Fort Rock Cave | |
%2c_1966.jpg) University of Oregon archaeological excavations at Fort Rock Cave, 1966 | |
| Location | Address restricted[1] |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Fort Rock, Oregon |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000641 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | January 20, 1961 |
Fort Rock Cave was the site of the earliest evidence of human habitation in the US state ofOregon before the excavation of thePaisley Caves. Fort Rock Cave featured numerous well-preserved sagebrush sandals, ranging from 9,000 to 13,000 years old.[2]The cave is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west ofFort Rock nearFort Rock State Natural Area inLake County.[3] Fort Rock Cave was declared aNational Historic Landmark in 1961, and added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1966.[4]
The cave was found onReub Long's ranch. It was formerly known as Menkenmaier Cave and Cow Cave.[5][6]
Fort Rock Cave sits in theFort Rock formation, and shares geological similarities to its surroundings, with presence of Hayes Butte basalt, and exposed Pliocene-era lava.[7][8][9] Additionally, there is pumice and ash fromMount Mazama (deposited by the explosion formingCrater Lake about 7600 years ago).[9] The opening of the cave is approximately 70 feet across, with a depth of near 60 feet, making it the largest cave in the Fort Rock area. Oriented facing the southeast, the combination of depth and position protect it from winds and summer heat.[9] Archaeological excavators identified four stratum of material in the cave: a bottom gravel layer, a silty brown layer, pumice and ash from Mt. Mazama, topped by a light tan sandy layer.[9] Parts of the cave are collapsed, leaving some large boulders, which were involved in the excavations.[9][10]
Excavations of the site began in 1938 led byLuther Cressman and his team of University of Oregon, and continued into the next year.[10] At this time, Cressman unearthed a number of sandals, with damage and charring, and used a chemical preservative to prevent further decay. Unknowing at the time, this would prevent radiocarbon dating of these artifacts.[11] Cressman returned as an overseer to Stephen Bedwell in 1966 and 1967, to continue excavating the site. Upon their return, they found that the cave had been looted and vandalized, compromising the integrity of much of the area.[9][10] However, a few areas under large fallen boulders were protected fromdisturbance, and were excavated at this time.[9] Both periods of excavation provided limited documentation in comparison to modern archaeological data practices, causing issues for further archaeological study of the artifacts removed.[10] Additionally, use of backhoes and dynamite at the site during the excavations in the 60s caused much destruction to the site. Some artifacts recovered during this second period of excavation were able to be dated by the Gakushuin Laboratory, generating further questioning of the integrity of the study, as this lab has generated erroneous data.[10]
Anthropologist Luther Cressman and his team recovered a significant collection of artifacts from under theMazama Ash, dating those artifacts to more than 7,000 years ago.[11][12] This collection included wooden artifacts, stone tools, shell beads, obsidian, basket fragments, and, most famously, 95 sandals woven from sagebrush bark (some of these sandals are now displayed at theUniversity of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History and in the town ofFort Rock). While the dry climate helped preserve these ancient sandals, exposure to the ash caused most of them to be charred, leading to Cressman's decision to chemically preserve them. This sandal style is known as Fort Rock style, since they were first discovered there and is distinct from other variants; they are flat, closed toed and have a twined sole.[13] They have been found at other sites, such as Cougar Mountain andCatlow Caves, as well.[14][15] A local Fort Rock resident was responsible for finding a fragment of woven material which was eligible for dating, placing it around 9000 years ago.[12] Some of these woven artifacts had diagonal twining and false embroidery decorative techniques, suggesting that these techniques were present in the region at that time.[10][11] Additional artifacts found after the initial excavations included projectile points, obsidian and stone tools, and faunal remains, as well as more sandals.[10][16] Calibrated radiocarbon dates from this set of artifacts estimated dates in the early Holocene period, approximately 10,000 years ago.[10] The oldest dating from this site comes from a piece of charcoal dated to 13,000 BP, a date that has been debated by some archaeologists.[9]
Lithic artefacts from the cave are classified as part of theWestern Stemmed Tradition, which was widespread across theIntermountain West during the latest Pleistocene-early Holocene.[17]
Board directors said the proposal is not a name change – the cavern, oldest known habitation of man in the region, has been known over the years by various names, Menkenmaier Cave, Fort Rock Cave and Cow Cave. It has been known in recent years as Fort Rock Cave, and this has resulted in much confusion with the Fort Rock formation, about a mile and a half to the east. ... Several years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Long formally presented the cave, on Reub Long's land, to the U.S. Park Service. The cave got its Cow Cavern name because Long's cattle sought shelter there from winter storms. ... The Fort Rock basin cave won national attention in 1938 when Dr. L. S. Cressman, University of Oregon anthropologist, found in the old cave a cache of sandals made from sagebrush.
About two miles northwest of the rock is Fort Rock Cave, where the discovery in 1938 of prehistoric sandals established the Fort Rock basin as the oldest known habitat of man in the Oregon country. Anthropologists set the radio-carbon age of the sandals at around 9,000 years. The cave is located on what was once Reub Long's "home" ranch.
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