money, then filled the mouth
of the cave with earth and rock. Some of the persons who opened many
small holes in searching for the hidden wealth claim to have found
ashes in this cave, behind the barrier, which is only ordinary talus.
The floor is of tough clay, fallen rocks, and stalagmite, all of
which, as well as the walls and ledges, were industriously dug and
hammered for months by the treasure seekers.
A cave with an entrance 15 feet wide, the same in height, and having a
depth of 45 feet in daylight, lies between Money Cave and Short Bend
Cave. In very wet seasons water runs through it from the interior; and
high water backs into it from the Meramec River.
SALTPETER CAVE
This is three-fourths of a mile north of Short Bend post office, on
the opposite side of the river. The arched entrance is 25 feet wide
and 20 feet high. Fifteen feet from the front the cave divides into
two branches about equal in size; they have never been explored to the
end. One branch continues straight back for about 100 feet, then turns
abruptly to the right for 50 or 60 feet, at which distance it resumes
its original direction. The other branch turns directly to the right
and is in daylight for 50 feet. Much of the cave earth has been hauled
away for fertilizer, or leached for obtaining saltpeter, so that only
a small quantity remains in front. Farther back, in both chambers, the
dry earth where not disturbed is 8 to 10 feet thick.
The cavern is easily accessible, close to the river, and otherwise
well adapted for habitation; but careful search failed to reveal any
indication that it had ever been thus used.
WATSON, TWIN, OR ONYX CAVES
The two caverns thus variously designated are on the Meramec River, 14
miles north of Salem. They are parallel to a depth of about 100 feet,
being separated by only 10 or 12 feet of solid wall. The floors of
both slope downward from front to rear, but not so rapidly as the
roof, so that at this distance the caves apparently come to an end.
But that they continue back into the hill is manifest from the
appearance of the roofs. In some manner the rear portion of each has
become entirely filled with earth. Probably they unite somewhere
beyond this point.
Either of these caves is of ample size to make an excellent shelter
for a large number of people; but they are difficult of access, and no
evidence whatever could be discovered indicating occupancy.
In fact, this part of the Meramec Valley does not seem to have ever
been permanently inhabited. Residents say that relics, even flint
implements, are seldom found in the bottom lands; and this fact was
commented on by persons who have learned how common such things are in
other localities. Small, rough hematite axes, however, occur in
considerable quantities throughout the region. The ore outcrops at
various places and solid nodules or fragments are plentiful. Chert
knives or spearheads are found scattered promiscuously; and, rarely,
an object made of other stone may be picked up. Very few specimens of
any description are symmetrical or carefully finished.
HOUSE MOUNDS (5)
On the Dent County infirmary farm, in Spring Creek Valley, a mile and
a half south of Salem, is a group of house mounds, about 50 in number.
They have not been much disturbed by cultivation; the creek and a
drainage ditch have cut through several of them, but, as usual, there
is nothing in the construction to show their purpose.
Two similar groups are on the Short Bend road, not far from Salem;
another group on Peter Guthoerl's farm 6 miles east of Salem; and a
fourth group, partly within the corporate limits of Salem, on the road
to Rolla.
* * *
PHELPS COUNTY
BATES CAVE
On the farm of J.W. Riden, 6 miles southeast of Big Piney post office,
is Bates Cave, of which every visitor to the region is speedily
informed. It is entered with difficulty by sliding feet first down the
inner slope of a pile of débris which fills the entrance almost to
the roof. Once beyond this, there is ample space. On the hillside,
above the mouth, is a vertical shaft, like a well, due to the widening
of a crevice; access to the interior of the cave may also be had
through this by means of a long rope. Under present conditions, it
would not be used except as a temporary shelter or hiding place; for
which purposes bushwhackers availed themselves of its advantages
during the Civil War.
This cavern is renowned far beyond its merits on account of its famous
"ballroom," where dances and picnics are held; artificial lights being
placed on the walls. Possibly the manner in which it must be entered
has something to do with its popularity.
ANOTHER "BATES CAVE"
Within a few rods of the cave above described is another, with an
entrance 60 feet wide and 10 feet high. Cave earth, which is 5 feet
thick above the bottom of a small stream coming from the interior,
extends back to large rocks covering the floor; beyond these are
rocks, wet clay, and gravel. The cave earth seems to run for some
distance under the receding walls. A milk house has been constructed
in it, so that excavations are not permitted.
RENAUD CAVE
Four miles east of Edgar Springs, facing Little Piney, is Renaud
(R[)e]n´n[=o]) Cave, on the farm of Charles E. Widener. The entrance
is 50 feet wide and 10 feet high. Dry cave earth extends back for 65
feet, then comes fallen rock for 100 feet or more. A little stream
runs close to the north wall. Cave earth is 5 feet deep on the bedrock
at the entrance and rises toward the interior. There is much refuse
within and also on the slope in front of the entrance.
MARSH CAVES
A shelter cave on Henry Marsh's farm, facing Little Piney, 2 miles
south of Yancy Mills, has a front 35 feet wide, 15 feet high, and runs
back 60 feet. There is a wet-weather stream bed through the center.
Bedrock shows at the entrance, rising toward the rear for a few feet,
then becoming covered with cave earth, which probably has a maximum
thickness of 2 feet. There is considerable refuse scattered about, but
it is doubtful whether the shallow deposit would repay investigation.
WILD-HOG CAVE
A fourth of a mile from the above cave is one known as "Wild-hog
Cave," because in pioneer days these animals gathered here for shelter
and protection. It is a small, tunnel-like affair, with a solid rock
floor, and extends farther into the hill than anyone has ever dared to
venture.
SHELTERS
Two small rock shelters near the Wild-hog Cave may have been resorted
to as temporary camping places.
PHELPS CAVE
A cave on the farm of James Phelps, 2 miles south of Yancy Mills, is
described as small, with a narrow entrance.
"KEY ROCKS"
Near Yancy Mills there is something known as "the Key Rocks." It can
not be found by a stranger and no guide was available at the time the
place was sought. It is described as a small, deep, circular hole in
solid rock, in which were many stone covers or lids, one above
another, gradually diminishing in size and "cut to fit down on each
other." It is probably due to stream erosion.
JONES CAVE
On Little Piney, half a mile south from Yancy Mills, is a large cave
on the Jones farm. It is said to have a large entrance and much earth
on the floor. As the owner uses it for a warehouse in which to store
fruits and vegetables and utilizes the stream flowing through it for
preserving milk and butter, no examination could be made.
YANCY MILLS CAVE
There is a small, shallow cave near the top of the bluff, half a mile
north of Yancy Mills. It contains no evidence of occupation, except
that walls and ceiling are blackened with smoke, due, probably, to
modern refugees or hunters.
LANE MOUND (7)
It was reported, too late to visit the site, that on George Lane's
farm, on Little Piney, a mile north of Yancy Mills, is a mound "8 feet
high, built of earth," and surrounded with the usual evidences of a
village site, scattered over the level bottom on which it stands.
CAIRNS ON LOST HILL, AT MOUTH OF GOURD CREEK (8)
Gourd Creek flows into the east side of Little Piney River 12 miles
southwest of Rolla. It is less than 4 miles long, and but for three or
four large springs near its source, which keep its volume fairly
uniform, would be dry most of the year.
Parallel with it, a short distance to the southward, is a ravine
several miles in length, known as Coal Pit Hollow. This originally
discharged its drainage into Little Piney about half a mile above the
mouth of Gourd Creek. A ravine tributary to the latter, near its
mouth, has worked back until it has captured the flow of Coal Pit. The
lower end of the stream bed thus abandoned now forms a gap or
depression with a slight incline from the center in both directions.
The crest of the deserted portion is about 50 to 60 feet above the
present level of Little Piney. The hill inclosed by this quadrilateral
drainage is about a fourth of a mile in length along its top, has a
direction almost north and south, with a nearly uniform slope along
the summit, the southern point being somewhat higher than that at the
north, and terminates abruptly at each end. The sides descend at once
from the center line of the ridge, like a roof with a slightly rounded
comb.
On account of its isolated position the eminence is locally known as
"Lost Hill." It is not to be confused, however, with several similar
formations in this region, to which the same term is applied and which
may owe their existence to a like cause, or may be due to cut-offs by
streams.
On the top of this particular Lost Hill are six cairns, five of them
near the northern end, the sixth just where the ridge breaks off to
the south. The margins are uncertain owing to the upper stones being
scattered by hunters as well as by credulous individuals who are
firmly fixed in the belief that all such "rock piles" contain gold
hidden by Indians.
So far as can now be determined the five at the northern end were 16
to 18 feet across as left by the builders, the southernmost one being
somewhat smaller. All are in uncleared land, and crevices between the
stones are filled with a tangled mass of roots from the trees and
bushes growing on and around them.
The relative positions are about thus, measurements being made on the
earth between the scattered stones: (1) 10 feet, (2) 10 feet, (3) 50
feet, (4) 10 feet, (5) 1,000 feet, (6). The distance from (5) to (6)
is estimated by stepping and may vary considerably either way from the
measure given.
Cairns (1), (2), and (3) were thoroughly excavated.
CAIRN (1)
This, the farthest north, was about 16 by 17 feet within the original
limits. When the outer loose rocks were removed there was disclosed a
wall of flat stones on the natural surface, so laid as to form an
inclosure apparently intended to be practically square. It measured,
across the center, from outside to outside, about 14 feet from north
to south by 12 feet from east to west. The north and south walls were
straight, the others outwardly curved. The approximate outline is
shown in figure 1. In most parts the wall was only one stone high; in
a few places there was another rock laid up. Over and within this wall
had been piled loose stones, ranging in size from small pebbles to
fragments of 150 pounds in weight, to form a heap whose original
height was about 2 feet.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.--Outline of Cairn (1), at Lost Hill, Phelps
County, Mo.]
When all these were cleared away the space within the wall was found
to measure 9 feet in each direction. Three feet from the middle of the
west wall was a fragment of a child's skull lying on the undisturbed
angular gravel which forms the natural surface on this ridge except
where a small amount of recently decayed humus may be held by rocks
and roots. Halfway between the center and the north wall was the top
of an adult skull, with three fragments of long bones. These, which
were much gnawed by rodents, were in black earth, evidently the former
home of some burrowing animal.
A foot north of the infant's skull were small remnants of an adult's
skull, probably belonging with the piece first found. There were also
some scraps of animal bones, much gnawed.
CAIRN (2)
This measured from 16 to 18 feet across to the outer edge of the loose
stones, and about 30 inches high. Under the top rocks was a rough wall
similar to that in Cairn (1), but all the sides were nearly straight.
The outline is given in figure 2. The outside measurements, across the
center, were 15 feet each way. There were more stones in this wall
than in the first; mostly there were two, and in some places three,
superposed.
[Illustration: FIG. 2.--Outline of Cairn (2), at Lost Hill, Phelps
County, Mo.]
Extending from north to south across the middle of the vault was a row
of large slabs standing on edge with their tops leaning toward the
east. Their inclination varied from nearly horizontal to nearly
vertical; so it would appear that they were not placed thus
intentionally but had settled irregularly. Probably they had formed
the covering of a pen or vault, of poles or timbers, in which a body
had been placed.
Close to these inclined slabs, near the north wall of the vault, was
the effigy pipe shown in figure 3. It is made of a fine-grained
sandstone and seems intended to represent a buzzard with an
exaggerated tail, though the beak is more like that of a crow. This
specimen lay between two flat rocks which were separated by a little
earth and gravel, but there were no traces of bone with it or near it.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.--Pipe from Cairn (2).]
At a slightly lower level than the pipe were several flat stones
standing at various angles. When these were removed there were found
fragmentary remains of at least three adults, lying in confusion, as
if only the folded dismembered skeletons had been placed here. They
lay on a floor of slabs which, in turn, rested upon undisturbed
gravel.
The facts observed are difficult to interpret, as the original order
was so broken up; but it would seem that as a preliminary to the
burial of bodies or skeletons, the superficial earth had been scraped
away and a rough stone floor laid, on which the bundled or folded
remains were placed and at least partially covered with earth and
gravel. Other flat rocks were then laid over them, either directly on
the earth or more probably supported by poles placed across, whose
decay had allowed them to fall into the confusion in which they were
found.
A small flint knife was among the remains.
The pipe, being at a little distance from these bones, would suggest
another interment; but as no trace of such remained it may have been
placed as an afterthought or a separate deposit.
From these skeletons row after row of the slanting rocks continued to
the inner side of the eastern wall. Two feet east of the pipe was a
skull on its right side, the back against a small flat rock. It was
crushed flat, and only a small part of it remained. Possibly it had
turned after burial, as fragments of other bones were found here and
there toward the south from it, indicating an extended burial. The
teeth were hard, solid, and much worn. The bones found were more or
less gnawed, and among them were scraps, probably of food animals,
burned into charcoal. No bones found could be saved, as they were very
soft.
CAIRN (3)
This was similar in construction to (1) and (2), as is shown in figure
4. The wall, along the outside, measured 14 feet on the south, 13 feet
on the north, 15 feet on the west, and 14 feet on the east. The
inclosed space was 10 feet across each way. Some one had dug out much
of the south end; the northern end was undisturbed.
[Illustration: FIG. 4.--Outline of Cairn (3), Lost Hill.]
The prior excavation had barely missed, near the west wall, a few
fragments of an adult skull and three teeth. About even with the
middle point of the west wall, 2 feet from it, was evidence of the
burial of an adult--pieces of bone and skull, and some teeth. North of
these, near the northwest corner, were fragments of two adult skulls,
with one of which were some beads made of shells of water snails; 18
of these were recovered, all more or less decayed. Between these two
skulls were parts of a child's skull, the teeth not yet through the
bone.
Inclined flat stones in the eastern half of the grave, the tops
leaning eastward, denoted other burials; but nothing was found under
them, although small flat stones laid on the original surface
indicated the bottom of a grave.
Evidently several burials, of which all traces have disappeared, were
made in this vault.
Owing to the practical identity of these three graves, the poor
returns, and the difficulty of working in a tangled mass of tough
roots without displacing the stones so greatly that their proper
position became a perplexing question, the remaining three were not
excavated.
EXPLORATION OF THE GOURD CREEK CAVE (8)
Near the mouth of Gourd Creek, on the north side, is a cave which has
acquired much local reputation from its size and also from the
evidence it affords of a long-continued occupation by the aborigines.
It is easily reached from the road which passes in front; wagons can
be driven into it and there is ample space for them to turn and pass
out. Formerly it was much resorted to as a pleasant place for social
gatherings; but in recent years it has been used as a barn and
storehouse. The owner, Mr. Valentine Allen, gave cheerful permission
for all the excavation that was desired, subject only to the proviso
that the floor be put back in condition suitable for the purposes for
which he needed it. And it is only fair to state that he was not at
all difficult to satisfy in this respect.
A stream coming from the interior had a flow at the close of the long
drought in 1918 sufficient to fill a 2-inch pipe with a rapid fall; in
wet seasons the water spreads from wall to wall until it comes to
within 100 feet of the mouth.
Back in the cave, where the slope is greater, it has sufficient volume
and force to carry away all pebbles smaller than coarse gravel and the
material that finds lodgment among the stones.
The cave is easily traversed for almost 600 feet; beyond this are
narrow crevices and tortuous passages, where explorers must frequently
crawl or clamber. One adventurous party proceeded until they reached
an opening on the other side of the hill; but this was so choked by
fallen rock and débris from the hillside as to be impassable. In
storms a strong breeze passes through the main entrance, in or out in
accordance with the direction of the wind.
Owing to the irregular outline of the cliffs, the width of the
entrance can not be accurately given. From side to side, well under
the front of the ceiling the distance is 110 feet. Two hundred feet
toward the interior it contracts to 50 feet. At the entrance the walls
are vertical to a height of 25 feet; a short curve at the top on
either side, due to the breaking away of the ledges, connects them
with the roof, which is somewhat higher. Being a single massive
stratum, the top is practically horizontal, but the floor constantly
rises from the front with a slight and fairly uniform grade. The front
chamber is straight and well lighted for 300 feet, where it turns
abruptly westward; from this point the floor is solid rock which the
water keeps comparatively free from any loose matter except heavy
blocks from the walls or top.
Beginning at the entrance is a deposit whose farthest extension
reaches 100 feet into the cavern. It is composed to a small extent of
sand and clay carried by the stream, and of earth blown or washed in
from the outside; but, as investigation proved, it is mainly ashes
from prehistoric fires. The surface of this deposit, especially toward
the inner end, is very uneven, being higher near the walls than
through the central portion. This is due to two causes: In very wet
seasons water has carried away much of it, and a large amount has been
hauled out by the owner to scatter over his fields as a fertilizer. He
reports that in the course of this work he found quantities of pottery
fragments, broken bones, flints, and "two or three" human skeletons,
with fragments of others. This is the basis for the assertion,
frequently heard, that "many" or "very many" burials had been made
here. The only human remains which he saved are the complete skull of
an adult, remarkably preserved and apparently that of a white woman; a
rather large lower jaw, of a man; a few long bones; and parts of
skulls and jaws of three or four children.
From comments made and questions asked by visitors while the
investigation was in progress, it seems that bones and teeth of deer
and other animals are mistaken for those of people. No human bones
were uncovered in this work, except as noted below.
There is a firm belief in the community that somewhere in this cave is
concealed $100,000 in gold, seven "pony loads" in all, which was put
here by an old squaw, sole survivor of a massacre by which her tribe
was exterminated. Much of the irregularity of surface noted in the
deposits is due to the efforts of persons trying to find this money.
Before starting the work it was necessary to deepen the little stream,
which had cut its way through the accumulation much nearer to the
western than to the eastern wall of the cavern, in order to allow the
water to run out of the lower end of the deposit. Thorough drainage of
the whole mass was impossible, as water continually seeped in from the
gravel bed farther up, a condition which could not be remedied.
Bedrock was reached at a depth of 3 feet below the channel. The lower
2 feet of this distance was through a black, mucky substance which was
so tough and sticky that removing it was like digging through a bog.
Following the bedrock as a floor, the western side of the deposit was
first examined. It had a width of 35 feet at the mouth of the cave,
gradually narrowing inward for a distance of 75 feet, where it
terminated at the level of the water. Its greatest elevation, at the
side of the entrance, was about 10 feet; but this does not mean that
its thickness was so much at any point, as the rock sloped upward
quite as rapidly as the surface. So many stones were scattered through
it, fallen from the sides and roof, or rolled in from the outside
where they had broken loose from the cliff, that not more than
one-fourth of the area could be excavated. These rocks varied in size
from cobblestones to blocks weighing 3 or 4 tons. They were at all
levels, some lying on the rock floor, others only slightly imbedded in
the earth. Yet the superficial accumulation extended under all of them
except such as were in direct contact with the bedrock, proving that
the cave was occupied throughout the period in which such downfalls
occurred. An additional evidence of age is the fact that the usual
débris, such as bones, flints, pottery, ashes, etc., lay in immediate
contact with the bedrock where this has weathered to a chalky
consistency from 2 to 4 inches in depth since these objects were left
there.
Owing to the uneven surface of both the bedrock and the deposits on
it, the thickness of the latter varied from 1 to 3 feet--not including
the muck, which last, however, disappeared at the level where the rock
rose above the water line. But, whatever the depth, more than half the
overlying material was pure ashes; either resting undisturbed on the
fire beds, or piled in irregular masses, where they had been thrown to
get them out of the way. The largest ash bed was near the wall; it
measured from 4 to 7 feet across, with a very uneven outline, as if
many fires had been made there at different times.
The objects discovered included flint knives, spearheads, arrowheads
(mostly broken), with many spalls and chips; potsherds (only very
small pieces were found); animal bones; mussel shells; bone
perforators; chert nodules, more or less flaked; two stone beads or
buttons; a small fragment of a pipe; but no mortars, hammers, pestles,
cooking-stones, or hatchets, such as are usually found on the sites of
Indian villages. None of the pottery was decorated, but most of it was
cord-marked, though some of it was so smoothed and polished as almost
to appear glazed. It varied through a wide range of color, thickness,
and general appearance, and was noticeably deficient in quantity. In
fact, the west side of the cave had less the appearance of a
permanently occupied site than of a camping place which was used as a
temporary resort by traveling or hunting parties; but at the same time
the depth and amount of ashes showed that it had afforded shelter
through a long period.
The excavation on this side included all the space bounded by the
ditch, the wall, the mass of rocks piled at the entrance, and the
water-soaked earth toward the interior. The muck, and the large blocks
scattered around, prevented a complete clearing out; but the part
thoroughly examined had an area of about 600 square feet, perhaps a
little more. No human bones were found, in spite of reports of their
discovery and reburial by treasure hunters in the past; and there was
wide disagreement on the part of visitors, who were also present when
the bones were found, as to the number of such interments. All finally
conceded that there was only one adult skull, though there was much
argument as to the number of children's remains discovered, the person
who was blessed with the largest memory insisting there were 13 "all
in a pile." There was also some discussion as to whether the remains
were actually found near the west wall or had been carried over there
and reinterred after being exhumed on the east side.
These particulars are given merely to show how little reliance is to
be placed upon the statements of perfectly truthful persons who do
not observe closely, whose memory plays them tricks, who are not
especially interested in the matter under discussion, or whose
recollections naturally become jumbled after several years have
elapsed.
Work was next begun on the east side, at the edge of the drainage
trench. Bedrock was reached as before, under 2 feet of muck, and was
weathered until quite soft and of a yellowish hue, for 3 or 4 inches
below its surface. An effort was made to keep on the rock as a floor,
removing all the muck; but this was so water soaked, so tenacious, and
so filled with chert and limestone gravel that it could not be managed
with either pick or shovel. A little of the gravel had no doubt fallen
from the roof; but nearly all of this mingled material had washed down
from the interior, as it was entirely similar, except for its dark
color, to that forming the floor farther in. Consequently it was
necessary to limit the explorations to that part of the deposit which
lay above the wet black mass. Numerous attempts were made to ascertain
the thickness of the latter; but water, gravel, and slush oozed or
slid into the hole as fast as they could be removed, and it was
impossible to reach the bottom. The eastward dip of the rock floor, as
noted on the western side of the cave, no doubt continues entirely
across. If such be the case, then the original drainage line was
against the foot of the eastern wall. Later, because the channel was
obstructed by talus, the stream was forced more and more to the west,
saturating, up to the level of its final outlet, the earth and ashes
which had accumulated. It may be, however, that either this line of
drainage, or the mass of talus in front of the cave, is of
comparatively recent origin. Such accumulations as those described
would be impossible under present conditions. At any rate, this
deposit of muck, then dry, started from the floor of the cave with the
earliest occupation; for artificial objects of the same character that
occurred in the dry deposit above were found in it to a depth of 3 or
4 inches. They may continue to the bedrock, but on account of the
standing water no satisfactory observations could be made below the
level indicated.
Lying above the muck and, as intimated, practically continuous with
it, was an accumulation of ashes with which here and there some earth
was mingled, though the latter made only a small proportion of the
entire mass, and was sometimes entirely lacking from top to bottom.
They were principally in strata or irregular layers, lying undisturbed
where fires had been made; but there were also many scattered piles,
usually small, where they had been thrown to get them out of the way.
The excavation on the eastern side began with a trench 25 feet wide.
When this had been carried about the same distance toward the wall,
rocks and earth rolled and washed in from the outside were encountered
on the right, the side toward the mouth of the cavern. These reached
from the bottom to the surface, and were continuous with the bank of
talus. As results had been meager along here, the sides of the trench
were turned to the northward and northwestward. The entire trench was
43 feet long and varied in width from 30 feet in the central parts to
18 feet at the extreme northern end. The left face reached, in its
entire length, nearly to the drain; on the right side the eastern wall
of the cavern was uncovered for 15 feet. It embraced nearly all the
area not previously dug by others, except a triangular space at the
east side of the entrance, filled with large stones, as just stated.
Near the middle of the excavated area was a heap of large fallen
rocks, fully a carload in all; some of them imbedded in the muck,
others barely penetrating the surface of the latest deposits. Ashes
lay under and between all of them, proving this side also had been
inhabited before the first of them had become loose, and that
occupancy was practically continuous until the last one had fallen.
The inmates, recognizing the danger, may have knocked these down.
The greatest depth of ashes found in any part of the excavation was 7
feet; but it may have been greater previous to any disturbance; nor
does this include such as may be present in the muck. There were
unbroken layers as much as 8 inches thick covering spaces 5 to 10 feet
across; many smaller, intact patches; and numerous masses, from a peck
to a bushel in volume, removed from fire beds elsewhere. Charcoal
among them showed that bark and dead wood, principally oak, was the
main reliance for fuel.
The wrought objects found were flints, mostly broken or of rough
finish; very many small fragments of pottery; mortars made of
sandstone slabs; hammerstones or pestles; bone perforators; mussel
shells, some pierced for suspension or for attachment of a handle,
some with outer surfaces and edges dressed for use as spoons; hematite
ore, in the rough or rubbed to procure paint. There was a great
abundance of bones from animals used for food, mostly deer, though
elk, bear, many smaller mammals, turtles, tortoises, turkeys, and
other birds were well represented. Singularly enough, when the
plentiful supply of fish in all the streams of this region is
considered, none of their bones or scales were found, although the
ashes would have preserved them perfectly. Nor were there many burned
rocks, in view of the amount of pottery and the number of bones which
showed that they had been boiled. Perhaps such stones had crumbled or
were thrown outside when near disintegration.
There is a consensus of belief, or at least of statement, in the
neighborhood that many human skeletons have been dug out close to the
east wall. In the only part reached during this work--which took in
about all that had not been searched by others--rocks lay along the
wall, so large and so numerous that no graves could have been dug
behind or between them. By careful and persistent questioning it was
established that skeletons had been found in two places and a detached
jaw in another.
A human skull, which was very soft and fell to pieces when uncovered,
was found on, and slightly pressed into, the muck at a point 15 feet
from the wall; there were no other bones about it, though a rough
stone hammer, whose presence was probably accidental, lay close by. A
single human molar was lying among some ashes.
These were the only human remains found during the work, except two
adult femurs of different individuals, and fragments of a skull and
some other bones from a child and from an infant, all of which lay
close to the wall where they had been thrown and slightly covered by
parties previously working here.
As the depth of the wet material on the rock floor of the eastern side
of this cavern is unknown, interesting results might be obtained by a
careful examination of it; but this can not be made until a ditch is
dug through it of sufficient depth to drain it thoroughly.
Slight investigation outside the entrance showed a large amount of
broken bones, pottery, and flint; and this dump may contain even more
material than was found in an equal volume in the cavern. But in
addition to the rocks of all sizes broken off from the cliff, there
were also many which had rolled down from the hillside above; and all
these were so interlaced with roots as to make digging very difficult
and unsatisfactory. Consequently further exploration at this site was
deemed undesirable.
Pointed bone and antler implements from Gourd Creek Cave are shown in
plate 4. A shell knife, a bead from a fragment of sea shell, and types
of flint arrowheads appear in plate 5.
* * * * *
There is a village site on Gourd Creek bottom, at the foot of Lost
Hill, and a little below the cave. Three small earth mounds are plowed
nearly level.
* * * * *
A small village site is located on the east bank of Little Piney, half
a mile below Gourd Creek.
* * * * *
In the bluff facing Little Piney, a mile below Gourd Creek, on the
opposite side, is a small, shallow cave with a low roof. Water cracks
on the floor show that it is sometimes flooded. No signs of use are
apparent.
* * * * *
On the hill over the cave just mentioned is a cairn, now destroyed.
[Illustration: PLATE 4 BONE AND ANTLER IMPLEMENTS FROM GOURD CREEK
CAVE, PHELPS COUNTY, MO.]
[Illustration: PLATE 5 SHELL AND FLINT OBJECTS FROM GOURD CREEK
CAVE]
ONYX CAVE (9)
Five miles southwest of Arlington, near the Boiling Spring in the
Gasconade, is Onyx Cave, so named because much workable stalagmite
occurs in it. It has a number of branches, some of which have been
explored for several hundred yards without coming to the end. The
entrance is 90 feet in width. A pile of talus at the front, lying
partly inside the cavern, reaches nearly to the roof; it has a height
of 26 to 28 feet above the level of the wet, muddy floor. Drainage is
through a small aperture in the north wall, whose outlet is not known.
Apparently the bedrock lies at a considerable depth; it is not visible
at any point in the steep ravine leading from the mouth of the cave to
the river. Formerly a large quantity of ashes covered much of the
inner slope of the talus, where it is protected from the weather; but
most of them have been hauled away to scatter over the fields. They
extend to a greater depth than any digging was ever carried. The
cavern has long been a refuge for stock, and this, with the trampling
of many visitors, has mingled all the superficial deposits, so that,
while ashes may be seen mixed with the débris, no ash beds are now to
be found.
There must be a very pronounced cavernous condition in this vicinity.
At a number of places, even extending to a distance of 2 miles from
Onyx Cave, the passage of a wagon produces a rumbling sound,
indicative of a cavity at no great depth. There are also many sink
holes, some closed, forming ponds, others with free openings. They are
so numerous that no one of them drains any considerable area. The
largest of these sinks measures from top to top of its slopes about
three-fourths of a mile long and half a mile wide. Around much of its
margin are vertical cliffs; there are few places where descent is
practicable. It is 300 feet deep, perhaps more; for when the
Gasconade, more than a mile away, is at flood stage the water from it,
backing through an underground passage, breaks in at two different
points not at the same elevation, and covers the nearly level floor of
the depression, about 15 acres in area, to a depth or 15 to 20 feet.
Another sink, near this, is conical in form, a fourth of a mile across
and more than 200 feet deep.
GOAT BLUFF CAVE (10)
Goat Bluff Cave, 4 miles west of Arlington, on the left bank of the
Gasconade, is at the foot of a vertical cliff 50 feet high, the slope
above rising about as much higher to the crest of the ridge. A few
yards to the west is a slight ravine through which, with a little
effort, the top of the hill may be reached. In front, the declivity,
while steep as earth will lie, furnishes fairly easy passage to and
from the river which lies 200 feet below.
The entrance to the cave is an arch 30 feet high and 75 feet wide,
facing a little east of south. The width holds nearly the same for 90
feet, whence it rapidly contracts to 20 feet; the roof meanwhile
descending to 10 feet above the floor. The extreme rear of this
chamber is nearly filled with large blocks of stone. At the front part
the floor is several feet higher along the west wall than at the east;
this condition being due to the combined action of accumulation from
the ravine above mentioned and erosion by a little rivulet which
emerges from a crevice 30 feet within the entrance and flows at the
foot of the east wall. Beyond this the floor is practically level
across the inclosed space, with a slight and uniform ascent toward the
rear. No evidence of rock bottom appears at any point.
A preliminary cut at the outer margin of the cave showed two distinct,
sharply separated strata. The lower is a red or yellow clay containing
much angular gravel such as usually results from disintegration of
limestone in which chert is abundant. Above this is a deposit of very
loose fine material. Toward the rear the upper deposit had been
disturbed by "curiosity seekers," who reported finding much evidence
of prehistoric occupation, such as ashes, charcoal, fragments of
pottery, and worked flint, as well as several skeletons, the latter
"in a sitting position." The last part of this statement is a mistake.
The bodies were closely flexed and placed on the side; the bones
settled to the bottom of the grave, while the skull, if intact, is
reached first by excavators and the conclusion drawn at once that it
is "on top of the other bones." This error of observation is quite
common among relic hunters, and is not unknown among student
investigators.
In order to dispose of material removed in excavating, it was
necessary to start a trench from the slope outside the mouth of the
cave. As it progressed the substratum of clay became wetter and more
difficult to dig. At 40 feet from the beginning, where the trench was
11 feet deep, the seeping water accumulated until it covered the
bottom of the trench, so that no greater depth could be reached. A
crowbar forced downward for 18 inches, as far as it could be driven,
did not reach solid bottom. Not the slightest trace of human agency
was found anywhere below the top of the clay, and from this point
excavations were confined to the upper stratum, to which alone the
following description is applicable.
This deposit was composed partly of fine loose earth, probably carried
in by the wind and on the feet of persons and animals; partly of roof
dust; and partly of ashes. A considerable portion of it was roughly
stratified in layers of varying extent and thickness, though much of
it was irregular, and it was mingled throughout with campsite débris.
Occasional layers of roof dust several feet across in any direction
and of varying thickness, from a faint streak to 6 inches, so closely
resembled ashes that many persons could not be convinced of its true
character. Its occurrence in this manner indicates that during
considerable periods the cave was unoccupied, or at most used only as
a temporary refuge. The intermittent character of occupancy is also
shown by the distinct segregation of numerous successive layers of
kitchen refuse.
About 10 feet within the point where a vertical line from the front
edge of the roof would meet the floor the skeleton of a very young
infant was found above and in contact with two thick angular blocks of
limestone weighing 300 to 400 pounds. These rested on the red clay and
had fallen from the roof. The thickness of earth above the bones was
about 3 feet.
Ten feet farther in, on the clay floor, under almost exactly 5 feet of
undisturbed material, were five flat stones. Three were of sandstone,
the largest about 25 pounds in weight, such as can be found in place
only on top of the hill. They were carefully arranged for use as a
fire bed; on and around them were potsherds, flint chips, animal and
bird bones, and a bone awl. This was the greatest depth at which
artificial objects were found; and their position shows them to be as
ancient as anything discovered.
[Illustration: FIG. 5.--Fragment of glass bottle from Goat Bluff
Cave.]
At 25 feet in an interesting find was made. Eighteen inches below the
surface of the floor, in a mass of mingled charcoal, ashes, mussel
shells, flint chips, and other aboriginal refuse, was a small piece of
glass, apparently part of a bottle, shown in figure 5. Above it and
extending for several feet on every side was an unbroken stratum of
root dust from 2 to 4 inches thick. Above this, in turn were several
thin, undisturbed layers of camp refuse, about 6 inches in all, and
then 6 inches of the loose, incoherent surface earth. This discovery
is susceptible of two interpretations. One is that between the date
when Indians could procure articles from the whites and the date at
which they abandoned this fireplace there was time for the
accumulation of the given thickness of disintegrated material from the
roof, the cave, or at least this part of it, not being used meanwhile
for a habitation; then for the accumulation of several distinct layers
of camp refuse; and finally for the depositing of the cave earth over
it all. This hypothesis is unreasonable. While the rate of formation
of either roof dust or stalagmite is extremely variable, so that it is
not safe to predicate a definite antiquity for objects found beneath
even a considerable thickness of either, at the same time the small
area involved precludes the idea that a number of occupants sufficient
to account for the volume of débris could have lived here unless we
allow a much longer period than would necessarily elapse within the
dates indicated. The other, quite plausible, interpretation is that
the glass was dragged to the spot by a ground hog or other animal
whose runway had become obliterated by settling of the loose material
through which it was made.
The only purpose of elaborating this subject is to guard investigators
against attaching too much importance to an article found under such
or similar conditions, whether it be a "palaeolithic type," or an
"object undoubtedly of European origin."
Thirty-five feet in, under three flat slabs whose upper surface was a
little more than 3 feet below the floor, was an adult skeleton, on the
back, knees flexed to the chest. The body had been laid in a cavity
dug in the clay to a depth of 6 inches. The bones were well preserved
and fresh looking, but light and fragile.
Forty feet in, 3½ feet down, was a flat stone under which were two
skulls. One, shown in plate 6, was perfect, with a full set of sound
teeth; from the other, seen in plate 7, the lower jaw was missing. No
other bones were found except two cervical vertebræ, belonging to the
smaller skull. Undisturbed stratified ashes and roof dust were 30
inches thick above the stone.
To this point the trench was not dug to a greater width than 15 feet;
it was now gradually extended to a width of 40 feet to include most of
the central portion.
Sixty feet in, in the upper part of the clay, like all the human bones
discovered, was a skull with the scapulæ, a few ribs, and one arm
bone. The lower jaw was missing, and two phalanges were inside the
skull. With the scapulæ was one of a much smaller person. Eighteen
inches from these bones, and 6 inches higher, was part of a lower jaw.
At 50 to 60 feet in, on the clay stratum, lay a slab 10 to 12 feet
across and of varying thickness up to 18 inches or more. It fell from
the roof so long ago that the latter is worn and smoothed above it in
much the same way as at other parts. At the east edge of this slab was
a skull so soft and crushed that it could be taken out only in small
fragments; the teeth were very slightly worn, though of large size. A
few traces of other bones were found; not enough to identify. At the
north edge of the slab were two skulls, one of which is shown in plate
8; the other, which belonged to a young person, is given in plate 9.
The limb bones, scapulæ, and hip bones, with a few others, were in a
small pile at one side; but neither lower jaw, no ribs, and only a few
vertebræ were found.
[Illustration: PLATE 6 SKULL FROM GOAT BLUFF CAVE, PHELPS COUNTY,
MO. a, Front; b, profile]
[Illustration: PLATE 7 SKULL FROM GOAT BLUFF CAVE a, Front; b,
profile]
[Illustration: PLATE 8 SKULL FROM GOAT BLUFF CAVE a, Front; b,
profile]
[Illustration: PLATE 9 SKULL OF CHILD FROM GOAT BLUFF CAVE a,
Front; b, profile]
[Illustration: PLATE 10 FLINTS FROM GOAT BLUFF CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 11 BONE AND ANTLER IMPLEMENTS FROM GOAT BLUFF
CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 12 BONE AND ANTLER IMPLEMENTS FROM GOAT BLUFF
CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 13
a, Cairn six miles north of Arlington, Mo.
b, Walled grave six miles north of Arlington, Mo.]
About 65 feet in, near the west side, an inverted pot which shows no
marks of use was found in a mass of ashes filling a cavity the size of
a half bushel, which had been dug in the upper deposit. Scattered here
and there among the ashes were also some mussel shells and
broken deer bones; but the presence of these was probably not
intentional, as the whole arrangement seemed to have the nature of a
votive offering. This was the only perfect vessel found in the entire
course of the explorations. It is of the ordinary "cocoanut form," and
is represented in figure 6.
Seventy feet in was a skeleton, on the left side; the bones were soft
and came out in small fragments. This was fully 6 feet below the
present surface, but some of this earth was piled up from earlier
excavations.
[Illustration: FIG. 6.--Pot from Goat Bluff Cave.]
Beyond this point the ground had been dug over to such an extent that
further examination seemed useless, and the work was concluded.
Throughout the deposit of black earth, ashes, and roof dust were
scattered irregularly arrowheads and knives of flint, some types of
which are seen in plate 10; mussel shells; fragments of bones from
food animals; bone perforators, some of which are shown in plates 11
and 12; potsherds; hammers; pestles; two or three mortars; a grooved
stone ax of granitic rock, presented in figure 7; and an abundance of
flint chips.
There is a small cave near the top of the bluff facing the Gasconade,
a short distance above the mouth of Little Piney. Within a few yards
of the entrance earth and rock carried in from a sink on top of the
hill fill the cavity to the roof. Water runs through after every hard
rain.
* * * * *
Three small cairns, built of small stones, stood on the point of the
bluff at the junction of Little Piney and the Gasconade. All are
destroyed.
* * * * *
On the edge of a high cliff over the Gasconade, 2 miles north of
Arlington, are three cairns, destroyed.
* * * * *
In Bryant's Bluff, facing the Gasconade 3 miles below Jerome, are two
rock shelters, neither of them more than 20 feet across in any
direction. In both are shells, bones, and pottery; a rough stone
hammer was found in one. Exposure of bedrock on the outside shows that
the earth deposit in either is not over 2 or 3 feet deep.
* * * * *
On top of Bryant's Bluff are four cairns, all of them torn up. The
extreme limit of the scattered stone is about 20 feet; so the cairns
were probably 12 to 15 feet in diameter.
* * * * *
At the mouth of Turkey-pen Slough, 4 miles north of Arlington, is a
terrace with steep banks on two sides, next to the river and to the
slough. On this stood a village. Three house sites are plainly marked
by the refuse around, and there may be others; vegetation is very
dense. Mussel shells and burned stones are abundant, and many flint
implements have been picked up.
[Illustration: FIG. 7.--Grooved ax from Goat Bluff Cave.]
CAIRNS AT SUGAR TREE CAMP (11)
Six miles north of Arlington is a clubhouse known as Sugar Tree Camp.
A short distance from the building is a high vertical cliff rising
almost directly from the Gasconade. The top of this cliff, near the
front, is of solid rock, almost bare of timber or brush, and in a row
along it close to the edge are seven cairns, all now so defaced that
any attempt at investigation is useless. The smallest, at one end of
the row, is of the common circular form, about 12 feet in diameter.
Three others seem to be of the same type; but their appearance may be
due to their destruction. One is shown in plate 13, a. The other
three are walled vaults. The largest, at the other end of the row, was
built up like a foundation wall of sandstone slabs. It is rectangular
in form, measuring on the outside 16 by 28 feet. All the walls are
more or less destroyed; the small portion of one remaining is shown in
plate 13, b. Two "walled-up graves" reported on the first ridge north
of Sugar Tree Camp, and one reported on the first ridge south, never
existed. There is a small cairn on a high peak half a mile east of the
camp.
TICK CREEK CAVE
In a ravine which joins Tick Creek about 2 miles from where the latter
flows into the Gasconade, and about 12 miles north of Arlington, is a
large cave known as the Saltpeter Cave.
The opening is wide and high, but the mouth and floor are much
obstructed by large fallen rocks and the bottom is constantly wet from
wall to wall with running and seeping water.
There is another entrance to this cavern around a corner of the bluff
and much higher up on its face. This opening is small and the sloping
passage from it to the cavern is almost closed in places by drip
formation.
It was never inhabited.
CAVE IN POOL HOLLOW (12)
A mile east of Newburg a ravine now known as Pool Hollow, but formerly
called "Strawhorn's" [Strawhan's] Hollow, opens into the right (north)
side of Little Piney. Two miles from the river is a cave at the head
of a little cove. The entrance, facing directly south and visible from
half a mile down the ravine, is 12 feet high and 75 feet across. The
rear wall, where the cave makes a turn at 150 feet from the mouth, is
plainly visible from the outside.
At 60 feet within water reaches from wall to wall, and a constant
stream flows along the left side. The talus at the mouth is of tough
clay with many rocks scattered through it, and much of it has settled
back into the cave. Water drips from many places in the roof, so that
no part of the floor is ever entirely dry.
Some broken flints and chips were picked up about the mouth and in
front of the cave, but nothing else could be found.
In dry weather there might be spots which would afford a resting place
for campers, but no continuous occupancy was possible.
HOUSE MOUNDS NEAR ROLLA (13)
Nearly 2 miles northeast of Rolla is the beginning of a little valley
which for a short distance is parallel with the Frisco Railway and
close to the right of way; it then turns to the southward. Along this
"draw" are numerous mounds, starting well toward its upper end and
following its course for nearly a mile. They lie along either side,
and reach into the tributary widenings. Most of them are on the flats;
but they are also scattered along the hillsides, those farthest from
the water having an elevation of about 50 feet above it. They vary
from 30 to 60 feet in diameter and from 1 to 3 feet high. In all, they
are scattered over an area of at least 100 acres.
HOUSE MOUNDS NEAR DILLON
Half a mile west of Dillon a ravine heads at the Frisco track, goes
south a short distance, then turns southeastward. Near the track
begins a group of mounds which reach for fully a mile along both sides
of the little stream.
There are more than 100, most of them small, though at least one is 60
feet across and 3 feet high.
HOUSE MOUNDS NEAR ST. JAMES (14)
At the northern border of St. James is a small shallow valley with a
northern and eastern trend, practically parallel with the Frisco
Railway, and for 3 miles or more not over a fourth of a mile from it
at any point.
Starting near the Soldiers' Home is a group of mounds which extend for
fully 2½ miles down both sides of the valley.
Some are partly cut away by the stream, others are on the narrow flat
bottoms subject to overflow with every hard rain, still others are
built on the slopes to an elevation of 40 feet. They are somewhat
larger than the average, a diameter of about 60 feet and a height of 3
feet being not uncommon.
* * *
PULASKI COUNTY
MCWILLIAMS CAVE (15)
A cave on the McWilliams farm, near Jack Hinshaw's, at the upper end
of the Big Eddy, near the south line of Pulaski County, has an
entrance 8 feet high and 15 feet wide. There is a good light for 150
feet, at which distance the cavern turns. It is an excellent location
for an Indian home, having a floor of dry earth, and a small amount of
refuse was found; but the earth has been thoroughly dug over in the
search for missing residents, some human bones rooted out by hogs
having given rise to a belief that these may have been murdered and
concealed here.
DAVIS CAVES (15)
Facing Roubidoux Creek, on the farm of J.W. Davis, 3 miles north of
Cookville, are three caves. The largest is 40 or 50 feet above the
foot of the bluff. It has an entrance 30 feet wide, the roof being 8
feet high. It is well lighted to a depth of 120 feet, where it curves.
No refuse was observed, but the situation is favorable for habitation.
Another cave, near this, has an entrance 30 feet wide and 10 feet
high; it is well lighted for 40 feet back.
The third cave of this series is a rock shelter a short distance south
of the second, and higher up in the bluff.
All these appear to deserve an examination.
BERRY CAVE
A cave on George Berry's land, in a ravine opening into the east side
of Roubidoux Creek, 3 miles from Hanna post office, has a small
entrance which is nearly closed by "drip rock," the roof, walls, and
floor being thickly incrusted. These deposits, which it is said are
even more abundant farther in, seem to be rather rapidly increasing in
volume.
MAXEY CAVE (16)
What is known as Maxey's Cave is 7 miles south of Waynesville, on the
west side of Roubidoux Creek. It is by far the largest open cave in
this region, the entrance being 40 feet high and 100 feet wide. It
extends across the head of a ravine, and if the loose earth at the
sides were cleared away it would be found still wider. The entire
floor is covered with a mass of rocks of every size up to several
tons, except at one side of the entrance where there is a small amount
of loose earth. The front chamber is 300 feet long to where the cavern
forks; in one of these forks daylight extends for 100 feet farther, or
400 feet from the mouth. Marks on the walls show that the entire floor
is sometimes covered 2 or 3 feet deep with running water.
A survey made some years ago disclosed a mass of earth and rock "a
long ways back in the hill;" definite figures could not be obtained.
Beyond this point it was impossible to proceed. By running
corresponding angles and lines on the surface outside the surveyors
came to a very large sink hole, into which flowed the drainage of
several farms. This explains the flood marks. Clearly the roof of the
cave had fallen in at this point.
YOARK CAVE
Yoark Cave, a fourth of a mile east from Maxey's in a bluff facing
south on the left bank of Roubidoux Creek, has an entrance 40 feet
wide, 30 feet high, and is in daylight for 150 feet. Cave earth
extends for 100 feet from the entrance, and apparently continues from
this point under the gravel and clay which have washed from the
interior.
It is on the land of A.L. Foote, having been in his family
continuously since it was secured by Government patent. The name is
derived from "Grandma Martha Yoark," who was among the earliest white
settlers in the region. Her home was on the opposite side of the
creek, in a pioneer log cabin, the last vestige of which, except the
stones of the chimney, disappeared before the Civil War.
In the front portion many large rocks are lying on the surface of the
clay floor and others are imbedded in it; probably still others are
entirely covered. Farther back the clay is mixed with gravel washed
from the interior. This deposit is never entirely dry and in rainy
seasons is quite muddy. The difficulty of removing or digging under
the rocks, added to the certainty that water would be encountered
before the bottom is reached, render useless any effort at complete
excavation. The amount of refuse on the surface, however, is a good
indication that such researches as would be possible in the upper
layers, among the rocks, would disclose a large quantity of aboriginal
remains of comparatively modern date.
GRAVES AT LAUGHLIN'S (17)
On the Laughlin goat ranch, 6 miles southeast of Waynesville, a high
narrow ridge level along the top and sloping abruptly on each side
extends northward from the hills on the right side of Roubidoux Creek
and terminates in a vertical cliff. Bedrock projects on the top and on
both sides, and vegetation is so scanty that the crest is almost a
"bald."
On the summit of this ridge are seven cairns, the first one only a few
feet from the edge of the cliff, the last one about 300 feet back,
near where the ground begins to ascend toward the plateau. They are
small, none more than 3 feet high, and all have a depression in the
top where the stones have been thrown out from the center toward the
outside by relic seekers and rabbit hunters.
In three of them flat stones remaining in place at parts of the margin
indicate that an irregular square inclosure was constructed around the
bodies, as in those examined at Gourd Creek. Possibly this feature
existed in all of them at the time of their construction, but there
was no evidence that any of them had been walled up like those at
Sugar Tree Camp or the Devil's Elbow. Views of their present
conditions are shown in plate 14.
KERR CAVE (17)
Near the site of Kerr's Mill, on Roubidoux Creek, 5 miles south-east
of Waynesville, is a cave at the foot of a bluff, the entrance 60 feet
above the bottom of the hill. Viewed from the outside it has the
appearance of a rock shelter 40 feet wide and 45 feet deep. Above
most of it the stratum forming the roof is 15 feet high; near the
front the successive overlying strata project in a hollow curve until
at the face of the bluff the drop from the ledge to the talus
immediately beneath it is fully 50 feet.
At one side, near the rear, is a passage 5 or 6 feet wide, not visible
from the front, extending back into the hill. Although the cave is
usually dry, clean gravel in this passage shows that sufficient water
flows through at times to prevent earth from accumulating; further
evidence of which fact is found in the mud cracks of the floor and the
ferns growing amid the rocks, large and small, which cover it.
The place could never have been occupied except for temporary shelter,
and there is no evidence that even this use was made of it.
SELL CAVE (18)
Half a mile directly south of Waynesville, on the farm of Dr. W.J.
Sell, is a cave located in the northern end of a ridge entirely
detached from the surrounding hills. The entrance, facing northeast,
is halfway up the point of the ridge, overlooking a fertile bottom
along Roubidoux Creek. From the top of the ledge over the entrance the
hill has an easy upgrade for a fourth of a mile to the summit, which
is at an elevation of 250 feet above the creek. On top of the hill is
the site of an Indian village where some mortars, grinding stones, and
numerous flints have been found.
The roof of the cave has partially fallen in at the entrance, forming
a re-entrant curve 30 feet across and extending 11 feet inward; the
large blocks from this, and from the stratum described later, were
lying on and in the talus at the present front but did not extend to
the red clay beneath. Some of the blocks could be reduced with a heavy
sledge hammer to an extent that made it possible to roll them out of
the way; but 24 of them had to be broken up with dynamite.
The talus at its thickest part has a depth of 6 feet; it extends down
the hill on the outside and has washed back into the cave, gradually
decreasing in quantity, to a distance of 50 feet. The roof, at the
front, is 5 feet above the talus; the thickness of the ledge forming
it is only 8 feet, the slope of the hill starting from this line.
Owing to the restricted width of the ridge, on top, the entire area
draining over the ledge measures only 70 feet in width above the
entrance, and narrows irregularly to a breadth of 30 feet at an
outcrop 120 feet up the hill, or with an approximate space of 6,000
square feet. On this small tract more than half the rock is bare, with
scanty patches of soil and humus in the crevices and on flat places.
At the present time the water which flows over the ledge during hard
rains is scarcely turbid; consequently a period of several centuries
was required for the débris to accumulate.
Fourteen feet back from the farthest-receding part of the curve of the
roof at the front is the edge of a stratum 3 feet thick; the bottom of
this was 3 feet above the talus immediately beneath it. This stratum
is continuous, with a perceptible dip to the interior, as far as it
can be seen.
The width of the cave at the mouth is 44 feet; 30 feet within it
widens to 51 feet. A small amount of water making its way from the
interior over the level floor collects in a little basin scooped out
to receive it, and sinks into the floor near the inner foot of the
talus 55 feet from the entrance. At this point the width of the cave
is 36 feet; the height to the roof is 4½ feet. As the floor beyond
here is soft mud, the cavern was not followed farther.
Owing to the limited space between the floor and the roof it was
necessary to remove the excavated earth to the outside. The water
which flows from the hill and falls upon the talus during rains also
had to be provided against. A trench 4 feet wide at the bottom, with
sufficient slant to the sides to prevent them from falling in, was
started 25 feet out from the entrance, on a level which gave it a
depth of 6½ feet at the highest point of the talus, thus carrying it a
few inches into the clay which was the original floor of the cave.
This depth also brought it well below the level of the little pool
inside. When its greatest depth was reached the excavation was at once
widened to 25 feet, thus reaching well toward the cliff on either
side. Growing trees and large rocks made a greater width here
impracticable.
In the talus were flint implements, none small enough for arrowheads,
some well finished, others roughly made, a few being shown in plate
15; three sandstone mortars and fragments of four others; probably 100
cobblestones used as hammers and pestles, some of them pitted on the
sides, a few showing marks of much use (pl. 16, A); a small, very
solid piece of hematite worn round by use as a hammer; a small,
imperfect tomahawk made of quartzite (pl. 16, B, a); many mussel
shells, some used as knives and scrapers; animal bones, some of them
worked into implements, including a perfect skiver (pl. 16, B, b);
several pieces of hematite and limonite used as paint stones (pl. 16,
B, c); many fragments of pottery, some of them worked into disks and
perforated (pl. 16, B, d); occasionally small deposits of charcoal,
ashes, and burned earth. The meager amount of artificial material, and
its random distribution, as if one piece was lost here, another thrown
there, throughout the talus from the present surface to the underlying
clay would appear good evidence that the cave was never used as a
place of permanent abode, but merely provided temporary refuge at
intervals extending over a prolonged period.
[Illustration: PLATE 14
CAIRNS ON ROUBIDOUX CREEK, SIX MILES FROM WAYNESVILLE, MO.]
[Illustration: PLATE 15
FLINTS FROM SELL CAVE, NEAR WAYNESVILLE, MO.]
[Illustration: PLATE 16
A, Pestles or grinding stones
B, Celt, pottery disks, paint stones, and skiver
OBJECTS FROM SELL CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 17
Skull from Sell cave. a, Front; b, profile
Skull from Bell's cave, near Waynesville. c, Front; d, profile
Skull from Miller's cave. e, Front; f, profile
THREE SKULLS FROM PULASKI COUNTY, MO.]
None of the pottery was decorated in any way, though most of it was
cord-marked; no piece was found which had a handle or a foot.
Nearly half a bushel of pieces was found, fragments of many different
vessels, with a range in thickness from one-eighth to three-fourths of
an inch.
If all this talus were examined, much material might be found, but the
result would not justify the labor.
Fifteen feet west from the east corner of the cave, 8 feet within the
edge of the roof, 3½ feet under the surface of the débris, which was a
foot lower here than at the highest point, was a bundled or bunched
skeleton; only small fragments of arm and leg bones, most of the lower
jaw, a little of the upper jaw, and traces of skull were remaining.
The bones were small but solid. They were packed tightly in the dark,
wax-like clay, but there were no indications of a grave; the earth in
contact with them could not be distinguished from that lying around
them. The body had been crowded into the smallest possible space, with
the head against a large stone. All the teeth were well preserved,
some of them not at all worn. Small fragments of deer bones were found
among the remains; these, also, were very soft and decayed.
In fact, all bones found, whether human or other, in this wet, tough,
heavy earth were nearly destroyed, and such portions as remained had
but little more consistency than the mud in which they were imbedded.
Much care was necessary in order to get them out.
Sixteen feet from the entrance, 13 feet from the east wall, 4½ feet
down, 18 inches above bottom, were part of a large femur and a few
fragments of other bones too small and crushed to identify.
Seven feet southwest of this femur, 14 inches lower, was a closely
folded skeleton, the skull nearly north, the other bones toward the
east wall. Some mussel shells, fragments of deer bones, and two flint
knives were near the head. The body had been placed in a shallow hole
dug in the talus as it existed at that time, some earth thrown over
it, and small rocks piled on. The covering rocks were under 3 feet of
detritus, washed in since they were placed there. Near the knees was a
piece of antler, neatly perforated, with rounded ends, giving it the
shape of a reniform bannerstone (fig. 8). This may have been an
ornament, an arrow-shaft straightener, or the holder for a drill or a
fire-stick. Near it was a polishing stone deeply worn on both sides
(fig. 9).
Twenty-two feet within the reentrant curve at the front, 20 feet from
the west wall, at the bottom of the talus, was a skeleton, the skull
in small fragments, which, however, were held in place by the tough
clay. The teeth were worn below the enamel in places; two well-worked
flint knives and one rough one (fig. 10) were near it. The bones
looked as if they had been thrown in, occupying only a small space;
but probably a folded body had been laid in on the left side.
At 24 feet from the entrance, 17 feet from the west wall, in a hole
dug to 20 inches below the present surface of the talus, were broken
and spongy bones of an adult. Pelvis, feet, and leg bones were in
confusion; the tibiæ were reversed in position, but it may be that the
body was laid on the back with the knees flexed and that the bones had
fallen as they were found. This is probable, as each patella was where
it belonged, and the body lay extended toward the southeast, as shown
by the position of the skull. The humerus was about 12 inches long;
all the bones were in small pieces. There were many mussel shells
among and above the remains, over which earth and small rocks had been
piled.
[Illustration: FIG. 8.--Perforated object of antler from Sell
Cave.]
Two feet south of this skeleton and a few inches lower were the
crushed and decayed bones of an old person with the head lying toward
the east. The one tooth found (a molar) was worn entirely below the
enamel except for a small space at the front; the dentine was polished
until it resembled a piece of agate. Mr. De Lancey Gill first remarked
the fact that wear of this character denotes that the individual did
not gnaw bones, crack nuts, or indeed bite hard on any substance. If
he had done so this thin shred of enamel would have broken off. Two
large rocks which lay on the head and body seem to have been thus
placed before the grave was filled with earth.
[Illustration: FIG. 9.--Rubbing or polishing stone from Sell
Cave.]
Near these bones were fragments indicating three other interments; the
humerus of the last was perforated.
Other arm bones found showed the same olecranal perforation.
Twenty-one feet from the entrance, 19 feet from the east wall, was a
skeleton, closely folded, on left side, head toward rear of cave. The
teeth were worn flat. The bones were crushed by rocks laid on or above
the body at the time of burial, as was the case with all the skeletons
found in this part of the cave; probably timbers had been interposed.
[Illustration: PLATE 18
TEETH FROM SELL CAVE AND OTHER CAVES, SHOWING MANNER AND AMOUNT OF
WEAR]
[Illustration: PLATE 19
TEETH FROM SELL CAVE AND OTHER CAVES, SHOWING MANNER AND AMOUNT OF
WEAR]
Near the surface, 18 feet from the entrance, 14 feet from the east
wall, were the right half of a skull and of a lower jaw; a few small,
scattered pieces of skull were found near them. The teeth were much
worn, some of them were decayed, and two had the roots swollen and
distorted by ulceration. South of the skull were fragments of feet and
leg bones, probably belonging with it. This interment was of much
later date than the others.
Thirty-two feet from the front, 16 feet from the east wall, 2½ feet
below the surface, and a foot above the bottom of the talus, was a
folded skeleton, on left side, head toward the interior of the cave,
face directly upward. So much of the skull as could be recovered is
shown in plate 17, a, b. The teeth were much worn, the bones broken,
soft and spongy, falling away with the clay as it was removed from
about them. The femur was about 17½ inches long.
[Illustration: FIG. 10.--Flints from Sell Cave.]
Wear of teeth among aboriginal people does not of necessity denote a
great age for the individual. Grit from ashes and fine sand from
mortars and pestles will cut away the enamel to a much greater extent
than would result from the use of ordinary food.
The condition of the teeth mentioned, as well as of some from other
localities, is shown in plates 18 and 19.
From the inner end of the ditch, or runway, at the entrance the
excavation was carried back for 40 feet in a direct line; or making
allowance for passing around a massive rock which was in a position
where it could not be blasted, for 43 feet; the depth of the talus
here was 3 feet.
On the east side the talus was removed to the wall, a distance of 28
feet from the edge of the trench, and the wall rock exposed for 22
feet, to the rear bank of the excavation.
* * * * *
All work, so far, had been carried on at a level a few inches below
the bottom of the talus, which rested directly upon the floor of clay
washed out from the interior of the cave.
Beginning next at the outer end of the trench, the entire space
included in the first excavation was deepened by a little more than 6
feet, giving a new floor about 13 feet lower than the highest part of
the talus. All the material thus removed showed that it was laid down
by flowing water, sometimes so quiet as to deposit clay of impalpable
fineness, sometimes with a velocity sufficient to carry stones
weighing 3 or 4 pounds. The material varied--red clay, now jointed,
was the topmost layer; below it, in patches and layers, were dark
earth, resembling soil; clay of different shades of yellow, brown,
red, and gray, sometimes almost blue; some of it uniform, some of it
mingled, one or any or all of the different sorts in small compass;
deposits of one sort filling sharply defined channels or potholes cut
in some other sort; occasionally there was a slight admixture of sand.
All included limestone pebbles, which were plentiful in some deposits
but entirely absent from others, were weathered to a chalky
consistency, the larger ones to a depth of perhaps half an inch, the
smaller ones throughout. Scarcely any chert was included, although it
is abundant on the hill; the few pieces seen were very small.
It took five weeks of steady work, with two men, to clear out the
second level. In all this clay there was not the slightest trace of
bone or other indication that living beings of any kind had existed
either in the cave or in any place from which the clay had come.
At 24 feet from the eastern side of the trench, projections on the
face of the east wall denoted that bed rock was not far away. A hole 8
feet across, at the rear of the excavation, reached sand with a slight
admixture of clay a few inches under the level at which the work was
being conducted; and 4 feet down, or 17 feet from the top of the
talus, the rock was found. It was rough and furrowed, like a solid
stratum that has been long exposed to atmospheric weathering.
Further exploration was useless. The sand results from disintegration
of the Roubidoux sandstone belonging next above the limestone in which
the cave was formed. None of this remains on the hill; it has all been
carried away by erosion. There is not now any sink hole or crevice
above the level of the cavern through which the sand could have made
its way. Such an opening must have existed at one time, on the slope
at one side or the other, or farther back where the hill is now cut
off. In either case, erosion has carried away its walls and filled up
the channel leading from it, and thus obliterated its site. To
accomplish this would require a long time; enough to produce a
considerable alteration in the topography, and so to predicate for the
bottom deposits in the cave an antiquity far beyond the possible
appearance of man in the region.
PHILLIPS CAVE
The Phillips Cave faces Roubidoux Creek near the Big Spring, a mile
south of Waynesville. Access to the interior is possible only by
crawling some distance on wet clay. Other caves in the same line of
bluffs are either very small or almost inaccessible. No refuse appears
about any of them.
BELL'S CAVE (18)
In the upper part of the bluff bordering Roubidoux Creek just west of
Waynesville, on the farm of Robert A. Bell, are numerous caves, most
of them quite small. One, much larger than any of the others, has an
entrance 27 feet wide and 12 feet high. The floor is of earth mingled
with small rocks, and rises gradually toward the rear until at 70 feet
it almost reaches the roof, although the open space enlarges farther
in. The width of the cave varies from 19 to 32 feet. Several large
rocks have fallen from the roof and walls at a comparatively recent
date, as they lie directly upon the earth or are only slightly
imbedded in it.
Shells and flint flakes occur in small amount, but the cave is so
difficult of access that it was probably but little used.
Some human bones, rooted out by hogs, were scattered over the floor;
only a few remained, the hogs having chewed up most of them. Part of a
femur belonged to a person about 18 or 20 years of age. A skull and
part of a lower jaw, lying several feet apart but belonging to the
same individual, were secured; they are shown in plate 17, c, d. Few
of the teeth remained, though all had been in place at the time of
interment.
CAMP-GROUND CAVE
This is three-fourths of a mile west from Waynesville. It is small,
with a muddy bottom, and could never have been occupied.
BUCHER CAVE
Bucher Cave is 2 miles northeast of Waynesville. It has a small, low
entrance, nearly closed by a pile of chert gravel mixed with some
clay, which has been carried by surface water from the slope above.
GRAVES NEAR MCKENNAN'S
On a low spur, projecting about halfway up a high hill opposite
McKennan's house, 2½ miles northeast of Waynesville, are two of the
ordinary stone graves or cairns, both small. One has been torn apart;
the other is intact.
They are mentioned only because in the one which has not been
disturbed the stones are sunken at the center, affording good evidence
that timbers were placed over the corpse before the stones were piled
up.
ROUBIDOUX CAVE (19)
In a vertical bluff overlooking the junction of Roubidoux Creek and
the Gasconade River is a cavern with a high, wide entrance giving
access to a large chamber which has several smaller but well-lighted
rooms opening into it. There was formerly a considerable depth of
earth on the rock bottom, but most of it has been taken out for
fertilizer. What is left is dry near the entrance, but wet farther in.
Although it would make an ideal Indian home, being easy of access and
within a few rods of the two streams, there could be found no
indications of such habitation; and owing to the small amount of earth
remaining, the presence of many large rocks, and the close proximity
of a large club house on the public highway immediately in front, no
excavation is possible.
A cairn on the point of the cliff over this cave has been completely
demolished.
RICHLAND CAVE (20)
There is a large cave at the head of a ravine a fourth of a mile below
the bridge over the Gasconade River, on the Richland and Hanna road,
7½ miles from Richland. The entrance is 70 feet wide and 40 feet high;
daylight extends to a point 200 feet within, where the cave divides
into two parts, both of which turn abruptly. Cave earth near the
entrance on one side is scanty in quantity, damp and moldy; but beyond
this it is dry, unevenly surfaced, and appears to have been somewhat
disturbed. There is considerable refuse on and in the dry earth as far
back as the inner end of the front chamber, and were it not for the
many rocks, too large to be removed, which cover nearly the entire
floor and would make excavation very difficult and incomplete, the
deposits would probably repay investigation.
ROLLINS CAVES (19)
On the farm of Sam T. Rollins, 2½ miles northwest of Waynesville, are
two large caves.
The first, in a bluff facing the Gasconade, half a mile above the
mouth of Roubidoux Creek, is 50 feet above the bottom of the hill. The
entrance, toward the northeast, is 45 feet wide and 36 feet high. The
sides are parallel for 45 feet; at that point the east wall abruptly
recedes for 12 feet and then continues in a curving line for 120 feet
farther, to an outlet in the side of a shallow ravine trending toward
the west. This opening, 13 feet wide, is filled nearly to the top with
débris which slopes steeply for 40 feet into the cave.
The west wall, at 45 feet, makes an outward curve to a branch which
leads northwest for 25 feet and has an opening on the side of the hill
25 feet wide and 20 feet high; the talus at the front is 12 feet high
and slopes steeply into the cave. Beyond this branch the west wall
extends in a straight line to the small outlet at the ravine.
The floor of the cave has a gentle incline from the bottom of the
débris in the rear to the main entrance.
No refuse could be found in the cave or around any of the three
entrances; and the place would not be suitable for a shelter in winter
as the wind, no matter from what direction, blows directly through it.
The second cave is near the foot of the hill, half a mile up the river
from the first. A gentle slope in front leads to the bottom land along
the stream. The entrance, toward the northwest, is 60 feet wide and 10
feet high. At 65 feet within is standing water; marks in a channel
along the west wall show that at times there is an outflow with a
depth of a foot or more. At the front is a great amount of talus
partly fallen from the ledge forming the roof, partly washed down from
the hillside; the outer slope is 20 feet high, the inner slope has a
slight incline to the standing water. The entire deposit within the
cave and in front of it is of tough, sticky clay. Many large rocks lie
on the surface or slightly imbedded, and large trees grow on the
talus. No indications of occupancy could be discovered.
MIX CAVE (21)
On the Mix farm, half a mile below the Gasconade bridge on the
Waynesville and Crocker road, on the left (west) side, at the head of
a ravine, is a cave with an entrance 75 feet wide and 20 feet high.
Cave earth, apparently not more than 3 feet thick at any point,
although it gradually rises to a level 6 feet higher than the floor at
the mouth, extends back 80 feet; beyond this is water-soaked clay and
gravel reaching 60 feet farther to a turn in the cave, making a
distance of about 140 feet in daylight. There is a shallow channel 12
feet wide along the east wall from the gravel to the entrance;
evidence that at times a volume of water of that width flows out of
the cave. The cave earth is damp for several feet from the line of
its contact with the clay, a certain indication that its lower portion
is saturated.
Much refuse, including several mortars, is distributed over the floor,
and it is especially apparent in the bed of the little stream; but
fully half the surface is covered with rocks too large to be removed,
and these, together with the water, will effectually prevent
satisfactory excavation.
One of the mortars has a grinding cavity on one face 12 by 20 inches
and 3 inches deep at the middle; on the other face, which has been
pecked, apparently with a flint tool, to make it level and even, is
also a cavity, but it is small and shallow, showing that this side of
the stone was but little used.
DOUBLE CAVE (21)
On Walter Miller's farm, 1½ miles below the Crocker and Waynesville
bridge, on the left side of the river, is the "Double Cave," so called
for the reason that it has two entrances. The one farthest down the
river is more nearly in line with the general trend of the cavern. Its
opening is 35 feet wide and 20 feet high. At 40 feet in from the
mouth, on the left or up-river side, the two parts of the cavern
unite, a triangular partition of the original limestone strata
separating them up to the point of junction. Across the apex of the
triangle the main cave is 50 feet wide; there is no vertical wall on
the right (east) side along this portion, the roof sloping down
gradually until it meets the earth floor; it may extend farther,
making the cave that much wider at the bedrock bottom. The cave earth
at its highest point is fully 10 feet higher than at the entrance; but
this may not mean that it is 10 feet deeper, for there are indications
that the rock floor also rises from the entrance toward the interior.
Digging in the front part of the main cave--that is, in the portion
behind the lower entrance--would be impracticable owing to the huge
rocks, some of them lying on the floor, others deeply imbedded in the
earth; consequently part of them, at least, fell while the cave was
inhabited.
From the junction of the two branches the cave earth extends back 60
feet to clay and gravel washed down from the interior; there is ample
light at this point, and for some distance beyond. In part, this
gravel seems to overlie the loose earth; it is still depositing, and
the manner in which the various materials intermingle and overlap at
their meeting place indicates that the cave earth to some extent
underlies the gravel and clay. This feature is worth investigating, as
it might have a bearing upon the relative age of the cave deposits.
The entrance to the branch cave is 20 feet higher in the face of the
bluff than that of the main cave, and consequently much above any
water flowing from the interior; it is 20 feet wide by 15 feet high.
Measured along the east wall, it is 40 feet from this entrance to the
apex of the triangle separating the two parts of the cavern. The
greatest width of the united caves, 70 feet, is just beyond this
point. The earth floor in the branch, a fine-grained yellow earth
apparently deposited by quiet or gently flowing water, is 3 feet
higher than it is at the highest point farther back in the cave, and
is 4 feet or more higher than the bedrock at the front. No direct
communication is possible, in front, from one entrance to the other.
The only means of transference is by passing through the caverns
around the triangular partition, or by going down to the talus from
one opening and then up to the other; though only a few feet of
descent is necessary. There is an easy passage to and from the
Gasconade, which flows at the foot of the bluff; and a good path in
either direction to the top of the hill.
Very little refuse occurs, and the site is not worth examining.
RAILROAD CAVE
On railway property, north of the Gasconade River on the east of the
Waynesville and Crocker road, is a noted cave which "runs clear
through the hill," and can be entered from either end. From the
descriptions given it certainly could never have been utilized as a
dwelling place.
BAT, OR PAGE, CAVE
Bat Cave, so named because it formerly harbored immense numbers of
bats, is on Robert Page's land, 4½ miles from Crocker, near the
Waynesville road. The entrance is 40 feet wide and 30 feet high. Cave
earth extends for more than 200 feet in plain daylight; at this depth
the cave separates into two branches, one directly over the other. The
lower division continues into the hill on a level; the upper rises at
a slight angle; neither is high enough to permit a man to stand erect.
The greatest width, a few rods from the front, is 55 feet. A drainage
channel near one wall shows a considerable outflow in wet weather. In
the low, vertical bank of this drain, gravel and small rocks are
mingled with the earth in such quantity as to comprise more than half
the mass. But this is probably due to the fact that a large quantity
of earth, mostly, of course, from the upper part of the deposits, has
been taken away for fertilizer. Neither in the bank of the little
channel nor about the pits left by this digging is any refuse to be
seen, and there is none about the entrance. So, in spite of its
suitability for residential purposes and its favorable situation, it
does not seem ever to have been utilized.
TUNNEL CAVE (22)
A fourth of a mile from the Bat Cave is a natural tunnel or
underground passage which has its beginning in a deep sink hole half a
mile away on the farther side of the hill. Into this depression pours
all the water that comes through a ravine more than 4 miles long,
receiving several tributaries on the way; thus draining several
hundred acres of steep hillsides from which storm water runs off
almost as quickly as from a roof. From the sink hole it passes into
the upper end of the tunnel, an opening 10 feet high and 20 feet wide.
Trash and drift around this inlet show that the water rises above its
top.
The lower opening of the tunnel is a beautiful, regular arch, 100 feet
wide and 50 feet high. For some distance in, the interior is so choked
with huge rocks, which reach almost to the roof near one side at the
front, that it resembles a great quarry. Gravel, sand, and driftwood,
including a large log 15 feet long, are piled on these rocks to a
height of 20 feet.
BROOKS CAVE
Brooks Cave, 11 miles southeast of Waynesville, has an entrance
through a sink hole in a level field. It is small and dark for some
distance back, and was never occupied.
Openings of this character are never the original mouths of caverns;
they are due to the roof falling in at a point where it has become
thin by wearing away from below.
RIDDLE CAVE
Riddle Cave is on John W. Schord's farm, near Wildwood. The entrance
is through a sink, similar to that at Brooks Cave, and is due to the
same causes. It could never have been occupied.
LANE'S CAVE
Somewhat more than a mile north of Big Piney post office is a cave
known as Lane's Cave. Near it is a smaller cave; also a rock shelter.
They are all small, high up in the cliff, hard to reach, and
unsuitable for living in.
DRY CREEK CAVE
A cave on Dry Creek, north of Lane's Cave, is small and almost
inaccessible. Never used.
HOUSE MOUNDS (23)
There is a group of house mounds, about 100 in number, close to the
site of the "Ranch House," which formerly stood near "The Falls" 4
miles southwest from Big Piney. Two other groups, north of this one,
carry the mounds for about 4 miles along a little valley, which
extends north and south about midway between Big Piney and Bloodland.
Most of the mounds, in all the groups, are on the slight slopes
bordering either side of the little stream--which sometimes ceases to
flow--but a few of them are on the narrow strip of level land along
the banks.
There is another group south of Bloodland. They were not learned of in
time to visit them.
RIDEN'S CAVE
A mile southeast of the steel bridge across Big Piney, on the
Edenville road, is Riden's Cave, in a small ravine opening into
another ravine. The entrance is 25 feet wide and 8 feet high, and the
front chamber extends 30 feet to an abrupt turn. There are large rocks
on the floor near the mouth and some cave earth and a small amount of
refuse at the front. Apparently it was never occupied except as a
temporary camp.
SALTPETER CAVE
Near Miller's Spring, 2½ miles northeast of Big Piney, in a high
bluff, is a large cave whose name is derived from the quantity of
saltpeter collected from it in the early settlement of the country.
Earth for leaching was removed to such an extent that bedrock is now
exposed near the entrance and at several places within. In addition
many large rocks cumber the floor, consequently excavations would not
yield satisfactory results, although refuse still to be seen in the
cave and in front of it shows that it was a place of aboriginal
habitation.
MILLER'S CAVE (24)
Three miles northeast of Big Piney is a cavern which from its
position, formation, and surroundings is particularly adapted to the
requirements of primitive people in search of a permanent shelter. It
is situated in a bluff rising from the left bank of Big Piney River,
200 feet above the level of that stream and half that distance below
the summit of the hill of which the bluff forms the front. It lies in
three different tracts of land, but the greater portion is on the farm
of Daniel S. Miller, who lives a little more than half a mile away.
For three generations it has been widely known as "Miller's Cave." It
opens toward the southeast, the river at this point flowing north of
east, and thus secures protection from the cold winds of winter,
receives the greatest amount of light through the day, and has the
advantage of sunshine at the season when this is most needed. Big
Piney, like all streams in the Ozark region, is extremely crooked and
its bed is a continuous succession of riffles and pools, or eddies as
they are locally known. In front of the cave is one of these pools
nearly a mile long and at lowest stages fully 15 feet deep in places;
even now it yields an abundance of fish, turtles, frogs, and mussels,
all of which are important items in the aboriginal dietary.
A fourth of a mile above the cave Big Piney makes an abrupt turn,
coming to this point from the southeast. Here it receives the outflow
from a large spring located at the foot of the hill, a fourth of a
mile to the southward, which boils up in a pool 40 feet across and at
its lowest stage discharges several thousand gallons every hour. Its
volume responds quickly to a heavy rainfall and to the succeeding
period of fair weather, although its level never passes above or below
certain fixed points. A singular feature of this spring, one which has
given it a wide reputation, is its rhythmic ebb and flow. With
absolute regularity, regardless of atmospheric conditions, it swells
for six hours, then subsides for an equal period, stages of high and
low water occurring at the same hours every day. The extreme range of
level is about a foot. Intermittent springs are not uncommon; but the
regularity of this one is remarkable, particularly so as its action is
not affected by changes in the volume. A dam was built below this
spring by the father of Mr. Miller to furnish power for a mill; when
the mill was not running the noise of the falling water, reenforced by
the echoes from the hills around, could be heard a long distance and
gave it the title of Roaring Spring. The Indians had a name for it
which was interpreted by the whites as "Blowing Spring;" but as there
are no unusual currents of air in the vicinity it is probable the
proper translation would be "Breathing Spring," on account of its
recurrent motion. The branch from this spring, following a course
along the foot of the hill, is wide and shallow, though swift, and is
nearly filled with a dense growth of long, moss-like vegetation which
was greedily devoured by deer, herds of them being frequently seen in
the water by early settlers.
From the mouth of the cave several hundred acres of fertile alluvial
land can be seen along both banks of the river. In the bottom land
lying nearest to the spring branch--which is itself entitled to be
called a creek--and extending southward to Miller's residence, partly
on an upper terrace, but mostly on the low land, was a village site on
which were formerly many small mounds which from the description were
undoubtedly house mounds. Mortars occur in numbers, while fragments of
pottery and flint, as well as many unbroken implements, were formerly
abundant to a depth of several inches. On the opposite side from the
cavern, in the angle formed by the abrupt turn of the river, is
another village site. A ditch, with an interior embankment about 6
feet high, formerly extended in a curved line across the point. This
fortification was about 600 feet long, coming to the river bank at
either end. In the part thus protected were many low, small mounds
placed close together but quite irregularly. These were probably house
mounds. No trace of any of this artificial work is now apparent except
that a difference in color may be seen here and there when the soil is
freshly turned, all the earthworks having been plowed and dragged
level as interfering with cultivation. A great amount of broken
pottery, flint implements, and fragments of animal bones has been
uncovered here. In fact, the field is known locally as "the place
where the Indians made their pottery." This site seems to have been
occupied within historic times; after an unusual freshet some years
ago, many "round musket-balls, such as belonged to the old-fashioned
muzzle loaders"--"hundreds," or "two gallons," of them is the usual
version--were picked up where the loose soil had washed off. There is
a local tradition, long antedating the discovery of the bullets, that
a "battle" was fought here between the French and the Indians.
On the hill over the cave are three cairns, but they have been so
searched through that scarcely a stone remains in its proper place.
There is also the site of a flint-working industry, a space 40 or 50
feet across being strewn with spalls, flakes, and chips.
When, in addition to the sustenance provided by deer and other large
game, there is taken into consideration the great numbers of wild
fowls which frequented the rugged hills and numerous streams; the
multitude of small mammals which found security in the myriad cavities
and crevices in the cliffs; the abundant food supply in the river; and
the further fact that so many mortars and pestles meant the
utilization of nuts and the cultivation of corn and no doubt of other
foodstuffs as well; it is apparent that the problem of mere
subsistence was one with which the natives had but little need to
concern themselves. That full recognition was accorded to these
advantages is amply attested by the great quantity of flints found
everywhere in the vicinity, the numerous workshops on the hills and in
the bottoms where the ground is thickly strewn with débris in every
stage from the intact nodule or block to the finished implement, and
the amount of refuse not only in this cavern, but in the Saltpeter
Cave in the same bluff and in the Freeman or Ramsey Cave 3 miles down
the river on the opposite side. Miller's Cave, however, possesses an
additional advantage, one probably not to be found elsewhere. This is
the absolute security of its inmates from the attack of an enemy. The
mouth of the cave is in the face of a perpendicular bluff, the wall
on either side so smooth that not even a squirrel can obtain a
foothold. The upper stratum of the precipice projects to such an
extent that a rope or a ladder let down from above would fall several
feet beyond the outer edge of the floor. Below, there is a vertical
drop of 30 feet to the top of the rough talus which is as steep as
rocks and earth will lie. If an assailant, by approaching from either
side, should reach the foot of this bluff he would offer a fair target
for stones rolled or hurled down by defenders who are safely out of
reach of missiles from any direction.
The only means of entrance is a small opening in the west wall,
communicating with another cave. This is so restricted in size as to
permit the passage of only one person at a time, and he must assume a
crawling or crouching posture. This opening, which for distinction
will be called the doorway, has its top, sides, and bottom coated with
stalagmite formation; so it may once have been somewhat larger than at
present. The limited amount of the deposit over the natural rock at
either end of the orifice is evidence, however, that it could never
have been high enough for a man to walk through without stooping, or
wide enough for two persons to pass each other; consequently one man
armed with a club or other weapon could easily guard it against any
number who might attempt to enter.
The cavern from which this opening leads, and which will be called the
outer cave, is close to and nearly parallel with the face of the
bluff, and its course is therefore approximately east and west,
forming nearly a right angle with the main cavern. It has a slight
curve, so that the doorway is not visible to one who is approaching
from the outside until he is within a few yards of it.
The outer cave has its beginning at a point where the bluff bends
toward the north; that is, where there is a shallow reentrant curve,
formed by the face of the cliff breaking away at this part and rolling
down the hill; a considerable portion of this cave itself has been
thus destroyed, as shown by another entrance into the bluff beyond.
Much talus has accumulated in this cave, over which there is at
present a fairly easy though winding and zigzag path to the entrance
from the top of the hill, and a rough and difficult way from the
bottom. It is a natural presumption that dwellers in the cavern had
well-constructed though necessarily devious pathways of easy grade to
both the top and the bottom of the hill; but owing to the loose nature
of the débris on the outside slopes all trace of these, when abandoned
or no longer kept in repair, would soon be obliterated by surface
wash, landslides, and the roots of trees.
By the side of the upper trail, at the bottom of the sandstone ledge
capping the hill, are many large blocks which have split off from this
stratum. On the flat surface of two of these are about 25 figures,
pecked into the stone apparently with a pointed flint implement. One
of them measuring 6½ by 30 inches, shown in figure 11, bears some
resemblance to a flying bird. All the others are of uniform design, an
oval or elliptical figure with a straight line or bar passing through
an opening in one end. These vary from 4 to 18 inches in length; two
of them are shown in figure 12. Owing to the rough weathering of the
stones accurate tracings were not possible, but the illustrations give
a fairly correct idea of the inscriptions as they originally appeared.
[Illustration: FIG. 11.--Incised figure in sandstone near Miller's
Cave.]
[Illustration: FIG. 12.--Incised figures in sandstone near
Miller's Cave.]
The front part of the outer cave is partially filled with large rocks,
gravel, and clay, which have fallen or been washed in. A window-like
opening on the right, or south, side admits additional light. Near the
inner end the cave divides, one branch going to the southeast and
opening in the face of the bluff, the other turning north and
terminating abruptly near the doorway, which is worn through its rear
wall. A rough diagram (fig. 13) with some measurements is appended to
show this cavern's peculiar structure.
Feet.
Width at mouth (A) 17
From mouth to "window" (B) 21
Width of window (B), which has a very irregular outline 3
From window to where cave divides (C) 39
From corner of divide (c) to opposite corner (H) 13
From corner (H) to rear wall 11
Greatest width, from (B) to (F) 22
Width from (C) to (G) 10
From north wall near (G) to face of bluff (D) 28
Height at mouth from talus to roof 8
Height from floor to roof between (C) and (G) 13
Lowest point in the cave (near C), below entrance (A) 7
Mouth, at (D), lower than floor at (C) 4
A small amount of refuse on the floor suggested use of the outer cave
for residence or shelter; but excavations at several points uncovered
bedrock, with very irregular surface, at depths of 6 inches to 2 feet,
the earth containing very little refuse and no ashes. On the talus at
the entrance, and also at the bottom of the bluff in which the caves
open, is much refuse which the inmates threw out as rubbish.
[Illustration: FIG. 13.--Plan of Miller's Cave.]
The front chamber of the main cavern is quite regular in form, going
straight back like a vault for 80 feet, then turning abruptly westward
with a width of 47 feet, the west wall making almost a right angle at
the corner. The east wall abuts squarely against the rear; a narrow
crevice leads eastward from their junction, but as this was filled
with water and mud no exploration in it was attempted.
The floor of the front chamber, from wall to wall, and from near the
front to within 27 feet of the rear, was entirely of ashes, no earth
being visible until the extremity of these at either end was reached.
The floor of the western extension is covered with fine earth, washed
in, which gradually increases in volume until it fills the cave to
within a foot of the roof. It was not examined beyond this point.
Measurements show these dimensions:
Width of cave at mouth feet 64
Least width of cave, 24 feet from mouth do 45
Greatest width of cave, from doorway to branch in
cave in eastern wall feet 74
Shortest distance from line of least width to line
of greatest width, as given above feet 18
From mouth of cave to doorway do 51
Height of doorway inches 42
Width of doorway do 33
Length of floor of doorway do 56 §
From mouth of cave to top of slope of ashes at rear feet 84
From top to bottom of slope of ashes at rear do 16
From foot of ash slope to rear wall do 27
Extent of ashes in turn of cave along foot of wall
beyond corner of west wall feet 22
Width of these ashes, from foot of wall to the
pool of water do 22
Width of cave from corner of west wall to east wall do 56
From corner of west wall to rear of cave do 47
Height of extreme front from floor at edge of bluff
to most projecting ledge above feet 35
Height from shelf or ledge near front of east wall
to general level of roof feet 14
Height from ashes to roof at middle of cave do 10
§ This measure also represents the thinnest portion of the wall
separating the main cave from the outer cave.
The walls were, as is usual in caverns, somewhat irregular, there
being a narrow bench or shelf along each side near the front, while
projections and indentations alternated from front to rear. There were
numerous small holes and crevices, enlargements of seams and joints by
percolating water at an early stage in the cave's history. These
furnish homes for various wild animals, and nearly all of them contain
bones, sticks, and trash taken in by ground hogs and wood rats which
seem to find much pleasure in carrying such things from place to
place.
The work of excavation began at the extreme front of the cave, where
the original bottom, a mixture of sand, clay, and chert gravel, had
been exposed through removal of the ashes by winds and driving rain.
Almost immediately rocks, large and small, fallen from walls and roof,
were encountered and interfered greatly with the digging. In the upper
foot of the clay were streaks of sand and ashes, among which a mussel
shell and a flint chip were found; and the top of the clay was quite
uneven, appearing as if carried and thrown here, as perhaps some of it
was early in the occupancy of the cave, with the object of making a
more even or level floor farther back. But this admixture was only
superficial; below it, the material had all the appearance of a
running water deposit.
A ledge extended along the east wall for 40 feet, with a width of 12
to 14 feet; at the inner end it was about 4 feet below the general
level of the floor. At 8 feet below its top a second ledge projected
from it, sloping toward the center, slightly for 8 feet then more
rapidly for 10 feet farther, where it merged into the bedrock. Then
came level, nearly smooth rock for 18 feet, to the foot of the slope
of the west wall, 14 feet out from that side of the cave. This was
probably the original drainage channel.
By the gradual erosion of new channels through the limestone and the
consequent abandonment of old ones, subterranean drainage is
continually altering its direction and force. In this way caverns may
be left entirely dry, with bare floors; or may, especially if they
receive the drainage of sink holes, be partially or even entirely
filled with débris thus carried in. Like others, Miller's Cave has
undergone such changes. It was begun by clear water; enlarged by
erosion and by breaking down of walls and roof; presently clay, sand,
and gravel were carried in; finally the water no longer flowed through
the front, but found its way out in some other direction. In time the
deposits became sufficiently dry to afford a good site for camps and
for permanent occupation. There is no way of ascertaining the rate at
which these changes took place; it may have required many centuries to
make an appreciable difference in appearance; or, on the other hand,
the transition from one stage to the next may have been rapid.
Along the foot of the ledge from the east wall the clay was only a few
inches deep; farther out on the ledge, and on the projection extending
from it, were layers of red sand. Occasionally a small patch of it
appeared along the western side. Probably it was washed in among the
last of the natural deposits.
There was considerable chert gravel mixed with the clay, making
excavation as difficult and laborious as digging up an old,
much-traveled macadamized highway.
The surface of the ashes sloped upward rather rapidly for a distance
of 29 feet from the front. Kitchen refuse, found in them from the
start, contained many mussel shells; bones, including those of bear,
deer, panther, turkey, and other large fowls, tortoise, turtle, fish,
and various small mammals and birds; potsherds; broken flints, with
the débris of chipping work; mortars, pestles, hammers, and mullers.
Near the west wall, 14 feet from the mouth, imbedded in the ashes and
a foot below their surface, was a well-preserved cranium, shown in
plate 17, e, f. There were no other bones, not even the lower jaw; it
seems to have been thrown here and covered with the dumped ashes.
At 18 feet from the mouth the rocks became larger and so numerous as
to be almost in contact, projecting above the ashes and imbedded in
the clay down to bedrock; they extended for 22 feet farther in and to
within 14 feet of the west wall. The clay attained its highest level
at the beginning of this pile of rocks, having an elevation of 9 feet
above bedrock; it became lower toward the interior, with its surface
everywhere rough and irregular.
The rocks were too large to be either moved or broken up, and owing to
the condition of the roof an attempt to reduce them by blasting would
have been attended with great danger, so they were perforce left in
place and as much as possible of the clay between and under them dug
away. Beyond those near the front, others, not reaching the top, were
found one after another buried in the clay; owing to their constantly
increasing number, and to the inward slope of the east wall, the
limits of the excavation gradually narrowed, hampering the movements
of the workmen, and it was necessary to handle the earth two or even
three times to get it out of the way. There was growing risk, too, of
the projecting rocks splitting off or breaking out of the clay matrix.
As some of them weighed several tons, the danger became too imminent,
and efforts to continue along the bedrock had to cease.
Two other attempts were made to get to the bottom; one at 40 feet from
the mouth just beyond the large rocks on the surface, and one at 15
feet farther in. The last one started on an area 8 by 15 feet, which
would have been ample if the sides could have been carried down even
approximately straight. Neither of these efforts met with success, for
the same reason that led to the abandonment of the first one.
From here to the end, examinations were confined to the deposit of
ashes. The surface, except as it had been disturbed by relic hunters,
was practically level from wall to wall, but the depth varied with the
undulating top of the clay beneath. Where it was deepest, in the
central portion about 50 to 75 feet from the mouth, the deposit had a
thickness of 6 feet. From this it diminished to about 3 feet on the
sides, with an occasional thinner patch on a narrow shelf formed by a
ledge or a crevice. The average thickness was close to 4½ feet, so the
amount was not far from 800 cubic yards. This was composed entirely of
ashes from small fires for cooking, heating, and lighting purposes,
increased to a very limited extent by kitchen waste, and by discarded
or mislaid wrought objects. It represented the combustion of many
hundreds, perhaps of thousands, of cords of wood, all of which had to
be carried in from the hilltop or slopes and passed through the
constricted doorway. This labor would be a sufficient guarantee of
economical use; we may be sure that no fuel was wasted. If proof were
needed of such a self-evident proposition, it would be found in the
almost complete absence of charcoal; here and there, but seldom, a
small mass of it showed that a burning chunk, covered up, had
smoldered until the inflammable portion was consumed. Bunches or
handfuls of coarse grass or small weeds had undergone the same
process. Perhaps these had been used as kindling.
In all the deeper parts the ashes had been dumped promiscuously, from
fires made at other points; no camping fires seem to have been made
along the middle of the cave until the depressions in the clay had
been at least partially filled. The ashes in the upper 4 feet of the
ash beds where these were deepest, and in nearly all the shallower
portions, were stratified and usually level, though at the front and
rear the strata followed the natural incline of the slopes. The first
impression was that the ashes had been carefully spread out, or
dragged, to make their surface even; but it was discovered, when
shoveling some of them for the second time, that ashes may assume this
appearance no matter how carelessly thrown. The ashes at the top, to a
depth of 3 or 4 inches, were as fine as flour, and when shoveled back
hung in clouds for hours at a time, to the great discomfort of the
excavators, whose eyes, throats, and nasal passages were in a state of
constant irritation. The stratified or laminated, hard-packed
condition below the loose surface means, perhaps, that they were
occasionally sprinkled and trampled by the occupants to prevent this
trouble. Possibly they were covered with mats, skins, weeds, or
leaves, in the parts where the inmates congregated. The loose,
incoherent condition of the lower portions, which "shoveled like
snow," may denote that only a few persons dwelt here at first, who
found ample room on the higher ground near the doorway. However, all
such attempts at explanations are not much better than mere guesswork,
and we must be content with accepting the facts as we find them.
Where the ashes were white and packed hard, whether on the site of a
fire or in thin layers where thrown, they contained very little
extraneous material; whereas in the darker, more mixed material broken
bones, potsherds, shells, and other refuse were abundant, while there
was scarcely a cubic foot anywhere in which was not found a piece of
flint or bone, sometimes several such objects, which had been
intentionally altered from their natural condition.
Near the center of the cave was a curving pile, 6 by 2 feet, and
several inches thick, of mussel shells of every size from less than an
inch to above 5 inches in length; more than half of them were over 3
inches. None of them showed any marks of fire; some had both valves in
position, as if they had never been opened, and a few of the larger of
these had been filled with small shells and closed again. A few were
broken, but most of them were entire. About 1,400 valves were in this
pile, meaning that at least one-half of that number of mollusks were
consumed.
The first interment was found at 46 feet from the front, 14 feet from
the east wall. The folded skeleton of a very old person lay on the
right side, head east, in loose ashes, on a large flat rock whose top
was 30 inches below the surface. This rock had not been placed here,
but had fallen from the ceiling; probably its existence was not known
until it was uncovered in digging the grave. The skull still retained
its shape, in part, being held in place by the ashes, but fell in
pieces when this support was removed. A portion of it was gone; two
fragments were found, several feet away, not near each other, one of
which fits in the skull, and the other probably belongs with it also.
The frontal bone is nearly half an inch thick; the sutures partially
obliterated; the teeth worn down to the necks, some of them nearly to
the bone; the forehead is low and receding. A restoration is seen in
plate 20, a, b. In addition to the missing portions of the skull, most
of the ribs, half of the lower jaw, and nearly all the dorsal vertebræ
were absent, probably having been dragged away by ground hogs. The
bones are all light and fragile. Lying above the skull, in contact
with it but supported by the ashes on both sides, was half of a large
mortar hollowed on both sides. Above the skeleton, and extending for
several feet on every side, was an undisturbed stratum of closely
packed ashes, 17 inches thick at the middle, which broke off under the
pick in large clods; these, of course, had accumulated after the body
was interred.
The spongy condition of these bones, in spite of the preservative
action of the ashes, is evidence of the fact frequently noted, that
with advancing age some change takes place which renders them less
resistant to destructive influences. Bones of children only a few
weeks old near this skeleton held their structure perfectly and were
easily secured.
Ten feet east from the pile of mussel shells, at a slightly lower
level, was nearly half a gallon of snail shells which had been boiled,
probably in soup. With them were a few pieces of bones.
Scattered irregularly through the ashes were many cavities which
somewhat resembled the "postholes" so common beneath the mounds in
Ohio. Some were barely an inch in diameter and a foot deep; from this
size they varied indefinitely to the largest, which was a little more
than 3 feet deep, reaching from about a foot below the undisturbed
layers just under the loose surface ashes to within about a foot of
the bottom. "About" is used advisedly, because at this point neither
the top nor the bottom of undisturbed material could be determined
with certainty. The lower 2 feet of this cavity was uniformly 7 inches
across; above this it slightly expanded, funnel-like, to a diameter of
8 inches at the top. The sides of this, as of all of them, large or
small, were as smooth and hard as if made with a posthole digger or a
boring tool. Strata of ashes, not changing their level or appearance
in the least, were continuous around the margin. But the holes were
not always straight; some of them changed direction as if due to a
crooked post or stick. Nearly all of them were rounded, even
hemispherical at top or bottom, or both, like the bottom of a pot.
They were not molds, for nothing could have been taken out of them
without changing or destroying its form. If they had contained any
solid substance like a post it must have stood unchanged until the
layers of ashes surrounded and covered it, and then must have so
completely disappeared as to leave no trace of its existence. They
were not formed by driving any object down, because in that case the
bottom would not have been so regularly rounded and the ashes around
the sides would have been more or less displaced. They were not due to
burrowing animals. In fact, if there be imagined a nearly cylindrical
mass of ice, straight or slightly crooked, with rounded ends, placed
upright and retaining its position unmelted until completely buried,
the appearance of these cavities will best be understood. Some of them
were filled to the top with fine loose ashes which occasionally
contained fragments of bone, shell, and pottery; sometimes they were
nearly empty, with traces of decayed wood at the bottom, mingled with
a little ashes and charcoal. In one was found a long, perfect bone
perforator, shown at a in plate 30; in another near the corner of the
west wall was found the pipe shown in figure 14. About 45 feet from
the front near the east wall were four of them of different diameters
and depths but all in a straight line within a space 2 feet long;
these were in front of a crevice under an overhanging ledge where a
man could not stand upright. Wigwams may have been erected in the
cave, or at least skins stretched to prevent drafts or to confine the
heat of fires in winter and perhaps to insure some degree of privacy
if this were desired; but there are no present indications of such
shelters unless these holes were to secure them; otherwise their
purpose or object is still unsolved. They would probably not contain
posts for hanging things on when the walls afforded so many small
crevices and holes into which poles better adapted for such purposes
could be thrust.
[Illustration: PLATE 20
a, b, Skull from Miller's Cave, Pulaski County, Mo. (a, front; b,
profile). c, Part of skull of child from Miller's cave (front
view)]
[Illustration: PLATE 21
SKULL OF YOUNG WOMAN FROM MILLER'S CAVE a, Front; b, profile; c,
back]
Other holes or depressions, shallow, saucer-shaped, or dish-shaped,
some dug in the underlying clay, others at any level almost to the top
of the ashes, were fire pits or cooking places, containing charcoal
and ashes. Two such depressions were lined with a coating of gumbo
half an inch thick, which, however, was not mixed with sand or shell.
Pots may have been shaped in these. Occasionally a small mass of
gumbo, never so much as a peck, sometimes as small as a pint measure,
would be found loose in the ashes, seemingly thrown there at random.
Two pieces were squeezed into a rough ball; one was patted or rolled
into a flattened sphere with a rounded depression on one side. These
were no doubt intended as material for making vessels, as was a
roughly cylindrical mass of red clay and pounded shell as large as a
quart cup--the "biscuit" of modern potters.
About the middle of the cave a saucer-shaped depression, 4 feet across
and 10 inches deep at the center, had been dug in the red clay; ashes
had been deposited to a depth of 2 feet over this space before the
excavation of the hole was begun, and streaks of red clay lay at about
this level all around the pit. Many rocks, large and small, apparently
thrown in, were in this basin and above it. No fire had been made in
it; nothing buried; and the upper layers of ashes extended across it
unbroken. It forms another of the unsolved problems.
[Illustration: FIG. 14.--Clay pipe from Miller's Cave.]
In the den of a burrowing animal smaller than a ground hog was the
frontal bone and upper portion of the face of a child of 8 or 10
years; 12 teeth are cut and others can be seen. It is shown in plate
20, c. Part of a cervical vertebra lay at the top of the skull, and
there were fragments of a few other bones.
The ulna of a child, broken off at the wrist, was near the doorway in
a mass of refuse in a ground-hog burrow. For several feet in every
direction around here the ashes were traversed by the tunnels and dens
of these animals, some of them extending down into the clay.
Twenty-five feet east of the doorway, a foot below the highest layer
of unbroken ashes, was the top and back of a thin skull.
Sixty feet from the front, 15 feet from the east wall, at a depth of
14 inches, was a partial skeleton, lying on the back. The right arm,
folded, lay by the side; the left forearm across the pelvis. All bones
from the atlas to the sacrum, except some bones of the hands and
wrists and the left ulna, lay in such position as to show they had
been interred with the flesh on, or at least while the cartilages
held them together; but no trace of the skull--which had lain toward
the west--or of any part of the legs or feet was present. Fragments of
coarse cloth were adhering to the pelvis. The bones, which were almost
like punk, were those of a young person, the caps of the long bones
being separate from the shafts; but they were of good size, the
humerus being 13 inches long. The left ulna (at least a left ulna) lay
above where the face should have been, but some inches away, with one
end near the surface. It is quite probable that ground hogs are
responsible for the condition of this skeleton, and that some of the
bones found scattered in the ashes belonged to it. About a foot under
the bones, but not connected with the burial in any way, were three
large pieces of a large pot.
Four feet east of this, a foot lower, was the skeleton of a baby, the
humerus only 3½ inches long. The bones rolled out with some loose
ashes, and not all of them could be recovered.
Thirteen feet from the east wall, 16 feet from top of rear slope of
the ashes, 4 feet below the surface was part of a skeleton. The bones
lay on a damp, close-packed bed of ashes 6 inches thick. They were
closely folded, the femurs and lower leg bones being in contact; the
skull, scapulæ, right humerus, sacrum, and some of the vertebræ were
missing. Such bones as remained were in their proper positions, except
that the sternum lay in the pelvis and the elbows at the knees. All of
them were in a space only 18 by 22 inches, measuring to the outermost
points. The situation of such bones as remained indicated that part of
a skeleton had been buried after the flesh had decayed, or had been
removed, but while the joints were still united, and covered with
loose ashes, whose settling had caused some sagging of the stratified
ashes, a foot in thickness, which lay above them, there being no
evidence that they had been disturbed since they were placed here. All
were as light as cork and, except the left tibia, which was 15½ inches
long, fell to pieces when taken up.
Eight feet east from the last skeleton was one of a very young infant,
on left side, head toward the front of the cave. It was 2½ feet below
the surface, partly under a jutting portion of a large rock whose top
was above the ashes. It lay on small angular rocks, with similar rocks
over it.
Two feet west of this was the ulna of a child 10 years old.
Sixteen feet from the east wall, 10 feet from top of rear slope, 2
feet under surface was another infant's skeleton, lying on the back,
head toward the mouth of the cave. The femur was only 4½ inches long.
Fifteen feet from east wall, 8 feet from top of rear slope of ashes, a
little more than a foot below the surface, was the closely folded
skeleton of a woman between 20 and 25 years of age. It lay on the
right side, with the head east. The bones were in perfect condition,
even the coccyx being intact. All the teeth were present, solid, and
symmetrically set. Unbroken strata of ashes a foot thick above this
skeleton sagged somewhat owing to settling of loose ashes thrown
around and over the body at time of burial. The skull is shown, front,
profile, and back, in plate 21.
A few inches below these bones, with ashes intervening, were piled
some bones of a child of about 8 years. The caps of the joints were
not adherent, and some of the teeth had not come through the bone. The
skull, which was intact, lay on left side, vertex north, ribs, arm
bones, and feet bones lay on the top, at the back, and at the vertex,
in contact with the skull and with one another. As there was no
evidence that they had ever been disturbed by animals, it would appear
that only the bones mentioned had been deposited; even the lower jaw
was absent. They lay in a mass of kitchen refuse, shells, burned
bones, charcoal, and ashes, the upper layers of which were curved as
if the bones had been laid on a level area of this mixed material and
the rest of it piled over them. Their position, and the small number
of them, indicates that the flesh had been used as food. The skull is
shown in plate 22.
Between this partial skeleton and the complete one above it,
apparently thrown in with the refuse which covered and surrounded
both, were fragments of two large pelvic bones which did not belong to
either of them.
Directly below these burials, 3 feet under the surface, was part of an
infant's skeleton, with five shell disk beads among the bones; the
only instance in which ornaments were found with human bones. The
skull and some other bones were present, but most of the remains had
disappeared into the runway of a burrower.
At several places in the central parts of the cavern, at almost any
level between the top and the bottom of the ashes, were human bones,
singly or a few together, some of them apparently remains of
interments, others carried to the points where found. Most of these
scattered bones were of children or infants; but now and then larger
ones were found, notably two large adult tibiæ which were a foot
apart. While a few of them may have been thrown in with the ashes,
most of this confusion resulted from the activity of rodents, though
some of it was due to desultory former investigations.
At one point was the perfect lower jaw of a child 8 or 10 years old;
with it were a scapula and some vertebræ which may have belonged to
it, also some ribs, vertebræ, and arm bones of an infant. Two or three
of them bore marks of fire, especially an ulna of a child which was
completely charred.
Four feet from east wall, 4 feet below surface, at the beginning of
the slope to the rear, was the skeleton of a child less than 2 years
old. It lay on left side, head east, legs bent, one arm folded with
hand by head, the other along the body; just such a position as would
be assumed by a sleeping infant. Some of the teeth were cut. All the
bones were in place, though soft and brittle; above them was an
unbroken stratum of ashes.
Four feet west of this, 2 feet higher, was the skeleton of a still
younger child.
Sixteen feet from east wall, at the beginning of slope to rear, near
the bottom of the ashes, was an adult's skeleton, extended on back,
head west. Three rocks, weighing from 75 to 300 pounds, were placed
over the body. Most of the bones had disappeared from decay; the
middle third of one tibia was much enlarged by disease, as shown in
plate 23.
Eleven feet east of this, 4 feet below surface, was an adult skeleton,
folded, on right side, head toward rear of the cave. The bones were
spongy and soft. Portions of the feet and legs, most of the pelvis,
the left arm, and some of the vertebræ were present, but there was no
trace of right arm, skull, or shoulders. A slab weighing 100 pounds or
more was set on edge just where the head should have been. One tibia,
the only bone with both ends remaining, measured 14½ inches.
Near the wall, just beyond the break of the slope, was the entire
skeleton of a dog so old that its teeth were rounded and smooth. It
had been killed by a spear thrust entirely through its body, from the
right side, both scapulæ being penetrated; the holes are three-fourths
of an inch in diameter. The skull of a fox was found near this, higher
in the ashes.
Fifteen feet from east wall, halfway down the slope, 18 inches under
surface, was the skeleton of an infant only a few days old. No trace
of pelvis or right leg remained, though all the other bones were well
preserved.
Twenty-four feet from east wall, at beginning of rear slope, was the
complete skeleton of a young child, extended, on back, head toward
rear of cave. The bones showed evidence of disease, as may be seen in
plate 23. The skull is shown in plate 24.
Nineteen feet from east wall, 13 feet from foot of slope, was a hole
4½ inches to 5 inches in diameter, 21 inches deep, extending into the
loose dark earth underlying the ashes. The bottom of the hole was
muddy, being at about the level of the standing water, and contained
charred and decayed remains of oak wood. Ashes, in layers having the
same slope as the surface, extended over it, proving the post (?) to
have been burned some time before the cave was abandoned.
[Illustration: PLATE 22
SKULL OF CHILD FROM MILLER'S CAVE
a, Front; b, profile]
[Illustration: PLATE 23
DISEASED TIBIA OF ADULT AND DISEASED BONES OF CHILD FROM MILLER'S
CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 24
SKULL OF CHILD FROM MILLER'S CAVE
a, Front; b, profile]
[Illustration: PLATE 25
CACHE OF FLINTS FROM ASH BED IN MILLER'S CAVE]
West of the doorway a ledge, projecting from 4 to 6 feet, extended to
the west corner. It was covered 2 feet deep, or less, with ashes
containing the usual refuse. Large rocks lay on this, or had
fallen over it to the clay lying against its lower part, or into
the ashes on the clay.
Near the west wall were four holes in an almost straight
north-and-south line. The first (1), was 29 feet north of the doorway,
18 inches deep and 7 inches in diameter. In it was the clay pipe shown
in figure 14. Number (2), 5 feet from (1), was 24 by 9 inches; No. (3)
2 feet from (2), was 26 by 7 inches; No. (4), 4½ feet from (3), was 30
by 5 inches. Fourteen inches northwest of No. (1) was another hole, 15
by 3 inches. The description on a previous page as to character,
appearance, and contents applies to all these holes; the ashes
extended above all of them in continuous layers.
A little to the west of No. (1) was a small pile of crumbling
fragments of sandstone and limestone used in boiling food.
Near No. (4), a foot under the surface, on the slope, 15 feet from the
water, was a small pile of charcoal on which lay a human scapula, some
vertebræ, fragments of ribs, most of a humerus, and most of a femur of
a person not fully matured; they were of good size but the cap fell
away from the humerus when it was moved. Some of them were without
marks of fire, others were charred, while a few pieces were burned to
cinder. As the mass was surrounded by clean ashes, it could not be
determined whether the charcoal had been burned where found, or had
been carried here. Whichever it was, the bones had been thrown on the
pile.
Thirteen feet just north from the corner of the west wall was a hole
19 by 7 inches which differed from the others in that the bottom
instead of being rounded was irregular, and deeper at one side; the
top, however, showed the usual hemispherical contour.
Two feet from corner of west wall, almost under a point projecting
from it, 4 feet below surface, was a cranium from which the upper jaw,
one orbit, and part of the right parietal were missing; with it were a
lower jaw, a clavicle, a sternum, the bones of the left arm, and some
phalanges, all in good condition, except the ulna, which was broken.
No other bones were present. The skull lay on right side, face toward
the wall; the arm bones were on it, and the other bones by it. With
and around them were some deer bones. The entire lot had the
appearance of being thrown together here at one time, and it would
seem that the flesh of all of them had been eaten.
Fourteen feet north from the corner, halfway down to the water, in the
wet earth at the bottom, were human bones evidently placed here
entire, but so decayed and broken that nothing could be ascertained
except that it seemed a closely folded body or skeleton had been
deposited. The teeth were worn down to the gums.
The refuse behind the corner of the west wall was cleared away as far
as the conditions would permit. The amount of water at the rear of
the cave varies with the rainfall; sometimes it almost disappears,
again it may be fully 2 feet deep; but at all times the earth and
ashes near it are saturated above its lowest level. Consequently, on
account of the mud, excavations could not be carried fully to the end
in either direction. As scarcely anything was found in the last few
feet, this omission was not important.
The entire distance worked over, from the front margin to the line
where no further advance could be made, at 14 feet from the water, was
91 feet. No spot that could be reached throughout this length was left
undug.
The small openings in the west wall presented no features worthy of
special mention; but those in the east wall yielded interesting
results.
First of these was a small cave 39 feet from the main entrance. At the
front its width was 11 feet; 6 feet within it narrowed to 4 feet. A
hole on the north side ended at a crevice that led to a chamber higher
up, from which, in turn, another crevice extended. All this space,
even beyond the point to which a man could worm his way, was filled
with fine earth and ashes containing much refuse. Worked objects were
found at the greatest distance which could be reached.
A few feet within the entrance this minor cave divided into three
parts. A crevice trending northward is too small to follow. The two
others extend in a general easterly direction. The central branch, the
left of the two, also closes within a few feet. Neither of these
contained anything but natural earth. In the one to the right, 7 feet
from the entrance, was a pocket on the south side, 18 inches wide, 30
inches high, and 4 feet deep; it was filled with ashes containing bone
and shell, but no worked object except a flake scraper. At intervals,
within the next few feet, were two mortars, a much used pestle, some
bone awls, and flints, all of them in places where it was scarcely
possible for a man to sit erect, as the tunnel-like cavity,
circumscribed by solid rock, was nowhere as much as 4 feet in
diameter. At its narrowest part it measured only 3 feet high and 18
inches wide.
At 20 feet the cave opens into a well-like enlargement, 5 by 6 feet,
and 5 feet high. Bone and shell in small amounts were found here, and
among them the skiver shown at d in plate 36.
From this well-like cavity three branches start; one continuing in a
direct line east, one to the north, and one to the south. The east
(middle) branch is only 24 inches high and 17 inches wide, with solid
rock all around. It contained ashes, with a little refuse, as far as a
man could reach.
The branch to the north is entered through an opening 3 feet high and
31 inches wide in a thin wall of the original rock, just within which
it widens to nearly 7 feet, holding the same height of 3 feet. Within
this doorway, on the red earth bottom, were a small mortar and a
grinding stone worn by much use; both were stained with red paint. A
foot farther in was part of a skiver; and 2 feet beyond this was a
large knife of white chert almost as clear and compact as chalcedony,
shown at a in plate 27. Ashes continued in the north tunnel for 26
feet from the entrance, beyond which no further progress was possible.
Before this point was reached, the refuse which had been continually
decreasing in amount no longer appeared.
The tunnel leading from the well toward the south is 19 inches high, 3
feet 9 inches wide. At 3 feet it branches; one fork, 2 feet high and
17 inches wide, turns eastward and curves to join the east branch from
the well. The other branch continues south, but soon closes; in it
were found a small piece of an adult's skull and the hip bone of a
young child.
The floors in all the branches of the small cave were covered from 3
to 12 inches deep with a reddish mixture of sand and clay, on which
were ashes filling the space above almost to the roof. In a few places
refuse was found in this silt, of the same general character as that
in the ashes, but in very small amount. This is not significant; such
remains were dragged down by animals, which range everywhere. The two
deposits are quite separated and distinct.
The clay and sand on the rock bottom came from disintegrated rock on
top of the ground outside, or at any rate from some level higher than
that where they are found now; but how ashes, shells, broken bone, and
especially how worked objects came to be in places too contracted for
a man to creep, and where they could be neither carried nor pushed, is
not to be explained except on the hypothesis of a chamber above,
whence they may have worked or may have been thrown down; but at no
place, either in the cave or in the outside surface, could there be
found any evidence of such communication.
Fifty-five feet from the mouth of the cave, in the east wall, is a
crevice into whose lower portion extended the red clay of the cavern
floor. It branched into various tortuous divisions, all of which were
filled with ashes containing a large proportion of refuse. It appeared
at first that all this had settled in, or been thrown in, from the
main cavern; but one branch, having a very irregular outline, was in
such situation and trended upward at such an angle that it could not
have been filled from below. As in similar cases previously noted,
however, no other opening to it was to be found. The smallest workman
cleared it out to as great a distance as he could crawl and use a
trowel, but did not succeed in reaching the end of the deposits.
At the bottom of the crevice were ground-hog burrows extending between
loose rocks, under ledges, and into the red clay. All these were
followed as far as they could be, and found to contain quantities of
refuse. There was also a considerable amount of fine dark earth in the
burrows, showing they have another outlet somewhere. Occasionally a
mass thrown out by a shovel or a trowel contained more refuse than
ashes. There was nearly everything which was found elsewhere in the
cave, and almost every shovelful contained something worth preserving.
Near the rear of the cave erosion of the lower part of the eastern
wall formed a rudely triangular recess or cavity 30 feet long by 7
feet deep at the widest part. The upper margin of this was below the
surface of the ashes, so that its existence was not suspected until
these had been removed from in front of it. The roof was 5 feet above
the rock bottom, the entire space being filled with loose material.
The upper 2 feet of this was clean ashes in which were great
quantities of refuse, so much that it had all the appearance of a
general dumping ground. Below this depth, patches of fine dark earth
were mingled with the ashes and refuse. The latter continually
decreased in quantity, until at a foot above the bottom they ceased
altogether, the lower portion of the deposit consisting of nothing but
earth. The pure ashes were slightly damp; and the moisture increased
with the depth until at a foot above the bottom the earth was
saturated and could no longer be removed with tools.
The refuse in the ashes consisted of animal bones, entire or in
fragments; broken flints and pottery; mussel and snail shells; and
numerous wrought objects. These continued, though in smaller amount,
where the ashes were mingled with earth, though bones and shells were
soft owing to the moisture, and could be removed only in fragments.
Among them were the flint shown at a in plate 28, and the hematite ax,
at a, plate 29. The latter was at the lowest level to which the ashes
extended; perhaps its weight caused it to settle below the place at
which it originally lay.
Near the middle of this chamber, 2 feet from the rear wall, lying at
the bottom of the mixed ashes and earth, were 12 entire and 3 broken
leaf-shaped blades; they were not closely piled, or arranged in any
order, but seem to have been hastily or carelessly laid or thrown on a
small space. Another was found a foot away. They are shown in plate
25.
[Illustration: PLATE 26 FLINTS FROM MILLER'S CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 27 FLINTS FROM MILLER'S CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 28 FLINTS FROM MILLER'S CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 29 AXES AND PESTLES FROM MILLER'S CAVE]
Here and there among the refuse were found the upper jaw, with left
orbit, of a young person; a fragment of an occiput, perhaps belonging
with the above though not lying near it; fragments of the skull of a
young child; half of an ulna of a child probably 12 years old; a small
fragment of the lower jaw of an adult with one molar remaining in it,
which has been burned until black. These fragments were all in such
position and condition as to show they were not carried in by animals;
were not disinterred from graves and placed here; were not in any
way accidentally present; but had been gathered up with the refuse and
thrown in as a part of it. The broken or burned condition of these, as
well as of other human bones found at random among the ashes of the
main cave, are presumptive evidence that dwellers here sometimes
devoured the flesh of human beings; and the fact that a majority of
such bones are those of children indicates that it was not eaten
through a belief that the valor and skill of an enemy could be thus
absorbed by the victor, but that it was used as food, like the flesh
of any other animal. Such conclusion may not be justified; but the
facts are not readily accounted for otherwise, except on the equally
repulsive hypothesis that the inmates of the cave were brutally
indifferent to the bodies or skeletal remains of their fellows.
Omitting this question from consideration, however, there is still
ample evidence that the inhabitants of Miller's Cave were in a low
state of savagery, or, if the phrase be preferred, in a very primitive
stage of culture. There was a remarkable paucity of articles used as
ornaments or for personal decoration, and the few that were found were
simple and crude, being only rubbed stones or rough pieces of bones
which were possibly intended for beads or pendants. The pottery, while
strong and serviceable, was plain in form and devoid of any
ornamentation or design except that a few pieces showed impressions
such as would be made by scratching or pressing with the end of a
small stick or bone. Nearly all of it was cord-marked, though some was
smooth, one red piece appearing almost glazed. It varied much in
thickness, hardness, and color. Most of it was dark gray, some red,
occasionally a piece yellowish or nearly white; due to the different
clays of which it was made. So far as observed it was tempered with
shell. The shards were small, as if when a pot was broken the
fragments were still further demolished. The curvature showed there
was a wide range in size, from about a pint to 2 gallons or more.
Their mortars were natural blocks or slabs of sandstone, such as may
be picked up by thousands in the immediate neighborhood, and showed no
alteration of form beyond ordinary wear except that the rough faces of
a few were pecked, apparently with a pointed flint tool, to make them
less irregular. Some were flat and smooth from use with a muller or
grinding stone; most of them were worked or hollowed on only one face;
a few showed depressions on both sides; one had a few hemispherical
indentations near the margin, like those observed in cup-stones.
Only one pestle was dressed into any of the forms which we are
accustomed to associate with the name, and this was a truncated cone
with rounded top, shown at b in plate 29. All the others were
cobblestones from ravines or the river shore. A few had undergone no
change in form; most of them were battered on the perimeter; a few had
pitted sides; some had been used as pestles, mullers, or grinding
stones until the surface was more or less smooth. All such stones are
classed as "pestles," for convenience; they could have also been used
as hammers, bone crushers, and in various other ways.
In all, 73 mortars were found; counting only those stones which bore
marks of use as such. The largest one was at the bottom of the ashes,
near the doorway. There were more than 100 pestles which bore evidence
of much use; and probably as many more on which there was little or no
sign of wear. As the cavern was not of sufficient size to provide
living quarters for many families at any one time--10 or 12 at the
most--the large number of these utensils may imply that the inmates
would not use an object which had previously belonged to some one
else.
Among the flint implements there was a wide range in the character of
stone, the shape, and the degree of finish, although the variation in
size was quite limited. Very few of them may be classed as either
large or small. The longest, shown at a in plate 28, measured 5½
inches; few were more than 4 or less than 2 inches. Tapering stems
predominated. The principal forms are shown in plates 26-28. Only
three arrowheads were found; but this was to be expected, as arrows
would be used only out of doors. One of these of clear, fine-grained
pink and white chert, shown at b in plate 28, so far surpasses in
delicate finish any other specimen secured that it is probably exotic.
The large number of cores, blocks, spalls, and flakes shows that many
implements were made and repaired here. But, while a few specimens
showed that their fabricators were masters of the chipping art, most
of them were roughly finished. Some which are so little altered from
the original form of the rough flake or spall that they would be
classed as "rejects" if found about a flint workshop have a smoothness
or "hand polish" which denotes much service. There is the possibility,
of course, that hunting or traveling parties from some other part of
the country may have availed themselves of the shelter, either when it
was temporarily unoccupied, or as guests of those living in it; and
that these, also, may have left some small articles when they
departed. However this may have been, all the objects from the top to
the bottom of the deposits, in dry ashes or in sticky mud, in crevices
or branch caverns, on the red clay, the barren muck, or the
bedrock--all, if we may except the few flints of superior
workmanship--are identical in general character: That is to say, any
object from any part of the deposited material had its practical
duplicate at various other points on different levels.
Only three grooved axes and three pestles were found. They are shown
in plate 29, along with a cobblestone used as a pestle.
[Illustration: PLATE 30 BONE IMPLEMENTS FROM MILLER'S CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 31 BONE IMPLEMENTS FROM MILLER'S CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 32 BONE IMPLEMENTS FROM MILLER'S CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 33 BONE IMPLEMENTS FROM MILLER'S CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 34 BONE AND ANTLER IMPLEMENTS FROM MILLER'S
CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 35 ANTLER IMPLEMENTS FROM MILLER'S CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 36 SKIVERS, SHOWING STAGES OF MANUFACTURE,
FROM MILLER'S CAVE]
[Illustration: PLATE 37 SHELL SPOONS, POTTERY DISKS, AND BROKEN
SPOON MADE OF A DEER'S SKULL, FROM MILLER'S CAVE]
The cave was especially rich in objects wrought from bone and antler.
A few of these are shown in plates 30-36 and figure 15.
[Illustration: FIG. 15.--Perforated bone object from Miller's
Cave.]
Plate 36 illustrates four stages in the manufacture of skivers. It
shows that instead of being always rubbed down from its natural form
the bone was sometimes split by blows of a stone hammer until
complete, subsequent smoothing probably resulting from use, as shown
by the implement at c. When skivers were broken, the ends were dressed
down for other uses; as observed in the upper row of plate 32.
Shell spoons, knives, and scrapers were abundant. Some are shown in
plate 37, along with perforated pottery disks and the bowl of a spoon
made from the frontal bone of a deer.
Figure 16 represents the only adz or gouge form implement found. It is
made of gray chert, the edge highly polished. In figure 17 is shown a
broken clay pipe, identical in form and material with that in figure
14.
[Illustration: FIG. 16.--Adz or gouge of chert from Miller's
Cave.]
The red clay which had formed the floor of the excavated area from the
mouth of the cavern to well past the central portion suddenly dipped
to the north and to the east shortly before reaching the corner of the
west wall. Attempts to follow it downward were frustrated by black
earth, which when dug with pick or shovel assumed the consistency of
"hog-wallow mud."
For a space of 4 or 5 feet inside the doorway, whose floor was about 3
feet higher than the average surface level in the cave, the ashes were
not more than a foot thick, the clay rising to this extent. It spread
out fan shape, with a continuous slope for several yards in every
direction, thus making an easy grade for entrance and exit.
There are three ways in which this condition could have been brought
about.
First, the aborigines may have constructed a graded way; though it is
not at all likely they would have piled the clay so far to each side.
Secondly, it may have washed through the doorway from the outer cave
when the main outlet of the latter in the face of the bluff toward D
(fig. 13) was obstructed in some way. This is improbable.
Thirdly, it may be due to material deposited in the eddy or swirl
created by the corner of the west wall whenever a large volume of
drainage water flowed from the westward in the main cave and was
sharply deflected toward the south when it struck the east wall. This
is no doubt the correct explanation.
Whether or not these floods had any part in piling up the clay at the
doorway, beyond doubt it was to them that the clay, gravel, and sand
resting upon the floor of the main cave owe their origin. To them is
likewise due the dark earth overlying the clay at the rear and
covering the floor of the recess in the east wall. Clearly, there was
at one time in the cave's history a current at intervals, which
carried mud and small rocks from the interior of the cave, or from the
outside surface through sink holes, and left at least a part of it
where the velocity of the stream was checked. Later, much of this
water found other drainage channels, and the coarser matter could no
longer be carried into the cave; but at times of unusually heavy
precipitation enough of the torrent followed the old course to bring
in the dark earth. The last is due to top soil containing a large
amount of humus from decaying vegetation. Finally, no more water came
this way except as seepage, which is the condition at present.
[Illustration: FIG. 17.--Clay pipe from Miller's Cave.]
The pool at the rear may be entirely empty in dry seasons; and after
heavy rains may contain a depth of 2 feet. This water now has a greasy
looking scum and a sour, unpleasant odor.
The cave was inhabited before the water had entirely ceased to flow
through it; this is proven by the alternation of refuse and silt in
the recess under the east wall. Kitchen waste would be thrown here,
and when the water rose sediment would cover it. There was then dry
ground near the doorway; and the water in the pool, having an outlet
toward the east, through the crevice, was fit for use, except,
perhaps, when turbid.
On the rear slope, 18 feet from the water, the excavation was carried
to the level of the bottom of the pool. The lower 2 feet was mud, and
at the bottom water oozed in. Scattered through this muddy earth was
much charcoal in small fragments; and for a short distance it also
occurred for a few inches below the surface of the red clay. This
charcoal was carried in by the water at the same time as the earth
with which it was associated, and must b
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