The American Museum Journal 



Volume XVII APRIL, 1917 Number 4 



Kentucky and Her Cave Men 



FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE WILDERNESS MADE FAMOUS BY THE 



EXPLOITS OF DANIEL BOONE, TOGETHER WITH A GLIMPSE 



INTO THAT MYSTERIOUS UNDERGROUND WORLD 



EXPLORED AND OCCUPIED BY EARLY 



ABORIGINES OF AMERICA 



By N. C. NELSON 



Spurred on partly by the success of cave archaeology in Europe and partly by the supposed 

 failure of cave archajology in this country, the American Museum last summer made a 

 preliminary investigation of a series of caverns and rock shelters in the state of Kentucky, 

 This general locality was chosen deliberately as being well south of the limits of glaciation and 

 in some respects similar to the regions in which flourished the cave peoples of Europe. The 

 quest was not precisely to find America's Palaeolithic man — although such a possibility could 

 not be ignored. It was rather to ascertain whether in the caves of the Middle Mississippi 

 country there was any trace of a relatively primitive stage of aboriginal development that 

 might have given rise to the mound-builder culture as we know it at its best. In this the 

 writer, who conducted the investigation, is at least morally certain that he succeeded. 



In the spring of the year, after consulting with Professor Arthur M. Miller of the geolog- 

 ical department of the State University at Lexington, two series of caves and rock shelters 

 were inspected: one along the Kentucky River, south of Lexington, and the other along 

 the Green River in the vicinity of the famous Mammoth Cave. This last named and the 

 neighboring caverns were especially attractive because they had yielded valuable archaeolog- 

 ical data for more than a century; and only four years ago the Honorable Albert C. Janin, 

 of Washington, D. C, a trustee of the Mammoth Cave estate, generously presented to the 

 American Museum, among other things, several choice textile specimens found in a large but 

 less renowned cave on his property, known as the Salts Cave. The same gentleman, when last 

 fall it became apparent that the Mammoth Cave entrance had served the aborigines as a 

 camping place, was immediately interested and gladly gave permission for excavation. Onlv 

 about five weeks' time was given to the work, but the results, though limited in themselves, 

 amply Avarrant extended future investigations. — The Author. 



THE ancient cave dwellers of Eu- only are \vu beginning to find explana- 

 rope, silenced by untold millen- tions for things as they are in respect 

 niums, have now almost come to mankind, but also we are learning 

 into their own. After barely a half to look with absolute confidence to the 

 century of labor we see at last in dim future. The recent book on The Men 

 outline our rude progenitors — their of the Old Stone Age, by Henry Fair- 

 face and form, their simple everyday field Osborn, marks a long step toward 

 existence, and just a glimmering of the viewpoint from which we, like the 

 their feeling for the conditions which gods, shall be able to see the beginning 

 surrounded them. And as a result not from the end. But our advance is only 



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