Header Map
Welcome to the Pictograph Cave State Park Electronic Field Trip. This is your entrance to the magical place on the American Great Plains where thousands of years ago ancient American Indians lived, hunted and painted pictographs on cave walls.

You will explore the three caves of the park and learn about the mysterious paintings and artifacts found there. You will find out how the caves formed and investigate the archeological excavation of the caves as well as recent conservation efforts. You will also learn about Native American culture as well as the flora and fauna of the park. Most of all, your sense of wonder cannot help being renewed by the picturesque surroundings and amazing history of Pictograph Cave State Park.


Click on the "Electronic Field Trip Button" to visit the caves.

Use the "Play," "Stop" and "Rewind" buttons when available to hear Archaeological Conservator J. Claire Dean recite the red text.

 

Hello, my name is Claire Dean, and I am here to take you on an amazing field trip to Pictograph Cave. I'm an archeologist and an archeological conservator. An archeologist is a person who likes to find and study things made by ancient people and then figure out how those people lived long ago. An archeological conservator is a person who looks after the things that the archeologists find.

Being an archeologist is like trying to solve a Goosebumps mystery every day. Only it's not make believe, these mysteries are for real. On this field trip, we are going to step into a real-life mystery.

We are going to explore three caves where ancient people lived thousands of years ago. These ancient people left some of their belongings in the caves. They also painted strange pictures on the cave walls. We might ask ourselves: Why did these people live here? What do their paintings mean? We know a few things, but it's still a mystery to us.

Our field trip will take us up a narrow winding path to the three caves. As we walk, try to imagine what it would be like to live in a cave without electricity or running water. Try to imagine what you would paint on the cave walls. Maybe you will be the one who solves the mystery.