Sunday, November 19, 2017

Salt Cave (Churchill County, Nevada)

 

One of my favorite activities over the past few years is researching and then explore the desert landscape for unique features or ancient Native American rock art. After having learned of a few sites out in the desert between Fallon and Lovelock, I decided today was an ideal day to explore a bit. My friend, Nick, who recently moved back to the area joined me for the adventure.

Our first stop takes us south east of Fallon and across the US Navy's Bombing Range to some tufa caves, referred to in my reading as the Salt Caves. After leaving town and heading out into the desert, we pass a sign warning us to stay on the main roads. As I didn't plan on having any bombs dropped on me today, we follow the guidance. After a couple of miles, we note another sign facing the opposite direction and indicating that we have exited the danger zone.

A dirt road leads off along the ridge, which in millennia past may have formed a shoreline of the ancient Lake Lahotan. After traveling just short distance, we encounter a small cave that looks worth of exploration. The cave shows some signs of carbon build up on the ceiling, but no other signs of human activity. We search the area, but beyond the interesting tufa-encrusted rocks that can be found all over the region, find little else of note.

Driving a bit further towards the coordinates I had mapped at as the likely site of the cave, we note two much large caves in the distance. Like the smaller cave, these two were formed as depressions in the tufa formations when this area was under the lake waters, some 10,000+ years ago.


The first of the two large caves has an entrance about 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide. It bores approximately 100 feet back into the tufa cliff - plenty of room to support a small family. The intense carbon build up on the ceiling and numerous red pictographs on must uncharged surfaces offer testament to the ancient peoples that inhabited this dwelling in the distance past. The pictographs are largely preserved. Hand prints, circles, and other patterns cover the walls, all created with some type of red pigment (blood perhaps).


As we make our way to the second cave, which is only about 50 feet from the first, we note the start differences between the two. This one has a much broader entrance, but lacks the depth of the first. While there are some faded petroglyphs on these walls, the additional sun exposure offered by the larger opening has caused the more rapid deterioration of these examples of rock art.

We get back in the jeep and take off for our next destination. Even if the other two sites on our agenda turn out to be busts, this one made the entire trip worthwhile.

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