Fort Rock Cave | |
,_1966.jpg) University of Oregon archaeological excavations at Fort Rock Cave, 1966 | |
| Location | Address restricted[1] |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Fort Rock, Oregon |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000641 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | January 20, 1961 |
Fort Rock Cave was the site of the earliest evidence of human habitation in the US state of Oregon before the excavation of the Paisley Caves. Fort Rock Cave featured numerous well-preserved sagebrush sandals, ranging from 9,000 to 13,000 years old.[2] The cave is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Fort Rock near Fort Rock State Natural Area in Lake County.[3] Fort Rock Cave was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.[4]
The cave was found on Reub Long's ranch. It was formerly known as Menkenmaier Cave and Cow Cave.[5][6]
- ^ Federal and state laws and practices restrict general public access to information regarding the specific location of this resource. In some cases, this is to protect archaeological sites from vandalism, while in other cases it is restricted at the request of the owner. See: Knoerl, John; Miller, Diane; Shrimpton, Rebecca H. (1990), Guidelines for Restricting Information about Historic and Prehistoric Resources, National Register Bulletin, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, OCLC 20706997.
- ^ Robbins, William G. (2005). Oregon: This Storied Land. Oregon Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87595-286-0.
- ^ "Fort Rock Cave, Oregon". Archeological Society of Central Oregon. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
- ^ Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon Historic Sites Database, retrieved June 20, 2014.
- ^ Brogan, Phil (June 16, 1975). "Geographic board okays naming cave after Long". The Bulletin. p. 2. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
Board directors said the proposal is not a name change – the cavern, oldest known habitation of man in the region, has been known over the years by various names, Menkenmaier Cave, Fort Rock Cave and Cow Cave. It has been known in recent years as Fort Rock Cave, and this has resulted in much confusion with the Fort Rock formation, about a mile and a half to the east. ... Several years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Long formally presented the cave, on Reub Long's land, to the U.S. Park Service. The cave got its Cow Cavern name because Long's cattle sought shelter there from winter storms. ... The Fort Rock basin cave won national attention in 1938 when Dr. L. S. Cressman, University of Oregon anthropologist, found in the old cave a cache of sandals made from sagebrush.
- ^ "Fort Rock: It's too small for a beer license". The Bulletin. September 1, 1970. p. 7. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
About two miles northwest of the rock is Fort Rock Cave, where the discovery in 1938 of prehistoric sandals established the Fort Rock basin as the oldest known habitat of man in the Oregon country. Anthropologists set the radio-carbon age of the sandals at around 9,000 years. The cave is located on what was once Reub Long's "home" ranch.