Initiate "Cave Rock Art Photo-Documentation Project"

Mammoth Cave National Park preserves evidence of a long and rich history of human involvement with surface and cave resources. The timeline for archeological sites in the park extends back 10,000 years. Based on radiocarbon dates, prehistoric people entered the caves almost 4,000 years ago to explore and mine cave minerals. Mammoth Cave was first recorded by Euro-Americans in the late 18th Century and was mined for Saltpetre during the War of 1812. Guided tours began in 1816, and until 1926, when l~agislation to establish Mammoth Cave National Park was passed, the cave was operated as a tourist attraction by a succession of private owners. Between 1926 and 1941 sufficient land was acquired for the park and in 1941 Mammoth Cave became our nation's 26th National Park. In 1981 the park was designatesi by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site and in 1990 as an International Biosphere Reserve. In 1991, sections of the toured portions of the cave were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.