Research Cave | |
   | |
| Nearest city | Portland, Missouri |
|---|---|
| NRHP reference No. | 66000415 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966[1] |
| Designated NHL | July 19, 1964[2] |
Research Cave, also known as theArnold Research Cave and theSaltpetre Cave, and designated by theSmithsonian trinomial23CY64, is a majorNative American archaeological site nearPortland, Missouri.[1] Investigation of the site has uncovered evidence of human habitation as far back as 8,000 years. The site was designated aNational Historic Landmark in 1964;[1] it has been recommended for de-designation due to looting.[2]
The cave is located in anoutcrop ofsandstone approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Portland, overlooking theMissouri River.[3]: 2 The cave is substantially more than arock shelter, with interior chambers accessible by low passages. When white settlers moved to the area in the early 19th century, one of them, John Phillips, began miningsaltpetre from the cave for the manufacture ofgunpowder. A later long-term owner was H.A. Arnold, giving the cave the name by which it is most commonly known. It has been the subject of archaeological interest since the mid-1950s, with intermixed materials that date back an estimate seven to ten thousand years. Finds at the cave are particularly notable for fine examples of footwear. The cave has produced several of North America's oldest human clothing finds including a pair of leather wrapped moccasins dating back 5,500 years ago.[4] The site has been repeatedly disturbed, both by burrowing animals, and previously laid layers of cultural materials have been disturbed by subsequent occupants of the cave.[5] By the early 1980s alterations to deposits at the cave mouth by the property owner had compromised some of the materials.[6]
38°44′4.7″N91°44′32.2″W / 38.734639°N 91.742278°W /38.734639; -91.742278
