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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.

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.

What is Pictograph Cave State Park?
Pictograph Cave State Park is a place where there are three large caves carved by wind and water in the towering sandstone cliffs. Thousands of years ago, people came to live in the caves while they hunted. These people didn't live here all of the time, but they left behind pictures that they painted on the walls and some of their belongings.
Montana and the Northern Great Plains Region are known for extensive landscapes and scenic beauty. It is a beautiful place, but survival long ago was difficult here. Hot, dry summers and cold, windy and sometimes snowy winters threatened the very lives of the first people who lived here.
Shelter, water and food were abundant. Even though this area was not continuously inhabited like many prehistoric sites in the southwestern United States, it was used as a temporary camp for thousands of years. The cave provided shelter from the summer sun, the rains of spring and fall, and the winds and snows of winter. A spring flowed in a coulee near the caves, and game was plentiful in the surrounding plains. Travelers and hunters probably relied on this site as a place to rest, repair tools and weapons and to cook and dry meat.
Pictograph Cave State Park is located seven miles south of Billings, Montana in the majestic sandstone cliffs that are characteristic of this area. Visitors can walk paved paths to see the three ancient caves, called Pictograph Cave, Middle Cave and Ghost Cave, once the living quarters of prehistoric hunters. In Pictograph Cave, they see the ancient paintings that these people created, telling the stories of their time. Visitors also learn about the people who lived here as well as about the plants, animals and geological formations of the 23-acre park. The park is accessible April 15 through October 15. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.

What makes this park special?
People who lived near the caves always knew that there were curious pictures painted on the walls of the caves. They called this place Indian Cave or Inscription Cave. It was not until about 60 years ago that they discovered the many items that the ancient people had left behind. These items are called artifacts, and they tell us how the ancient people lived so long ago.
Although a popular place for residents of Billings, Montana to visit in the early 1900s, it was not until more than a third of a century later that the archeological significance of the site was discovered. Early in 1937, a group of local visitors discovered arrow points, bones and other artifacts in the cave.
Later that same year, an archeological excavation project was organized under the New Deal program know as the (WPA) Works Progress Administration. In 1937 and 1938, about 15 to 20 workers under the supervision of Melvin Sayre and Oscar T. Lewis uncovered more than 30,000 artifacts from Pictograph Cave and Ghost Cave. These artifacts included arrow points, the bones of all large mammals known to this region, pieces of baskets and footwear, and sherds of pottery. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.

Who lived here long after the ancient people left?
Native Americans and settlers made the area around the caves their home many years after the ancient people left. Look out into the valley from high up near the caves and imagine the stagecoaches and trains that crossed the land where the ancient people once hunted.
Native Americans hunted and gathered food in the area when they lived here. Later, settlers claimed the land for farms and ranches. They built schools, roads and railroads. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.

Why is Bitter Creek bitter?
Watch the sunlight sparkle on Bitter Creek as it flows in the valley below the caves. It's bitter because it contains minerals that give it an unpleasant taste. Animals don't seem to mind the taste. They drink the water anyway. Sometimes, Bitter Creek becomes much larger and swifter when the snow melts in the mountains in the spring or when it rains very hard.
The intermittent stream below the caves in the valley provides water for wild animals just as it has for thousands of years. The water tastes bitter due to the high levels of natural minerals and alkali, so it is not ideal for humans. At the mouth of Bitter Creek is one of the best Yellowstone River fords. During spring runoff and occasional heavy rains, this peaceful stream can be a raging torrent for short periods of time.
"One very vivid recollection was a cloudburst in about 1914 when Bitter Creek resembled the Yellowstone River. I think all of our hogs were drowned. A field of recently cut hay lodged against a hay rake left in the field and the rake was never found. It probably wound up in the Yellowstone (or maybe the Missouri). Who knows? Nearly all of the young turkeys and chickens were washed out from under their mothers who sought to hover them." Recollection of Kenneth Valentine. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.

What animals live in the area of the caves?
See the fuzzy little creatures that peak out from behind the jumbled rocks? Those are marmots. The caves were a good place for ancient hunters to live because there were many kinds of animals. They hunted the animals for food, made warm clothing from soft animal fur and shaped tools from the bones.
During the time that the ancient hunters lived here there were lizards, snakes, rabbits, gophers, deer, foxes and buffalo. The most visible among the rodents are marmots and cottontail rabbits, which are numerous in most years and seem quite tame. The Yellow-bellied Marmot is smaller and has more orange and reddish tones in his coat than his cousin, the Hoary Marmot. The Yellow-bellied Marmot lives in rocky areas at lower elevations throughout Montana. Marmots are true hibernators and are only active from spring until September. Marmots do not store food; they put on large amounts of fat by early fall. Also called Rockchucks, they feed on various grasses. Native Americans used the marmots for food and the soft fur for clothing.
Other mammals that are seen less frequently in the area include chipmunks, porcupines, raccoons and skunks. Pocket gophers are abundant and make their presence known by the dirt mounds and tunnels visitors see on the ground. Larger mammals also occupy the area, including mule deer, fox and coyote. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.

Welcome to the 2nd Station : Formation of Caves

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What are pictographs?
See the mysterious pictures on the cave walls? The ancient people who lived in the caves painted these pictures. These paintings are called pictographs. Just as the pictures you draw or paint tell a story, so do the paintings on the walls of the caves. The ancient people painted turtles, shields, warriors, guns and many other things that were important to them. That is why the first cave, the only cave with paintings, is called Pictograph Cave.
Pictographs are painted images. They differ from petroglyphs which are engraved into the surface. Although pictographs and petroglyphs are both found in this region, only pictographs have been found at this site. Both pictographs and petroglyphs are considered sacred by Native American people. Therefore, Native American people believe the places where they are found to be sacred, too.
Pictographs were painted with a variety of methods. A turtle-shaped pictograph in Pictograph Cave, dated at 2045 years before present, was painted with black and white paints. These ancient paints were probably made from ashes and clays mixed with animal fat and applied with fingers or a frayed stick. Later images, painted in red, most likely used mixtures of red clays and animal fat.
There are many theories about why pictographs were created. One theory is that ancient people painted them to record successful hunts or raids. A more recent theory is based on ethnography, which studies the origins and characteristics of cultural groups. This theory states that pictographs were most likely related to ceremonialism. For example, hunters who wanted to kill an elk may have painted this image on the wall as part of a ceremony to help them succeed. There are also many images of shield bearing warriors at this site. These may have been painted by warriors trying to gain the strength of the rock by painting their shields on the rock before battle. Although we continue to learn more about pictographs every day, the full meanings will most likely remain a mystery.
More recent pictographs, such as the rifles in Pictograph Cave, may be from more contemporary Native American tribes, such as the Crow or Sioux Indians. Many of the older drawings cannot be associated with modern tribes. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.

Why did Native Americans follow the huge buffalo herds?
Long after the ancient hunters left the caves, Native American people stayed here. They didn't live here all of the time because they were following the huge herds of buffalo. The buffalo were their main source of meat and hides. Imagine what it would be like to see the valley turn black with the great shaggy buffalo.Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.

Welcome to the 5th Station: Ghost Cave

Are there ghosts in Ghost Cave?
Here we are at the third cave, called Ghost Cave. There are two stories about how the cave got its name, but no one really knows why it's called Ghost Cave. One story says workers who were digging in the caves found a skeleton crushed under a large rock, and it is his ghost that lives in the cave. The other story says the leaders of the Native American people used the cave to hold special meetings. They would light a fire, and from the valley where the rest of the people camped, it looked as if ghosts were dancing on the odd-shaped cave walls.
Archeologists believe that prehistoric inhabitants used Ghost Cave as a work area. Inhabitants used the cave for tool processing activities, such as re-tooling stone points, re-shafting arrows, chipping stone tools and shell working. They uncovered numerous ocean shells and fragments, suggesting that trade with West Coast people was common. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.
Ghost Cave had a lot of artifacts, but for some reason, it did not have pictographs. Some people speculate that it is because the walls of Ghost Cave have a different shape from those in Pictograph Cave. The walls in Ghost Cave have a rougher texture, and concretions interrupt the smooth flow of the walls in places. Like an artist looking for the perfect canvas, ancient painters had a story to tell, and some sites were just better than others. From: Ken Oravsky Tour Content

Who lived here and why?
Close your eyes and think about why it would be nice to live in a place like this. In the caves, there's shelter from the wind and rain. There are trees nearby to supply wood for a fire. The spring gets you fresh water. There are animals to hunt and berries to pick. Wildflowers bloom. It's a safe place.
Ancient people lived here for many reasons. There are major rivers near the caves that helped these people to get where they needed to go just as our highways help us get from town to town. The ancient people were hunters, and there were many animals, especially buffalo, that lived in the area. A nearby spring gave them fresh water. The caves sheltered them from wind and rain. Plants and trees provided berries and wood. The location of the caves allowed them to watch the river while their homesites were not visible to intruders. Bitter Creek, which is the creek that winds its way through the valley below the caves, offers one of the best river fords where it joins with the Yellowstone River. Directly across the Yellowstone from the mouth of Bitter Creek is one of the few breaks in the sandstone cliffs for a considerable distance. This is where Alkali Creek enters from the north. These factors made this an important migratory route for animals and human beings during north-south movement. Possibly the huge buffalo herds used this route, allowing the normally nomadic hunters to survive at this special place.
In the draws and ravines are edible fruit, roots and bulbs that the Native American people used. Chokecherry, wild grapes, currants, buffaloberry, wild plum, raspberry and gooseberry are among the fruits found. There were numerous roots, herbs, edible plants and seeds. These included prairie potato, arrowhead balsam root, wild onion, asparagus, wild turnips, sunflower seeds, bitterroot and the tender center of the yucca plant.
People found cottontail rabbits, squirrels, marmots, bobcats, ground squirrels and badgers in the open or in the wooded draws. There was also an abundance of prairie grouse and sage hen. On the plains above were antelope, deer, elk bear and the enormous herds of buffalo that provided not only meat but hides, leather and a multitude of living necessities. There were fish, beaver, muskrat, mink, otter and waterfowl of many different species near the Yellowstone River below the caves. A nearby spring provided a supply of clear, cold water.
The southerly exposure of the caves provided shelter from the weather and effectively caught the afternoon rays of the sun. Here was the utopia of all campsites: abundant food, plenty of water and excellent shelter. This would lead us to believe that life was good here, and the prehistoric people could survive the harsh elements in this place. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.

Welcome to the 6th Station: Archeological Excavation

Where are all of the artifacts today?
Isn't finding clues the fun part of solving a mystery? That's what the workers were doing as they dug in the caves. They uncovered clothing and tools and other belongings that were clues to how the ancient people lived.
The 30,000 artifacts that workers dug out of the caves ended up in many places. Some were sent to laboratories so scientists could look at them. Others were placed in museums. A number of artifacts ended up in private collections. Supporters built a museum at the cave site in the early '40s. In the later '40s, vandals burned the museum and stole many of the artifacts.
Today, Pictograph Cave State Park has only about 40 of the artifacts in its possession. The Montana State Historical Society has about 40, and the University of Montana at Missoula, Montana Archives has a few thousand of them. Someday, the park hopes to have a campaign, similar to one initiated by Petrified Forest National Monument in Arizona, asking people to return items that they know are from the caves. From: Ken Oravsky Tour Content

What other dwellings did workers find?
Workers also uncovered the remains of a lodge near the caves. The Native American people who lived in the caves built lodges from wood and skins. There may have been too many people to stay in the caves. They built the lodges so that everyone would have a place to live.
In 1937, archeological excavations also uncovered an Indian Lodge. The remains of wooden upright posts indicated that people had built a 14-foot by 19-foot lodge. It was probably used to house a large band of native inhabitants. Small bands may have resided in the caves while other resided outside, allowing the caves to be used by clan leaders and for ceremonies. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.

What is vandalism?
Now that we've visited the caves, you can see why they're so special. But not everyone treats them that way. At times, the caves and the park have been vandalized. Vandalism means a person purposely damages places or things that don't belong to them. You saw where people carved or scratched their names on the cave walls? This is called graffiti, and it is a type of vandalism. Others set fire to a small museum that used to stand near the caves and stole the artifacts that were there. This is also vandalism.
People have always known about the pictographs in the caves. Unfortunately, not all people have taken care to enjoy the ancient paintings and leave them undisturbed, and the caves have seen a lot of vandalism. Ghost Cave is scarred by very old graffiti etched high on the walls, some from July 1934 before the cave was excavated. Others spray painted graffiti has been carefully removed so that the paintings are not ruined forever. Bullet pock marks are visible in the caves. The museum, built in the 1940s, was burned and artifacts were stolen. In more recent acts of vandalism, people have spray painted graffiti over the ancient paintings. Although the park experiences less frequent vandalism today because of gates and fences, it still suffers deliberately destructive acts at times. From: An interview with J. Claire Dean

Why are pictographs not considered graffiti?
When a person draws or writes on a wall, a building, or other structure that doesnÕt belong to them, or when they do it without permission from the owner, we usually call this graffiti. When we think of graffiti in relationship to petroglyphs and pictographs, most of us feel that graffiti shows disrespect for the original artists and owners of the site.
Graffiti is destructive when a person draws or writes on a wall, a building, or other structure that does not belong to them or when they do it without permission from the owner. When we think of graffiti in relationship to rock art - most of us feel that ÒgraffitiÓ shows disrespect for the original artists and owners of the site.
The evidence suggests that rock art was probably created as a community or ceremonial activity. Based on the evidence, it is believed that some rock art can be interpreted as part of a sacred or spiritual expression of a tribe or community. Other rock art may record personal glimpses into the daily life of the artists, recording on stone their own story. "Went hunting with friends, killed two deer."
The evidence suggests that the rock art and the rock artists of some tribes were closely tied to the spiritual activities of the community. The community gave certain artists permission to paint on the rocks; to leave a historical inscription, a record of significant events. From: An interview with J. Claire Dean

What can we do to save the caves?
We can all do something to save the caves. By coming on this field trip, you've learned how much fun it can be to explore a real-life mystery like the caves. The next time you visit another special place, like a park, a museum or a landmark, you'll know to take very good care of what you see there. ThereÕs a mystery to be solved there, too. We can all learn from adventurers like you and archeologists like me who want to protect the caves so that everyone can enjoy them.
When we visit the caves and the surrounding areas we must do it respectfully, we must leave them in good condition. Pick up any litter that may be on the ground. We must follow the instructions given out at the park. Following these instructions helps us to protect it. When we talk to family and friends we must let them know how important the park is and remind them to be careful when they go and visit these sites. One of the best ways to preserve the park is to let other people know how important the rock art is to all of us.