Smith Rock Shelter
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The Smith Rock Shelter is a natural
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
overhang in McKinney Falls State Park near
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
. The shelter is believed to have been used by Native Americans from 500 BCE until the 18th century. The last known occupants were related to the
Tonkawa The Tonkawa are a Native American tribe indigenous to present-day Oklahoma. Their Tonkawa language, now extinct, is a linguistic isolate. Today, Tonkawa people are enrolled in the federally recognized Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. ...
. It is accessible via the 0.8 mile round-trip Smith Rockshelter Trail in the park. The shelter abuts Onion Creek and is one of two natural rock shelters in
Travis County Travis County is located in south central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Austin, the capital of Texas. The county was established in 1840 and is n ...
to be listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
(the other is the
Levi Rock Shelter The Levi Rock Shelter, named for former property owner Malcolm Levi, is an archeological site west of Austin, Texas where Paleo-Indian Native American artifacts dating back 10,000 years or more have been discovered. Located along Lick Creek, the ...
). Smith Rock Shelter was added to the Register on October 1, 1974."Smith Rock Shelter" ''Texas Historical Commission Atlas''.
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References

Geography of Austin, Texas History of Austin, Texas National Register of Historic Places in Austin, Texas Rock shelters in the United States Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas {{Austin-stub