Hello, and welcome back to our blog on the National Park
Service. In this post we are visiting an
archaeological site in northern Alabama at Russell Cave National Monument.
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| Entrance Sign |
BACKGROUND:
Beginning
approximately ten thousand years ago, a small cave beside a natural spring in what
is now northern Alabama served as a shelter for ancient humans. From that time up until the era when Europeans
arrived in the western hemisphere, the cave served as a home for generations of
ancient Native American peoples.
However,
it was not until recently that any of this information was known. Beginning in the 1950s, two archaeological expeditions
were conducted to discover the secrets of who might have lived there. The treasure trove of ancient artifacts
unearthed at the cave provided archaeologists and historians with valuable
information on the early inhabitants of North America. The cave, known as Russell Cave after a
former landowner from the colonial era, was purchased by the National
Geographic Society and donated to the U.S. Government so it may be preserved
for the public, becoming a unit of the National Park Service in 1961.
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| The entrance to Russell Cave, with a small stream from a natural spring flowing into it. The area of the cave where the archaeological digs took place is the opening at the upper right. |
THE MONUMENT:
Russell
Cave National Monument is located at the base of a small mountain in northern
Alabama, near the Tennessee state line and the city of Chattanooga. The National Park Service owns a small tract
of land in the shape of two connected squares that go up the side of the
mountain. From the Monument visitor
center, a boardwalk leads to the mouth of Russell Cave where the archaeological
digs took place. Although the cave system
is extensive, only the opening of the cave where the archaeological digs were
performed can be visited. A nature trail
leads up the side of the mountain. The
visitor center contains exhibits and artifacts from the cave as well as a short film.
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| The prehistoric shelter at Russell Cave. Note the square where earth was dug out during the excavations. |
TRAVEL TIPS:
Russell
Cave National Monument is approximately a forty-five-minute drive west of
Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Monument is
open from 8am to 4:30 pm, year-round with holiday exceptions. Visitors are reminded to note that Russell
Cave is just inside the central time zone unlike nearby Chattanooga. Visitors are also urged to heed all warnings
and information given at the Monument regarding bats and White Nose Disease. The Monument is mostly handicapped accessible
with the exception of the mountain nature trail. Passport Stamps can be found at the visitor
center.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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| A view from the nearby road showing the small mountain which Russell Cave lays at the base of. |
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| Originals and replicas of artifacts uncovered during the excavations at Russell Cave on display at the visitor center. |
