Caves, Caverns, and Canyons around Fort Payne, Alabama - Fort Payne AL Off the Beaten Path

Preview: While exploring this region in June 1540, Spaniard Hernando DeSoto and his crew chose this area for their entry into what is now Alabama. You might like to take a driving tour of Bridgeport, once called Jonesville but renamed in the 1850s for the railroad bridge that spans the Tennessee River. Drive through Kilpatrick Row Residential District and up bluff-based Battery Hill, the site of several Civil War battles, to see the lovely historic homes of Victorian vintage with turrets, fish-scale shingles, and wraparound porches. Russell Cave National Monument is about 8 miles west of Bridgeport. Long before DeSoto’s visit, the large limestone cave served as an archaic hotel for Native Americans traveling through the area about 9,000 years ago. The visitor center, in addition to housing a museum that displays weapons, tools, pottery, and other artifacts found in the cave, also offers several audiovisual presentations. After browsing through the museum, you can walk about 250 yards to the cave’s big opening at the base of craggy bluffs. A ranger-led tour takes you to the cave, where you can learn about how the occupants fed, clothed, and protected themselves. One of the century’s most significant archaeological finds, the relic-filled cave remained pretty much a secret until 1953 when some members of the Tennessee Archaeological Society discovered the history-rich shelter and alerted Smithsonian Institution officials, who collaborated with the National Geographic Society to conduct extensive excavations here. The National Park Service carried out more excavations in 1962. Their joint research revealed Russell Cave to be one of the longest, most complete, and well-preserved archaeological records in the eastern United States. Radioactive carbon from early campfires placed human arrival between 6500 and 6145 B.C. Remains of animal bones, tools, weapons, and pottery all helped archaeologists fit together portions of this ancient jigsaw puzzle. The evidence implies seasonal occupation, suggesting that various groups of early people wintered in Russell Cave, then moved on to hunt and live off the land during warm-weather months. Be sure to ask a ranger about a living-history demonstration. I found it fascinating to watch a piece of flint fashioned into an arrowhead in about four minutes with the same simple tools early Native Americans used. The above description is an excerpt from "Alabama: Off the Beaten Path." Whether you're a visitor or a local looking for something different, this chapter from the Off the Beaten Path series will help you take the "road less traveled" and discover hidden attractions, unique finds, and unusual locales that most tourists miss.
© Copyright Gay N. Martin published by Insiders' Guide all rights reserved.


This travel guide comes from:
Alabama Off the Beaten Path Guide Book