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Pictograph Cave State Park
has evidence of habitation dating back 4500 years. Three caves and a
fantastic interpretive center are open year round for visitors to explore.
Take I-90 to exit 452, then go 6 miles south - Cost on this date was
$6 on this date was per vehicle. Below: A couple of travel photos as
the two RV Gypsies approached Pictograph Cave State Park. (Note: Some
pages have a lot of photographs, so be sure to give each page time to
load). |
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Below; Travel
photos on the way to Pictograph Cave State Park. |
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 Pictograph
Cave is a 23-acre area of three caves (Pictograph, Middle,
and Ghost caves) located 5 miles south of Billings, Montana, United
States. Excavation of the three caves began in 1937, and they were the
site of some of Montana's first professional archeological studies.
Over 30,000 artifacts have been identified, with at least 20,000 animal
remains recovered from the site. Species range from large mammalian
species, including bison and elk, to various species of herpetiles (reptiles
and amphibians) and birds. The presence of these remains result from
human predation, processing and consumption as well as non-human (carnivores
and raptors) predation and individual species who lived and died in
and around the site.
Paintings known as pictographs are still visible in Pictograph Cave,
which is the largest of the three caves. The pictographs are thought
to be between 200 and 2,100 years old. However their interpretations
are still debated over. The oldest pictograph is that of a turtle, radio-carbon
dated to be approximately 2,100 years old. These pictographs are paintings
of animals, warriors, and even rifles that document the story of the
Native Americans of the area for thousands of years.
The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.
Above quote from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
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Below; The two
RV Gypsies started up the Ghost Cave Trail. It consisted of loose gravel,
so it was a bit slippery and also a bit steep. But they had on good
hiking shoes, so it was not a problem for them. However, Karen Duquette
did see a young girl almost fall because she was in flip-flops. |
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Below; Karen
Duquette stopped half way up the trail and had Lee Duquette continue
around the corner first and walk a bit up the next part of the trail,
because she knew right where she wanted him to stand so in order to
take the picture shown below on the right. |
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The natural shelters
are nestled in a sandstone bluff on a well-traversed path. The cave
complex has long been a site of mystical power, a culturally significant
gathering place for American Indians. |
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After rounding
another corner on the Ghost Cave Trail, the two RV Gypsies paused to
take photos of the area and trails from a lookout section. |
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As the two RV
Gypsies approached the Ghost Cave, Lee Duquette said he saw a face on
the side of the cliff - see the photo below on the right. Do you see
it? |
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Lee Duquette
was amazed at the big balls attached to the Ghost Cave. |
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Below: A view
of the parking lot. |
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Below: Leaving
the Ghost Cave, the trail was not maintained. |
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Below;
The two RV Gypsies then came to the second cave, Middle Cave.
Actually they thought of it more of an indent in the cliff. |
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Below: Karen Duquette
very carefully walked up a short but steep loose-gravel slope to get
a closer look at the cave area. Lee Duquette did not get the gravel
slope in the photo which would have shown the depth of the cave. |
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Below: The two
RV Gypsies just outside of the cave area shown above. The side of the
cliff was very jagged. |
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Below: Lee Duquette
walked by some very large fallen chunks of the cliff. |
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Below: Views of
the area, as the two RV Gypsies continue walking along the trail towards
Pictograph Cave. |
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Below: Looking
up from the trail at the tall side of a cliff. |
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Below; The two RV Gypsies arrived at the bottom of the Ghost Cave trail. Then
they went around the corner, past a resting bench and sprawling tree,
then up another trail to Pictograph Cave. |
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