Glacier County chief., 1939-06-02

Early Plains Indians who left
behind them hundreds of scraps
of evidence as to the mode of life
they lived in the sheltered re-
cesses of Ghost and Inscription
caves, seven miles southeast of
Billings, can be credited today
with creating one of the most in
teresting historic points in Mon
tana. The work of Psychologists
during the last two years in excavat-
ing the caves and in gathering and
piecing together evidence of long
dead human culture, and the compile
ton OF new museum building on
the site this year, has made the In
dian caves location unique among tour
ist attractions in the northwest
Located a few hundred yards from
the opening of Inscription cave, the
museum building, with its exhibit of
hundreds of artifacts unearthed in the
Indian caves, has only recently been
opened to the public
The building. built by works prog
resS administration workers, is con-
Structed of native stone and timber.
In addition several frame structures,
including registration office and Law
atories, have been constructed at the
caves project for the convenience of
visitors
Paths, trails and rustic stone steps
have been constructed to make the
caves easily accessible to sightSeers. A
drinking fountain will be installed near
the museum and some shrubbery
planting and landscaping will be done
on the site to further improve the
scenic setting. Several rustic tables and
benches were placed in a small grove
near the museum to accommodate pic
mic parties.
A resident caretaker, c. E. Raper.
is located permanently at the caves
during the tourist season and several
Eastern Montana Normal school STU
dents, who reside in Billings and who
are studying scientific courses, will
serve as guides at the cave this sum-
mer. In return for their services, the
students have been granted permission
to operate refreshment stand at the
caves.
Housed in the Indian caves museum
will be exhibits of many of the esti-
mated 10000 artifacts unearthed in
the cave floors by scientific workers.
These include knives, arrowheads, pot
terry. Scrapers, pot stones, bone and
stone tools and weapons, parts of
human skeletons and other evidence
that leads scientists to believe the
SaNOo "cle u1ldUlteu Dy 1Ilulan dwell
lers as early as the 18th century.
The exhibit cases are being con-
structed and hundreds of artifacts pre-
pared for display in the new museum
by national youth administration
workers in Billings
Excavation work at the caves, car
ried on as a WPA project, has dis
continued owing to lack of funds. Ey-
cavators, however. already have re-
moved about $500 tons Of rock and
debris from Inscription cave and about
5000 tons from Ghost cave. Evidences
of seven different levels of human
habltation were unearthed in the
caves, which also contain Indian pic
tographs of more recent date.
The Indian caves site occupies 40
acres of land recently purchased by
the Montana highway department
which showed an early interest in the
project as a potential tourist attrac-
ton.
State highway commissioners also
are supplying 600 feet Of pipe and a
struction of the drinking fountain at
the museum. The water is to be piped
from hillside spring near the caves
and also will supply the caretaker's
residence. Work of installing the water
pipeline is being done by NYA workers.
A Yellowstone county-WPA road
project has resulted in providing an
improved graveled motor drive to the
Indian caves from the paved Billings
Hardin highway