Lovelock tribune. (Lovelock, Nev.) 1898-1912, 1911-12-07
PROF. JONES TELLS OF
HISTORY OF The
GUANO Cave
Detailed Description Of tho Hill and
Famous Gave where Many
Relics are Found
POSSIBLY OF RECENT ORIGIN
Remains, PARTLY Mumified of an In
dian Chief, Found with .
Rope about his neck

The U. N. Sagebrush, published b,
the students of the University OF Ne
vada has the following to say con-
cerning the recent visit to Love-
lock to inspect the old indian cave
by professor of that institutions
1t was recently learned at the
university that several indian rel
les had been found in cave near
Loyelock and Prof Jones was sent
out to investigate the report. He
states that the cave Is located In an
isolated hill 9 miles south of Love-
lock on the eastern slope of the
valley. The hill is IN the shape OF
II half moon with the inner and
sleeper side facing to the west. The
hill was originally conical. but the
western face has apparently brok-
en- away from the rest and slip
ped down to the west in steep
cone of rock fragments. The en-
trance to the cave lies near the top
of the hill where the cone of frag-
ments rests against the steep in
ner face Of the crescent.
The hill Is formed of white gran
ular marble that resembles damp
ened granular sugar in texture and
firmness. The marble has been In.
tricately folded and broken and the
contorted yellow layers give the face
of the hill appearance of a gigantic
marble cake. At the base of the
hill the marble becomes harder and
denser. yet broken and scanned with
veinlets of calcite.
The entrance to the cave was or
ignally through a Wide horizontal
cleft that pitched rather steGpA
ly back into the hill. Inside the
cave opens out into low chamber
about 200 feet long by so feet wide.
The roof is formed and covered witt
rounded excresences of calcite. The
floor Is formed in part by the rocks
and boulders that have fallen from
the roof but Is chiefly a continuance
of the cleft that forms the entrance
of the cave.
The cave was originally nearly
filled with mixture of bat guano
and refuse brought In by the In
dians who had Inhabited the cave
contemporaneously with the bats.
The guano Is at present being min
ed and shipped to San Francisco
for fertilizer and 1t was in the
course of work that the relics were
found.
The relics consist chiefly of mats
and sandles made of tules with
finely woven fish nets and fragment
baskets have been found, chief
ly mush bowls and food platters.
Several arrow heads and obsidian
knives have been picked up as we'll
as a horn implement for fashion
ing the shafts of the arrows. A
wooden shuttle for weaving the nets
and crude flute fashioned from
bird bone as we'll as sticks and
knots of hair and skin about the
middle we're also found.
Three skeletons were also uncov-
cred one of which wore shoes OF
skin ornamented with a single
row OF gastropod shells of salt
water type. The only complete
skeleton seen by Prof Jones was
that of an old man, who was found
drapped in blanket woven with
feathers, a rope about his neck an
lower limbs, and with flat bask-
ct, inverted over his face. His hair
w dS QulJc Gray anu ulo iCCtu WI a
down to the gums. The body was
partly mumified but the flesh was
mostly gone. He was evidently a
chief of considerable rank.
The cave was formed, sometime
during the period of Lake Lahontan
but the exact date of the forma-
tion of the guano can only be fixed
with the closer Identification of tn
indian relics. They resemble those
of Washoe workmanship and as the
Washoes occupied the country up to
comparatively a short time ago,
when they were driven out by the
Piutes, 1t is probable that the der
posites have been formed In recent
years. Bats Inhabited the cave up
a few years ago when some one set
fire to the guano and drove the bats
away. AS the deposit is worked to
lower depths relics Of an earlier
period may be found and the devel-
opment Is being watched with inter-
est.