The Ancient Native American Found 2.5 Miles Inside Mammoth Cave — And The Mystery Of Why His People Went So Deep Underground
The geological formations — the gypsum flowers, the stalactites and stalagmites, the vast chambers — were treated as wonders of nature and attractions for tourists.
They were appreciated, described in published accounts, drawn and photographed, and used as the centerpiece of a commercial tourism business that began in the early nineteenth century and continues to this day.
The archaeological evidence — the mummified bodies, the sandals, the torch fragments, the gourd bowls — was treated quite differently.
These were curiosities to be collected, examined, displayed, and sometimes sold.
The mummified woman found in Short Cave in 1813 was exhibited at the cave for several years before being sold to a buyer in Ohio.
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