Research Cave, also known as the Arnold Research Cave and the Saltpetre Cave, and designated by the

Smithsonian trinomial A Smithsonian trinomial (formally the Smithsonian Institution Trinomial System, abbreviated SITS) is a unique identifier assigned to archaeological sites in many states in the United States. They are composed of one or two digits coding for the sta ...

23CY64, is a major Native American archaeological site near

Portland, Missouri Portland is an unincorporated community in southeastern Callaway County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. Portland is located just north of the Missouri River on Route 94, approxim ...

. Investigation of the site has uncovered evidence of human habitation as far back as 8,000 years. The site was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1964; it has been recommended for de-designation due to looting.

Description

The cave is located in an

outcrop An outcrop or rocky outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. Features Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficia ...

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

approximately north of Portland, overlooking the Missouri River. The cave is substantially more than a rock shelter, with interior chambers accessible by low passages. When white settlers moved to the area in the early 19th century, one of them, John Phillips, began mining

saltpetre Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Indian saltpetre (large deposits of which were historically mined in India). It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitra ...

from the cave for the manufacture of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...

. A later long-term owner was H.A. Arnold, giving the cave the name by which it is most commonly known. It has been the subject of archaeological interest since the mid-1950s, with intermixed materials that date back an estimate seven to ten thousand years. Finds at the cave are particularly notable for fine examples of footwear. The cave has produced several of North America's oldest human clothing finds including a pair of leather wrapped moccasins dating back 5,500 years ago. The site has been repeatedly disturbed, both by burrowing animals, and previously laid layers of cultural materials have been disturbed by subsequent occupants of the cave. By the early 1980s alterations to deposits at the cave mouth by the property owner had compromised some of the materials.

References

{{Coord, 38, 44, 4.7, N, 91, 44, 32.2, W, display=title National Historic Landmarks in Missouri Landforms of Callaway County, Missouri Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Caves of Missouri National Register of Historic Places in Callaway County, Missouri Cave research

Description

See also

References