I am fascinated by pictographs and petroglyphs. Is it a 10,000 year old graffiti or a sacred magical symbolic code, a treasure map, a historian’s guide in historical stone?
In 1806, during their historic journey through Montana, the Lewis and Clark expedition found several traces of the first inhabitants of this great land. The tribes that lived in this area, as well as the nomadic tribes that followed the herds of bison across the Great Plains, inscribed pictographs and petroglyphs on the rock walls. From Clark’s diary “.. On the face of this rock the figures of animals.” For an archaeologist, there is a clear difference between pictographs and petroglyphs. Pictograms are intricate designs painted on a hard surface, petroglyphs are chiseled or carved into the surface of the rock.
The cave walls and cliffs bear witness to the travels, hunts, and valiant exploits of prehistoric hunters and their historical American Indian counterparts who inhabited the caves sporadically over a period of nearly 10,000 years. These early Montana residents left a rich legacy of artifacts and painted images that many feel have magical significance; Evocative and mystical, they ignite our imagination and connect us with our past.
Distinctive vestiges of the past can be seen along the Sun River, Smith River, in the Little Bear Mountains, Lewis and Clark National Forest, and in many other Montana historic sites. Kila, Montana, near Kalispell is another site of exceptional representations of warriors, buffalo, and tribal culture. In Kila there are two sites with hundreds of images. Hellgate Canyon, a narrow passage from the Missoula Valley to the plains is an impressive sight of the Indian petroglyphs that adorn the canyon walls. In Idaho’s northern neighbor, extensive flats are found on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille.
Most of the American Indian tribes of Montana created rock art forms. Anthropological researchers interpret many of the drawings as a kind of calendar to mark important dates, documentation of successful hunts, and drawings of battles or acts of bravery. A handprint is one of the most common marks to signify the creator, similar to our current practice of signing our signature. These early artists would place their hand against a rock and then, using a reed or a hollow pen, they would blow liquid dyes around the hand to trace its outline.
These early tribal artists also used delicate brushes made from feathers, twigs, animal hair, and small bones. Many paintings have been inscribed with sharp engraving tools. The pigments were made from crushed minerals, clays, and charcoal mixed with animal fats, plant extracts, and blood.
Many of the paintings were made to seek the favor of the gods, protect the tribe, and by telling their stories, educate the young. Located about 13 miles from Billings, Montana Pictograph Cave State Park documents life before Native Americans or the white man set foot on the land that is now Montana.
The Pictograph State Park drawings are believed to be over 2000 years old. More than 30,000 artifacts that tell about prehistoric life, hunting and social structure have already been recovered from this amazing site. Images of warriors, wildlife, and tribal rituals tell a complex story of life thousands of years ago. The paintings are open to interpretation. We will never know exactly what happened so many years ago, but rock art gives us an insight into the culture of prehistoric man. The two main caves, Pictograph and Ghost Cave, were home to generations of prehistoric hunters. Middle Cave does not reflect signs of inhabiting.
The scientists also exhumed the skeletal remains of at least nine people in and around the area around the caves. This included an unfortunate individual who had been crushed by falling rocks. Several of the human bones recovered from Pictograph Cave State Park have the same teeth and burn marks as the bison bones found in the caves. These burn and bite marks have led anthropologists to speculate that these prehistoric residents practiced cannibalism.
In the early 1900s, many people knew the “Indian Caves” as they were located along a popular route between Billings and the city of Coburn, located in the Crow Indian Reservation. The curious often stopped and explored the caves and took a break on their journey. A spring of cool, fresh water and pleasant shade made the caves a popular camping spot for travelers.
Although decades of people living around Billings were familiar with the caves, they didn’t realize it until 1936, when a group of amateur anthropologists unearthed deposits of prehistoric artifacts in the cave floor. In 1937, the Montana Highway Commission acquired the site to preserve this impressive piece of history for future generations.
Another remote area in southern Montana has a large number of historic stones. Weatherman Draw, also known as the “Valley of the Chiefs,” a two-mile stretch of history, hides numerous multi-colored depictions of people, shields, and animals that scientists believe are over 1,000 years old. Mystical representations are considered the best preserved rock examples in the Altos Llanos. More than 10 indigenous tribes consider the area sacred. Threatened by oil drilling in the late 1990s, the site is now preserved thanks to a donation to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
