By: Cave Spelunking
Mammoth Cave is included in the Mammoth Cave National Park in central Kentucky. Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world. Mammoth Cave tours have been conducted for the public since 1816, but Mammoth Cave is a treasure trove of information about prehistoric life on our planet.
Prehistoric people left evidence of their existence in Mammoth Cave over many, many centuries. And scientists are still probing for more answers to their questions about prehistoric life.
According to a somewhat disputed legend, the first European to discover Mammoth Cave was John Houchin, in 1797. It's said that while he was hunting, Houchin chased a wounded bear to the cave's large entrance opening near the Green River.
Evidence of humans having been in Mammoth Cave spans at least 6,000 years, and could be much longer. There have been human early American Indian remains found in the cave. There's also evidence of intentional burial of human remains that date back well before Columbus discovered America.
Interestingly, in 1935 the remains of an American Indian adult male were discovered under a boulder. He was apparently the victim of a mining accident. The boulder had shifted and settled onto his skeleton. The remains of the ancient accident victim were named "Lost John" and exhibited to the public until the 1970s.
The remains of "Lost John" were buried in a secret location in Mammoth Cave for the purpose of preservation. Political sensitivities to the public display of Native American remains probably had more to do with the burial of the remains, however, than did preservation concerns.
Today there are several federal and state laws that protect the ancient artifacts and human remains that are still in Mammoth Cave. Even slightly moving an artifact from the position in which it is found destroys all of its research value, so explorers are training to document, not touch.
Rock On & Keep Spelunking...
Cave Spelunking.
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Mammoth Cave can be described in one word. Massive! It’s the world’s largest cave system and it’s continuously growing each and every year. Even today, there are miles and miles of cave passages that have still not been explored and mapped.
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