bluff, is a large cave whose name is derived from the quantity of
saltpeter collected from it in the early settlement of the country.
Earth for leaching was removed to such an extent that bedrock is now
exposed near the entrance and at several places within. In addition
many large rocks cumber the floor, consequently excavations would not
yield satisfactory results, although refuse still to be seen in the
cave and in front of it shows that it was a place of aboriginal
habitation.
MILLER'S CAVE (24)
Three miles northeast of Big Piney is a cavern which from its
position, formation, and surroundings is particularly adapted to the
requirements of primitive people in search of a permanent shelter. It
is situated in a bluff rising from the left bank of Big Piney River,
200 feet above the level of that stream and half that distance below
the summit of the hill of which the bluff forms the front. It lies in
three different tracts of land, but the greater portion is on the farm
of Daniel S. Miller, who lives a little more than half a mile away.
For three generations it has been widely known as "Miller's Cave." It
opens toward the southeast, the river at this point flowing north of
east, and thus secures protection from the cold winds of winter,
receives the greatest amount of light through the day, and has the
advantage of sunshine at the season when this is most needed. Big
Piney, like all streams in the Ozark region, is extremely crooked and
its bed is a continuous succession of riffles and pools, or eddies as
they are locally known. In front of the cave is one of these pools
nearly a mile long and at lowest stages fully 15 feet deep in places;
even now it yields an abundance of fish, turtles, frogs, and mussels,
all of which are important items in the aboriginal dietary.
A fourth of a mile above the cave Big Piney makes an abrupt turn,
coming to this point from the southeast. Here it receives the outflow
from a large spring located at the foot of the hill, a fourth of a
mile to the southward, which boils up in a pool 40 feet across and at
its lowest stage discharges several thousand gallons every hour. Its
volume responds quickly to a heavy rainfall and to the succeeding
period of fair weather, although its level never passes above or below
certain fixed points. A singular feature of this spring, one which has
given it a wide reputation, is its rhythmic ebb and flow. With
absolute regularity, regardless of atmospheric conditions, it swells
for six hours, then subsides for an equal period, stages of high and
low water occurring at the same hours every day. The extreme range of
level is about a foot. Intermittent springs are not uncommon; but the
regularity of this one is remarkable, particularly so as its action is
not affected by changes in the volume. A dam was built below this
spring by the father of Mr. Miller to furnish power for a mill; when
the mill was not running the noise of the falling water, reenforced by
the echoes from the hills around, could be heard a long distance and
gave it the title of Roaring Spring. The Indians had a name for it
which was interpreted by the whites as "Blowing Spring;" but as there
are no unusual currents of air in the vicinity it is probable the
proper translation would be "Breathing Spring," on account of its
recurrent motion. The branch from this spring, following a course
along the foot of the hill, is wide and shallow, though swift, and is
nearly filled with a dense growth of long, moss-like vegetation which
was greedily devoured by deer, herds of them being frequently seen in
the water by early settlers.
From the mouth of the cave several hundred acres of fertile alluvial
land can be seen along both banks of the river. In the bottom land
lying nearest to the spring branch--which is itself entitled to be
called a creek--and extending southward to Miller's residence, partly
on an upper terrace, but mostly on the low land, was a village site on
which were formerly many small mounds which from the description were
undoubtedly house mounds. Mortars occur in numbers, while fragments of
pottery and flint, as well as many unbroken implements, were formerly
abundant to a depth of several inches. On the opposite side from the
cavern, in the angle formed by the abrupt turn of the river, is
another village site. A ditch, with an interior embankment about 6
feet high, formerly extended in a curved line across the point. This
fortification was about 600 feet long, coming to the river bank at
either end. In the part thus protected were many low, small mounds
placed close together but quite irregularly. These were probably house
mounds. No trace of any of this artificial work is now apparent except
that a difference in color may be seen here and there when the soil is
freshly turned, all the earthworks having been plowed and dragged
level as interfering with cultivation. A great amount of broken
pottery, flint implements, and fragments of animal bones has been
uncovered here. In fact, the field is known locally as "the place
where the Indians made their pottery." This site seems to have been
occupied within historic times; after an unusual freshet some years
ago, many "round musket-balls, such as belonged to the old-fashioned
muzzle loaders"--"hundreds," or "two gallons," of them is the usual
version--were picked up where the loose soil had washed off. There is
a local tradition, long antedating the discovery of the bullets, that
a "battle" was fought here between the French and the Indians.
On the hill over the cave are three cairns, but they have been so
searched through that scarcely a stone remains in its proper place.
There is also the site of a flint-working industry, a space 40 or 50
feet across being strewn with spalls, flakes, and chips.
When, in addition to the sustenance provided by deer and other large
game, there is taken into consideration the great numbers of wild
fowls which frequented the rugged hills and numerous streams; the
multitude of small mammals which found security in the myriad cavities
and crevices in the cliffs; the abundant food supply in the river; and
the further fact that so many mortars and pestles meant the
utilization of nuts and the cultivation of corn and no doubt of other
foodstuffs as well; it is apparent that the problem of mere
subsistence was one with which the natives had but little need to
concern themselves. That full recognition was accorded to these
advantages is amply attested by the great quantity of flints found
everywhere in the vicinity, the numerous workshops on the hills and in
the bottoms where the ground is thickly strewn with débris in every
stage from the intact nodule or block to the finished implement, and
the amount of refuse not only in this cavern, but in the Saltpeter
Cave in the same bluff and in the Freeman or Ramsey Cave 3 miles down
the river on the opposite side. Miller's Cave, however, possesses an
additional advantage, one probably not to be found elsewhere. This is
the absolute security of its inmates from the attack of an enemy. The
mouth of the cave is in the face of a perpendicular bluff, the wall
on either side so smooth that not even a squirrel can obtain a
foothold. The upper stratum of the precipice projects to such an
extent that a rope or a ladder let down from above would fall several
feet beyond the outer edge of the floor. Below, there is a vertical
drop of 30 feet to the top of the rough talus which is as steep as
rocks and earth will lie. If an assailant, by approaching from either
side, should reach the foot of this bluff he would offer a fair target
for stones rolled or hurled down by defenders who are safely out of
reach of missiles from any direction.
The only means of entrance is a small opening in the west wall,
communicating with another cave. This is so restricted in size as to
permit the passage of only one person at a time, and he must assume a
crawling or crouching posture. This opening, which for distinction
will be called the doorway, has its top, sides, and bottom coated with
stalagmite formation; so it may once have been somewhat larger than at
present. The limited amount of the deposit over the natural rock at
either end of the orifice is evidence, however, that it could never
have been high enough for a man to walk through without stooping, or
wide enough for two persons to pass each other; consequently one man
armed with a club or other weapon could easily guard it against any
number who might attempt to enter.
The cavern from which this opening leads, and which will be called the
outer cave, is close to and nearly parallel with the face of the
bluff, and its course is therefore approximately east and west,
forming nearly a right angle with the main cavern. It has a slight
curve, so that the doorway is not visible to one who is approaching
from the outside until he is within a few yards of it.
The outer cave has its beginning at a point where the bluff bends
toward the north; that is, where there is a shallow reentrant curve,
formed by the face of the cliff breaking away at this part and rolling
down the hill; a considerable portion of this cave itself has been
thus destroyed, as shown by another entrance into the bluff beyond.
Much talus has accumulated in this cave, over which there is at
present a fairly easy though winding and zigzag path to the entrance
from the top of the hill, and a rough and difficult way from the
bottom. It is a natural presumption that dwellers in the cavern had
well-constructed though necessarily devious pathways of easy grade to
both the top and the bottom of the hill; but owing to the loose nature
of the débris on the outside slopes all trace of these, when abandoned
or no longer kept in repair, would soon be obliterated by surface
wash, landslides, and the roots of trees.
By the side of the upper trail, at the bottom of the sandstone ledge
capping the hill, are many large blocks which have split off from this
stratum. On the flat surface of two of these are about 25 figures,
pecked into the stone apparently with a pointed flint implement. One
of them measuring 6½ by 30 inches, shown in figure 11, bears some
resemblance to a flying bird. All the others are of uniform design, an
oval or elliptical figure with a straight line or bar passing through
an opening in one end. These vary from 4 to 18 inches in length; two
of them are shown in figure 12. Owing to the rough weathering of the
stones accurate tracings were not possible, but the illustrations give
a fairly correct idea of the inscriptions as they originally appeared.
[Illustration: FIG. 11.--Incised figure in sandstone near Miller's
Cave.]
[Illustration: FIG. 12.--Incised figures in sandstone near
Miller's Cave.]
The front part of the outer cave is partially filled with large rocks,
gravel, and clay, which have fallen or been washed in. A window-like
opening on the right, or south, side admits additional light. Near the
inner end the cave divides, one branch going to the southeast and
opening in the face of the bluff, the other turning north and
terminating abruptly near the doorway, which is worn through its rear
wall. A rough diagram (fig. 13) with some measurements is appended to
show this cavern's peculiar structure.
Feet.
Width at mouth (A) 17
From mouth to "window" (B) 21
Width of window (B), which has a very irregular outline 3
From window to where cave divides (C) 39
From corner of divide (c) to opposite corner (H) 13
From corner (H) to rear wall 11
Greatest width, from (B) to (F) 22
Width from (C) to (G) 10
From north wall near (G) to face of bluff (D) 28
Height at mouth from talus to roof 8
Height from floor to roof between (C) and (G) 13
Lowest point in the cave (near C), below entrance (A) 7
Mouth, at (D), lower than floor at (C) 4
A small amount of refuse on the floor suggested use of the outer cave
for residence or shelter; but excavations at several points uncovered
bedrock, with very irregular surface, at depths of 6 inches to 2 feet,
the earth containing very little refuse and no ashes. On the talus at
the entrance, and also at the bottom of the bluff in which the caves
open, is much refuse which the inmates threw out as rubbish.
[Illustration: FIG. 13.--Plan of Miller's Cave.]
The front chamber of the main cavern is quite regular in form, going
straight back like a vault for 80 feet, then turning abruptly westward
with a width of 47 feet, the west wall making almost a right angle at
the corner. The east wall abuts squarely against the rear; a narrow
crevice leads eastward from their junction, but as this was filled
with water and mud no exploration in it was attempted.
The floor of the front chamber, from wall to wall, and from near the
front to within 27 feet of the rear, was entirely of ashes, no earth
being visible until the extremity of these at either end was reached.
The floor of the western extension is covered with fine earth, washed
in, which gradually increases in volume until it fills the cave to
within a foot of the roof. It was not examined beyond this point.
Measurements show these dimensions:
Width of cave at mouth feet 64
Least width of cave, 24 feet from mouth do 45
Greatest width of cave, from doorway to branch in
cave in eastern wall feet 74
Shortest distance from line of least width to line
of greatest width, as given above feet 18
From mouth of cave to doorway do 51
Height of doorway inches 42
Width of doorway do 33
Length of floor of doorway do 56 §
From mouth of cave to top of slope of ashes at rear feet 84
From top to bottom of slope of ashes at rear do 16
From foot of ash slope to rear wall do 27
Extent of ashes in turn of cave along foot of wall
beyond corner of west wall feet 22
Width of these ashes, from foot of wall to the
pool of water do 22
Width of cave from corner of west wall to east wall do 56
From corner of west wall to rear of cave do 47
Height of extreme front from floor at edge of bluff
to most projecting ledge above feet 35
Height from shelf or ledge near front of east wall
to general level of roof feet 14
Height from ashes to roof at middle of cave do 10
§ This measure also represents the thinnest portion of the wall
separating the main cave from the outer cave.
The walls were, as is usual in caverns, somewhat irregular, there
being a narrow bench or shelf along each side near the front, while
projections and indentations alternated from front to rear. There were
numerous small holes and crevices, enlargements of seams and joints by
percolating water at an early stage in the cave's history. These
furnish homes for various wild animals, and nearly all of them contain
bones, sticks, and trash taken in by ground hogs and wood rats which
seem to find much pleasure in carrying such things from place to
place.
The work of excavation began at the extreme front of the cave, where
the original bottom, a mixture of sand, clay, and chert gravel, had
been exposed through removal of the ashes by winds and driving rain.
Almost immediately rocks, large and small, fallen from walls and roof,
were encountered and interfered greatly with the digging. In the upper
foot of the clay were streaks of sand and ashes, among which a mussel
shell and a flint chip were found; and the top of the clay was quite
uneven, appearing as if carried and thrown here, as perhaps some of it
was early in the occupancy of the cave, with the object of making a
more even or level floor farther back. But this admixture was only
superficial; below it, the material had all the appearance of a
running water deposit.
A ledge extended along the east wall for 40 feet, with a width of 12
to 14 feet; at the inner end it was about 4 feet below the general
level of the floor. At 8 feet below its top a second ledge projected
from it, sloping toward the center, slightly for 8 feet then more
rapidly for 10 feet farther, where it merged into the bedrock. Then
came level, nearly smooth rock for 18 feet, to the foot of the slope
of the west wall, 14 feet out from that side of the cave. This was
probably the original drainage channel.
By the gradual erosion of new channels through the limestone and the
consequent abandonment of old ones, subterranean drainage is
continually altering its direction and force. In this way caverns may
be left entirely dry, with bare floors; or may, especially if they
receive the drainage of sink holes, be partially or even entirely
filled with débris thus carried in. Like others, Miller's Cave has
undergone such changes. It was begun by clear water; enlarged by
erosion and by breaking down of walls and roof; presently clay, sand,
and gravel were carried in; finally the water no longer flowed through
the front, but found its way out in some other direction. In time the
deposits became sufficiently dry to afford a good site for camps and
for permanent occupation. There is no way of ascertaining the rate at
which these changes took place; it may have required many centuries to
make an appreciable difference in appearance; or, on the other hand,
the transition from one stage to the next may have been rapid.
Along the foot of the ledge from the east wall the clay was only a few
inches deep; farther out on the ledge, and on the projection extending
from it, were layers of red sand. Occasionally a small patch of it
appeared along the western side. Probably it was washed in among the
last of the natural deposits.
There was considerable chert gravel mixed with the clay, making
excavation as difficult and laborious as digging up an old,
much-traveled macadamized highway.
The surface of the ashes sloped upward rather rapidly for a distance
of 29 feet from the front. Kitchen refuse, found in them from the
start, contained many mussel shells; bones, including those of bear,
deer, panther, turkey, and other large fowls, tortoise, turtle, fish,
and various small mammals and birds; potsherds; broken flints, with
the débris of chipping work; mortars, pestles, hammers, and mullers.
Near the west wall, 14 feet from the mouth, imbedded in the ashes and
a foot below their surface, was a well-preserved cranium, shown in
plate 17, e, f. There were no other bones, not even the lower jaw; it
seems to have been thrown here and covered with the dumped ashes.
At 18 feet from the mouth the rocks became larger and so numerous as
to be almost in contact, projecting above the ashes and imbedded in
the clay down to bedrock; they extended for 22 feet farther in and to
within 14 feet of the west wall. The clay attained its highest level
at the beginning of this pile of rocks, having an elevation of 9 feet
above bedrock; it became lower toward the interior, with its surface
everywhere rough and irregular.
The rocks were too large to be either moved or broken up, and owing to
the condition of the roof an attempt to reduce them by blasting would
have been attended with great danger, so they were perforce left in
place and as much as possible of the clay between and under them dug
away. Beyond those near the front, others, not reaching the top, were
found one after another buried in the clay; owing to their constantly
increasing number, and to the inward slope of the east wall, the
limits of the excavation gradually narrowed, hampering the movements
of the workmen, and it was necessary to handle the earth two or even
three times to get it out of the way. There was growing risk, too, of
the projecting rocks splitting off or breaking out of the clay matrix.
As some of them weighed several tons, the danger became too imminent,
and efforts to continue along the bedrock had to cease.
Two other attempts were made to get to the bottom; one at 40 feet from
the mouth just beyond the large rocks on the surface, and one at 15
feet farther in. The last one started on an area 8 by 15 feet, which
would have been ample if the sides could have been carried down even
approximately straight. Neither of these efforts met with success, for
the same reason that led to the abandonment of the first one.
From here to the end, examinations were confined to the deposit of
ashes. The surface, except as it had been disturbed by relic hunters,
was practically level from wall to wall, but the depth varied with the
undulating top of the clay beneath. Where it was deepest, in the
central portion about 50 to 75 feet from the mouth, the deposit had a
thickness of 6 feet. From this it diminished to about 3 feet on the
sides, with an occasional thinner patch on a narrow shelf formed by a
ledge or a crevice. The average thickness was close to 4½ feet, so the
amount was not far from 800 cubic yards. This was composed entirely of
ashes from small fires for cooking, heating, and lighting purposes,
increased to a very limited extent by kitchen waste, and by discarded
or mislaid wrought objects. It represented the combustion of many
hundreds, perhaps of thousands, of cords of wood, all of which had to
be carried in from the hilltop or slopes and passed through the
constricted doorway. This labor would be a sufficient guarantee of
economical use; we may be sure that no fuel was wasted. If proof were
needed of such a self-evident proposition, it would be found in the
almost complete absence of charcoal; here and there, but seldom, a
small mass of it showed that a burning chunk, covered up, had
smoldered until the inflammable portion was consumed. Bunches or
handfuls of coarse grass or small weeds had undergone the same
process. Perhaps these had been used as kindling.
In all the deeper parts the ashes had been dumped promiscuously, from
fires made at other points; no camping fires seem to have been made
along the middle of the cave until the depressions in the clay had
been at least partially filled. The ashes in the upper 4 feet of the
ash beds where these were deepest, and in nearly all the shallower
portions, were stratified and usually level, though at the front and
rear the strata followed the natural incline of the slopes. The first
impression was that the ashes had been carefully spread out, or
dragged, to make their surface even; but it was discovered, when
shoveling some of them for the second time, that ashes may assume this
appearance no matter how carelessly thrown. The ashes at the top, to a
depth of 3 or 4 inches, were as fine as flour, and when shoveled back
hung in clouds for hours at a time, to the great discomfort of the
excavators, whose eyes, throats, and nasal passages were in a state of
constant irritation. The stratified or laminated, hard-packed
condition below the loose surface means, perhaps, that they were
occasionally sprinkled and trampled by the occupants to prevent this
trouble. Possibly they were covered with mats, skins, weeds, or
leaves, in the parts where the inmates congregated. The loose,
incoherent condition of the lower portions, which "shoveled like
snow," may denote that only a few persons dwelt here at first, who
found ample room on the higher ground near the doorway. However, all
such attempts at explanations are not much better than mere guesswork,
and we must be content with accepting the facts as we find them.
Where the ashes were white and packed hard, whether on the site of a
fire or in thin layers where thrown, they contained very little
extraneous material; whereas in the darker, more mixed material broken
bones, potsherds, shells, and other refuse were abundant, while there
was scarcely a cubic foot anywhere in which was not found a piece of
flint or bone, sometimes several such objects, which had been
intentionally altered from their natural condition.
Near the center of the cave was a curving pile, 6 by 2 feet, and
several inches thick, of mussel shells of every size from less than an
inch to above 5 inches in length; more than half of them were over 3
inches. None of them showed any marks of fire; some had both valves in
position, as if they had never been opened, and a few of the larger of
these had been filled with small shells and closed again. A few were
broken, but most of them were entire. About 1,400 valves were in this
pile, meaning that at least one-half of that number of mollusks were
consumed.