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Welcome to the 1st Station : The Mystery of Pictograph Cave

What is Pictograph Cave State Park?
Pictograph Cave State Park is one of 41 state parks in Montana. Montana's state parks include ghost towns, caverns, rivers, lakes, buffalo jumps, historic sites and archeological sites such as Pictograph Cave. The job of Montana state parks is to preserve, protect and share interesting, beautiful and important places in Montana. Pictograph Cave State Park is one of these special places.
Thousands of years ago, native people used Pictograph and Ghost Caves as campsites when they were hunting or traveling in this area. The caves provided shelter from wind, snow, rain or the hot summer sun. Food and water were easy to find nearby. People camping here sometimes left behind tools, pottery or other things that broke or were no longer useful. Slowly, rocks falling from the ceiling covered these things. People living in much of this part of North America for many thousands of years. They lived, camped and traveled over much of the land. There are many places where people camped and left behind things just like they did at Pictograph Cave.
Think about a time that you might have gone outdoors and lost a toy or something! As people moved to North America from Europe and other places, they began to wonder about the people who lived here before them. They began to find a lot of these little things all over the country. They wondered where people lived first, how they lived, and how long ago they lived in different places. For a long time, all they could do was wonder! Since the people who camped here did not write down anything about their lives, we do not know much about them.
When we wanted to learn about them, we found that there are really only two ways that we can do this. We can ask people, such as Crow and Northern Cheyenne people, whose ancestors may have lived hear, about what stories they may have been told about the people that came before them. Though Native American people didn't write things down thousands of years ago, they did tell stories to their children. Their children remembered these stories, and then told them when they became parents. These stories are called "Oral Traditions," and they can help us to understand how people lived long ago.
Another way to learn about the past is through Archeology (ARK-e-oll-o-gee). People who study archeology are called archeologists (ARK-e-oll-o-jists). Archeologists study the past in many ways today they use many methods, including, chemistry, physics, and very powerful microscopes. Around 60 years ago, archeologists didn't have all of the modern tools that they have today. They mostly used digging, or excavation to find things that other people left behind.
One day, about 60 years ago, some archeologists were looking around in Pictograph Cave, and they started finding some things left behind by people long ago. Archeologists call these things artifacts. Soon they called in other archeologists to help. The year was 1937. Before the year was over, the archeologists had excavated, or dug out a large area of Pictograph Cave. They learned that all artifacts that they found looked like artifacts found at many other places in Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota. They also learned that these artifacts were in layers. They knew that the artifacts in the lower layers were the oldest, those in the next layer up were the second oldest, and those at the top were the newest! This was the first time in this part of the country that anyone had found a place that showed so clearly which artifacts were older than others!
A man named William Mulloy was studying to teach archeology, and he wrote a book about this discovery at Pictograph Cave. He expalined how this discovery could be used to help figure out how old the artifacts were at all of these other sites by comparing them to the artifacts at Pictograph Cave. When people learned how important Pictograph Cave was for learning how old all of these other sites were, they decided that this place should be protected and preserved for the future.
In 1964, the National Park Service awarded Pictograph Cave the designation of "National Historic Landmark." This means that this site is a very important site in helping us to understand the history of our country. In 1969, the Governor of Montana named Pictograph Cave as a State Park.
Today, you can visit Pictograph Cave and take a tour. You can learn about the people who lived here thousands of years ago, and see the pictographs that they painted on the walls in Pictograph Cave.
If you live nearby and your class wants to visit the park, you all you need to do to make a reservation is to fill out a form.

What makes this park special?
The history of the park's ownership goes back to 1937 when some amateur archeologists poking around out here started to find a bunch of artifacts in Pictograph Cave. They reported their findings to some professionals, and within about a month they discovered it to be a tremendously rich site.

The land on which the caves were located was private. The Montana State Highway Department negotiated to purchase the land, ostensibly as a gravel pit. In this way, the Highway Department could justify using Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds to excavate. The caves were probably discovered in the early part of 1937. The land was purchased by summer, and by the end of summer, a WPA crew had started excavations. They excavated in '37 and '38. The Highway Department supervised and surveyed the excavation, and the WPA hired otherwise unemployed workers to dig. Once the digs were completed in '38 and officially closed about the time the United States got involved in World War II, the property was in limbo. Nobody quite knew who owned it. There was a movement in the '50s when The Indian Caves Commission and Billings' mayor Willard Fraser decided the site was a real gem and could really enhance Billings' visibility. Mayor Fraser led a movement to have the city of Billings adopt it or at least protect it. In 1969, they were successful in convincing Fish, Wildlife and Parks to make it their responsibility.

Today, the 23-acre Pictograph Cave State Park is completely surrounded by a ranch owned by Kuhlman Cattle Company and can only be accessed by a road that crosses part of the ranch. From: Ken Oravsky Tour Content

Who lived here long after the ancient people left?
We know from the artifacts found here that people lived here as early as 7,000 years ago. We do not know exactly when ancient people stopped using Pictograph Cave as a shelter and campsite. We do know that the Crow people, who lived in this region hundreds of years ago, and still live here today, did not like to camp in Pictograph Cave because it was easy to be trapped here by an enemy. One Crow name for the area around Pictograph Cave means "The cliff that has no pass."
Many tribes shared this region, and moved around it for hundreds of years. These tribes included the Crow, the Sioux or Lakota, the Cheyenne, the Arapaho, the Blackfeet, the Hidatsa, Mandan and Arikara. Eventually treaties with the U.S. Government created boundaries for these tribes to keep them from moving around as much.
Before horses and guns came into this region, people traveled mostly on foot. One theory about Pictograph Cave is that people carried large shields that protected their whole body from arrows and spears. There are pictographs painted in Pictograph Cave that show these "Shield Bearing Warriors." When people traveled on foot, they moved slowly, and their arrows didn't carry very far. Someone camping in Pictograph Cave was rather safe if they kept their eyes open. When guns and horses came into this region as trade goods around the year 1750, Pictograph Cave was no longer such a safe campsite. Riders on horseback could approach quickly, and guns could be shot at a greater distance. Once this was learned, people found it safer to camp out in the open where they had a better view. Horses also made it easier to carry tepees, water and food.
As Native People started to stay away from Pictograph Cave as a campsite, new people started coming into the area. In 1806, Captain William Clark of the Corps of Discovery came down the Yellowstone River. He was on his way to meet up with his partner Captain Meriweather Lewis downstream where the Yellowstone River flows into the Missouri River. Soon afterward fur trappers entered the region, and European settlers were not far behind. Pictograph Cave is in the Bitter Creek valley. The land in this area is mostly dry, and the water in Bitter Creek tastes terrible.
For some settlers, this place offered them the opportunity to live their dream of owning their own farm. Many people laid claim to the 160 acre areas of land that the U.S. Government offered them, and people started farming. Families tried to raise crops, chickens, pigs and cattle, but it wasn't easy. Sometimes things were very dry and there were fires. Other times it rained a lot and there were floods. Still, people survived, and Bitter Creek even developed its own school district. A stage coach road known as the Coburn Stage Road connected the early settlement of Colson City with towns to the south. Colson City, located right along the Yellowstone River eventually grew into the city of Billings.
The early settlers eventually either moved on to better land or moved into town to find other jobs. Still, ranching goes on around Pictograph Cave, and cattle graze on grasses growing around the foundations of some of the early cabins and the first one room school house. When you visit the park today, you can sit on a big sandstone rock and think about how life has changed in this valley from the first hunter who camped here thousands of years ago right on up to rancher who still raises cattle here.

Crow Indians: Historical data indicates that the Crow Indians were not the prehistoric inhabitants of this area but began entering Montana and Wyoming by the early 1500s. Many of the pictographs and artifacts uncovered at the caves are thought to originate before the arrival of modern tribes. The Pictograph Cave site was part of the Crow Indian Reservation until the boundaries were altered in 1904. Chief Plenty Coups was one of the famous Crow chiefs and is honored for his peace efforts at Chief Plenty Coups State Park at Pryor. The Crow Indians, also known as Absarokas, were among the first western tribes to search for balance between ancestral and modern ways.

Homesteaders: The early settlers were a diverse group, coming from many places and backgrounds. Most, however, shared the common dream of owning land. Ownership of 160 acres symbolized individualism, opportunity and democracy. The dream of acquiring land on the frontier became an obsession and drew families, such as the Talcotts, Valentines, Joines, Cards, Musselmans and Streets, to Bitter Creek. They organized School District #26 in 1894 and, in 1915, built a one-room school just east of the caves. Miss Ida Fenton was the first schoolmarm, followed by Bessie Fear in 1916. Farming on 160 dryland acres proved difficult and settlers gradually sold out or expanded to become owners of the large cattle ranches of today.

Coburn Stage Road: By 1896, the Bitter Creek Valley was the route of a daily stagecoach run that connected Billings with the former settlement of Coburn and the now-forgotten rail line on Pryor Creek. The road was also used for cattle and sheep drives to the Billings markets. It was called the Reservation Road since the Crow Indians and other travelers used the route to access destinations to the southeast, including the Crow Reservation, Hardin and Sheridan, Wyoming. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.

Why is Bitter Creek bitter?
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What animals live in the area of the caves?
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Welcome to the 2nd Station : Formation of the Caves

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If you are interested in contributing information, including documents and photographs, please contact the Field Trip Director.

Welcome to the 3rd Station : Pictograph Cave

What are pictographs?
Pictographs are also called rock art. Prehistoric hunters and Native Americans used the smooth sandstone walls of Pictograph Cave just as people today might use paper, canvas or other materials. Native American shields, warriors, animals, tools and many other pictures are visible on the walls. To preserve the pictographs that they found, archeologists made drawings of the paintings. The natural cave forming process makes the paintings a little bit fainter every year. That is why archeologists have recorded them on paper. Years later in the 1960s, archeologists actually traced the paintings on paper to create what are called tracings. During excavation in 1937, archeologists found pictographs on slabs of rock that had fallen from the cave. They made drawings of these, too.

High on the wall of Pictograph Cave, there is a faint painting of a black turtle. The black turtle is 2045 years old and is the oldest known piece of rock art in Montana. Archeologists know the turtle's age because it has been radiocarbon dated at 2045 years before present. In the past, scientists had to destroy an item to radiocarbon date it. They had to vaporize it or a large part of it. However, a professor at Texas A&M University developed a low temperature oxygen vortex carbon dating which made it possible to isolate just the organic materials needed to date an item. This process allowed for a tremendously smaller sample size without having to destroy an item. A scientist at Pictograph Caves State Park noticed that a flake of paint was ready to fall off the black turtle a few years ago. The park gave the scientist permission to collect the flake and have it dated. They obtained three samples from the chip which averaged out to a date 2045 years before present. From: Ken Oravsky Tour Content

The pictographs in Pictograph Cave are not the work of the Crow Indian people but of prehistoric people who lived here. The meanings of the pictographs are vague. We know that the turtle figure was of spiritual significance to many Native American groups. Some of the paintings with a lot of markings could have represented how many coups were accomplished in battle.

A teepee with an arrow might represent something to the fact they had various meeting places at certain times of years. If one group was leaving the area and another other group had not caught up to them by that time, then the pictograph might mean that they went in that direction. In this way, the later group would know where to find them. A round figure with a weapon and a head dress on top represents a shield-baring warrior. What was important to the artist is that his shield held spiritual or protective powers. In his painting, he wanted to represent the power of the shield, not himself.

These stone-age people could have produced pictographs with anything from charcoal from their fires to berry juices to different colors of earth, since there are yellows and reds in the sandstone around this area. There are also areas with much deeper colored clay. These people were nomads, and because they were traveling from place to place, they knew where to find different colored dirt. They collected the dirt in little bag pouches and carried it with them. These people might use the colored dirt for face paint which they applied before going to battle or to create images on rock surfaces.

Sticks with the bark removed and the ends frayed might serve as a paint brush. Other objects with blunted points might be used almost like today's color crayons to apply color to stone surfaces. From: Rich Pittsley Tour Content

Why is it hard to see some of the pictographs today?
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Why is some rock falling off the walls?
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What birds build their nests on the walls of the caves?
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Welcome to the 4th Station: Middle Cave

Why do birds like Middle Cave more than humans do?
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Why do people call the park active?
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What do dinosaurs have to do with the caves?
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Why were trees important to Native Americans?
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Why did Native Americans follow the huge buffalo herds?
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Welcome to the 5th Station : Ghost Cave

Are there ghosts in Ghost Cave?
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What is a concretion?
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Who lived here and why?
The cave site was not continuously inhabited the way Mesa Verde was in the southwestern United States. Instead, the knowledge of this place was probably passed down from family to family or clan to clan over generations. Picture a day when it might be snowing or raining or windy or very hot. Think how wonderful it would be to have a place like this to get out of the elements.
In these caves, people could build a fire and work on arrows, clothing or tools. They could dry the meat they would carry with them when the left. During the excavations, workers found the bones of every large mammal known to the area, and many of them were worked. This means that the animals did not just walk in the caves and die. The hunters brought the animals to the caves where they cut up the meat and broke open, or worked, the bones for the marrow or carved them into tools.
Much later after the ancient hunters inhabited the caves, the Crow Indian people used them. Eventually, the Crow Indians supposedly avoided this place. Before horses and firearms came into the area and people fought with more primitive weapons, the caves were a good place to use as a hunting camp. People could see out into the valley and watch who was coming. Once people had horses and guns, it was no longer a good place to camp because it was easy to be trapped. The Crow Indian people preferred to camp out away from the rims where they had a good view. From: Ken Oravsky Tour Content
The prehistoric people who occupied the caves used different stone implements. We know them as arrow points or knives. These people gradually learned how to make these tools and weapons over thousands of years. They refined them to different levels, so we can actually date the time period that a particular group lived in the vicinity based upon how detailed a stone point is.
Some of these implements were used as scrapers to strip the meat from a buffalo hide that might be used to make a teepee covering. Other stone tools may have been used as drills to pierce holes through leather used to make clothing. These people learned to use bones and antlers for scraping and to make weaponry. They used many types of ceramics bowls and containers. Necklaces, earrings or adornment for their clothing came from many sources. Porcupine quills and elk teeth were popular.
Many people think the bow and arrow were around forever. They are a fairly recent invention compared to what was called an atl-atl. An ancient hunter held this weapon by its handle and fitted a dart on to a point. Using the atl-atl, hunters were able to throw a dart or a spear with a lot more force than if they threw it with their hands. These ancient hunters needed the extra power in order to harvest the huge animals that lived in this area many thousands of years ago, such as the mastodon, the mammoth or a buffalo much larger than the bison of today. There were also huge camels, huge bears, saber-toothed tigers. Without the atl-atl to protect themselves or to kill animals for food, the ancient people would have had a very difficult time surviving. From: Rich Pittsley Tour Content

Three groups of ancient peoples lived in this region, although only one of them, the second, lived in Ghost Cave. The first group were stone age buffalo hunters who did not practice agriculture or make pottery. Like other early Indians, they relied mostly on spears for hunting. It is not known just where this earliest group came from or exactly how long ago they lived.
The second group of Indians was the only group to have lived in the Ghost Cave. In the time of the first group the cave was not fit for living, because the floor was too steep. However, over time as debris, sand, and stone fell from above, a more level floor formed, allowing people to live in the cave. Like the earlier group, these Indians lived mostly by following the buffalo. The points they used on their spears were very different than the ones used by the earlier inhabitants of the area. Ornaments and jewelry were found here which shows that their life included some luxuries.
It is thought that this second group of people may have been the ancestors of people who still live in this area today, such as the Northern Cheyenne, the Shoshone, or the early Crow Indians who split off from the Hidatsa Indians in North Dakota and gradually made their way to this area. Although they had practiced agriculture and pottery making, they abandoned this way of life in favor of hunting buffalo, probably because this was about the time they received their first horses, which made buffalo hunting easier.
The third group of Indians to have lived in this area did not live in the caves. Their tools and other objects were not found in the caves, but down on the terrace. This group lived here after the coming of the white man, and may have lived in hide tipis. Evidence of their contact with the white man is found in the arrow points made of brass and iron which must have been obtained from white people.
From: Mulloy, W.T., Pictograph and Ghost Caves; Home of Prehistoric Indians of This Region.

How did Native Americans use the plants they found around the caves?
Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) is a hardy shrub widely distributed in North America. The small white flowers give way to dark round fruits, or cherries, with large seeds. The cherries are edible but will pucker the mouth when not fully ripe. The Plains Indians mixed the chokecherry with pounded meat and bone grease to make pemmican. They also ate the berries when ripe, dried them and used the berry juice for paint and stain. The stem and bark were used to make a tea. Native Americans used the small straight branches for arrow shafts since the needed little straightening because of its durability. Wild animals and bird species also depended on the cherries for food.
Juniper (Juniperus communis) is a shrub which many mistakenly refer to as cedar. The berries are bluish in color, edible, but unappetizing. Native Americans squashed the berries for use as dyes, for face paint and, perhaps, as a pigment for painting pictographs on the cave walls. The seeds were used as medicines and also as chewing gum. The Native American people used the berries like aspirin to cure headaches. During the excavation of the caves, workers found fire making sticks made of juniper.
Skunkbrush (Lonicera involucrata) is a bush that is in the honeysuckle family. The berries although tart and sour were sometimes eaten fresh or were dried for winter use. The juicy fruit ripens in August and September and is eaten by a variety of birds and small mammals.
Wildflowers: Fifty separate varieties of wildflowers have been identified at the site of the caves. Early spring brings the Crocuses, Buttercups, Dandelions and Shooting Stars. As the days get longer and warmer, the Yucca blossoms, and succeeding plants appear, such as Yellowbells, Larkspur, Wild Roses, Harebells and Starflowers. Flowers, such as Sunflowers, Evening Primrose, Scarlet Falsemallow and Daisies, last most of the summer while others, such as the Bitterroot and Cactus, bloom only for a brief period.
The Wild Roses form fruit, referred to as rosehips, which are very high in vitamin C. Native Americans used these for food and to make tea. Native Americans used many of the flowers, plants and roots for food and medicinal purposes. The sweet smells and striking colors of each plant during its short season enriched the lives of the Native American people who lived in the caves.
Yucca (Yucca angustissima) has long needle-like leaves. The Yucca of the upper plains is a smaller version of those many people are familiar with in the Southwest United States. Yucca, called Soapweed by the Plains Indians, has a foamy sap that comes from the root. Native Americans used this sap as soap or shampoo. Once the blades or leaves of the plant were split and dried, they could be used as needle and thread. The tender shoots that come up in the spring and the flowers are edible. Unlike most plants, the Yucca is pollinated at night by a small white female Yucca Moth (Tegeticula yuccasella) which flies only at dusk when the new flower is fully open. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Pictograph Cave State Park Trail Guide, 1997.

BALSAM ROOT [Balsamorhiza sagittata] is a perennial herb. The inner part of the young stems were eaten. The roots were baked and eaten. Also the seeds were eaten much like sunflower seeds. A poultice to put on wounds was made from boiled roots. A tea made from the root was used to treat tuberculosis and whooping cough.
BISCUIT-ROOT [Lomatium cous] was dug in spring just after the plant bloomed. Some roots were eaten raw, some were boiled, and some were sun-dried for future use. Some tribes used the root and leaves to make a tea that would ease bowel pain and diarrhea. Biscuit-root was used to make an infusion to rub on the skin to relieve swelling. As an incense, the biscuit-root purified and deodorized the air.
BITTERROOT [Lewisia rediviva Pursh] is an important root crop. The roots were dug after a special ceremony before the plant bloomed. The roots were often kept a year or two before they were eaten as the bitter taste would dull with time. The roots were boiled or steamed. They were eaten plain, mixed with berries, added to meat, or used to thicken gravy. The bitterroot added variety to the diet and was considered a treat. Tea was also made from the bitterroot as it was used for heart pain and pleurisy. In addition, the tea was used to increase milk flow after childbirth. The plant was considered good for impure blood, helping skin problems and diseases.
BOX ELDER [Acer negundo L.] trees were used to extract a sweet syrup. The syrup was used in cooking. The box elder tree was a valued fuel as the wood burns longer and hotter than most woods. In addition, wood from the lower trunk was used to make bowls, pipes, drums and such. Also the bark was used to make a medicine for colds.
BUFFALO-BERRY [Shepherdia argentea Nutt] is a shrub that produced bright red fruit. The fruit was picked after an early fall freeze. They were considered sweeter at that time. The fruit was either eaten off the tree or mashed then dried. Buffalo-berry was then used to make a sauce to flavor buffalo meat. Buffalo also enjoyed this plant. "Indian ice cream" was made from buffalo-berries. A few berries and a little water were beat together until foamy. It was a great treat.
CHOKECHERRY [Prunus virginianna] plants were very valuable. The berries were picked after the first freeze. Some were eaten then but most were ground and dried. The dried berries were mixed with dried meat and a grease to make a dish called pemmican. The dried berries were a basic food stable. The bark was used to make a cough syrup and a diarrhea medicine. The stems were rolled in hot coals to be tempered. The tempered stems were like steel and were used to make arrow shafts. The chokecherry wood was used as a fuel to make fires. It was believed that no smoke was produced using chokecherry wood.
COTTONWOOD [Populus angustissima] trees were used as fuel. The firewood made clean smoke without lots of sparks coming from the fire. The cottonwood had a significant part in the Sundance religious ceremony. The trunk of a cottonwood was used as the center pole of the lodge. Also the cottonwood was a food source. The bark was carefully cut lengthwise. The stringy, spaghetti-like inside was scrapped out and used for survival food. Dyes and paints were extracted from the plant. Leaves were used as a poultice for sores, boils, and bruises. Tea from the bark was used to relieve tuberculosis and whooping cough.
GREASE WOOD [Sarcobatus] is a bush. A very small amount of this plant was occasionally used to cleanse the bowels. It also was used as a shampoo to get rid of scabs.
INDIAN BREADROOT [Psoralea esculenta Pursh] or turnip was a valued root crop. The roots were gathered in June. The bark was removed and the inner white core was then roasted or dried. A meal was made from the dried core. The meal was used to thicken soup, make bread, prepare pancakes and make mush. Usually the root was not eaten raw as it was believed to cause indigestion. On occasion the Indian Breadroot was boiled and then eaten.
KINNIKINNICK [Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng] is also called the bearberry. It was mixed with tobacco to make the tobacco milder. Kinnikinnick was also eaten but it was not a staple. The berries were left on the bush until needed during difficult times. The berries were also used to make pemmican on occasion. A medicine was made from the plant to make an astringent and a diuretic. Medically, kinnikinnick was used to help bladder and kidney ailments.
PONDEROSA PINE [Pinus ponderosa Dougl] is a tree common to Montana. It is officially the state tree. The bark of the tree was peeled and eaten. It was considered sweet and delicious. This was an important part of the Indian diet. The bark was also used to start fires. The bark was removed carefully with special tools. The pitch of the pine was used to cure boils and carbuncles. A plaster was made with the pitch to abate inflammation for rheumatism and backaches. The pitch was also used as gum, glue, and burning fuel. Needles and boughs were heated to fumigate and relieve muscular pain.
PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS [Opuntia Polyacantha Haw] is a plant often eaten by Native Americans. The plant pulp was eaten raw and also dried and saved for winter consumption.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN JUNIPER [Juniperus scopulorum Sarg] is a shrub. The plant was used in holy rites and purification ceremonies. The needles were burned for incense. The stems were tempered and used to make arrow shafts and bows. The smoke from the burning juniper wood was used to cleanse the air of any illnesses. Tea was made from the branches and cones to treat colds, fevers, pneumonia, arthritis, rheumatism, lung or nose hemorrhaging, diarrhea, and cholera. The berries were chewed and used as a pain killer. They also were used to bring up the phlegm for respiratory ailments.
SUNFLOWER [Helianthus annuus L.] was eaten raw or dried for later use. The cakes made from the plant were very sustaining and useful to the warriors. Long ago this plant was even cultivated by Native Americans.
WILD ROSE [Rosa spp.] is a shrub with prickly stems. With caution and only occasionally was the wild rose used as a food. The plant was used to treat diarrhea and stomach problems. It was also used to make an eyewash for eye sores. Vapor from the boiling plant parts was used to treat bleeding noses, tonsillitis and sore throats. Additionally, the plant was used to keep evil spirits away.
WORMWOOD SAGE [Artemisia ludiviciana Nutt] was used by the men for smudging. Smudging is the burning of incense to cleanse or to ward off evil spirits. The use of the smudging is dependent on the user. Sage was often used on ceremonial occasions. The plant was used as a paint brush, a paint remover, a material to make wreaths, and as an incense. Sage tea was also used for a medicine to treat colds, high fevers, and menstrual irregularity. A solution was also made with sage to dry up sores, eczema, foot perspiration, and foot odor. Additionally, a solution made with boiled sage was applied and massaged to sore areas to reduce swelling. Sage was made into a snuff to treat sinuses, nose bleeds, and headaches.
YELLOWBELLS [Fritillaria pudica] are a flower. The corms of this plant were used as a vegetable. It was boiled and often mixed with corms of the bitterroot.
YARROW [Achillea millefolium] is a flower. It was used to stop bleeding, relieve toothaches, cure fevers and colds. Also Native Americans made a poultice with yarrow that was put on burns, boils, and sores.
YUCCA [Yucca angustissima] plants had a variety of uses. The roots were used to make a shampoo soap. The pods were eaten when they were young >and tender. The flowers were used in salads.
From: Hart, Jeff. Montana-Native Plants and Early People. Helena, MT: Montana Historical Society, 1976.; Strickler, Dee. Prairie Wildflowers. Columbia Falls, MT: The Flower Press, 1986.; Duft, Joseph F. and Moseley, Robert K., Alpine Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains. Missoula, MT: Montana Press Publishing Comp.,1989. ; Rydberg,Per Axel, PH.D. Flora of the Prairies and Plains of Central North America (in two volumes). New York: Dover Publications, Inc.,1971.

Welcome to the 6th Station: Archeological Excavation

What does it mean to excavate?
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Why didn't they dig up everything?
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Where are all of the artifacts today?
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Why was digging in Pictograph Cave important to all scientists?
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What other dwellings did workers find?
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Welcome to the 7th Station: Preserving the Past: A Visit with Claire Dean

What is vandalism?
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Why are pictographs not considered graffiti?
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What can we do to save the caves?
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What does an archeological conservator do?
An archeological conservator is somebody who takes care of things that an archeologist finds. There are other types of conservators, like people who take care of old paintings or old books. All of these people are trying to save these precious items for all of us to share.
An archeological conservator is somebody who takes care of things that an archaeologist finds. There are other types of conservators. Other conservators take care of oil paintings, or old books, for example. All conservators study science, math and art in school. Ms. Dean is one of the very few conservators that come to work at pictograph and petroglyph sites like the Pictograph Caves. She said she loves her job for many reasons but part of it is because she gets to work with both science and art. She said that in her job she gets to work with many scientists to help solve the problems that accompany preserving the past for future generations. From: An interview with J. Claire Dean

Would you like to be an archeologist?
All of you know that there are lots of men and women who have jobs as doctors and archeologists, science teachers, chemists, computer engineers, and people who work in industry. But, not everyone believes they can do these jobs. I believe you can!
Young women know that there are women who work in all sorts of science based jobs today: doctors, archeologists, science teachers, chemistry, computers, engineers, and industry. But I think many young women today don't always have enough belief in their own ability to succeed. That's a fear many people have when they try something new. I think young people need to be exposed to role models, so that they get to meet women and men who do these jobs. From: An interview with J. Claire Dean