10 Aorth Julia Davia Drtve Idaho

Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Idaho

COUNTY; NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Jerome

INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER (Type all entries — complete applicable sections) 1974

Wilson Butte Cave (10 JE 6)

AND/OR HISTORIC:

CATEGORY ACCESSIBLE OWNERSHIP STATUS (Check One) TO THE PUBLIC

District Q Building Public Public Acquisition: O Occupied Yes: n Restricted Site Q Structure Private || In Process (Xl Unoccupied j^] Unrestricted D Object Both | | Being Considered [ I Preservation work in progress a NO

PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate)

( | Entertainment I| Museum | | Scientific (/> z E OWNER'S NAME:

STREET AND NUMBER

CI TY OR TOWN:

:$.:.. LOCATJON OF tEGAL DESCRIPTION JEEPS. ETC:

STREET AND NUMBER:

CITY OR TO

TITLE OF SURVEY: Idfho State Historic 3itea Inventory DATE OF SURVEY: T O7 O Feder State | | County Local DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Hsitorical 3ociety ISTREET AND NUMBER: 10 aorth Julia Davia Drtve Idaho 17, DiSGRIPTION (Check One) Excellent Kf Good Q Fair Deteriorated l~~l Ruins [ I Unexposed CONDITION CChecfc One; (Check One) Altered D Unaltered Moved S] Original Site

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (it known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Wilson Butte cave is located in the desert environ ______Hj^y The cave, a lava blister formed by expanding gas or steam within the cooling lava, was most likely formed during the Early or Middle Pleistocene. The butte itself is about

.ses very gradual!^______' above the surrounding plain to a maximum elevation ^^^^^^^^^Vabove^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^•••••^^ sea level affording good vantage points from which one can see for miles on a clear day.

The mouth of the cave, fl|H[j[|jjJH|H0 measures about two meters in height and six meters in maximum width. The interior cavity is mostly below ground surface level. The walls have a relatively smooth surface but are fissured. Extensive streaks of calcium carbonate deposit on the walls indicate that percolation of ground water has taken place m through the roof and sides. rn

70 C o

o z PERIOD (Check One or More aa Appropriate) 53 Pre-Columbian ] I I 16th Century 18th Century 20th Century

D 15th Century Q 17th Century 19th Century

SPECIFIC DATE(S) (If Applicable and Known) —

AREAS OF SIGN! FICANCE (Check One or More aa Appropriate)

Abor iginal I I Education Q Political I| Urban Planning (XJ Prehistoric I | Engineering n R«ligion/Phi. Q Other (Specify) O Historic [~t Industry losophy I | Agriculture I | Invention || Science

Q Architecture I| Landscape I | Sculpture

D Art Architecture r~l Social/Human

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Although prehistoric human occupation at Wilson Butte cave was sporadic and discontinuous, excavations in 1959^i960 did yield evidence of a number of occupations, the lowest of which has been radiocarbon dated at about 15,000 years ago, or 13,0^0 B.C. Two of these dates (15,000 and 14,500 B.P.) are about ttte earliest established in North America.

U The sequence of sedimentary deposits, with ther/t distinctive physical properties and associated faunal remains, permitted a reconstruction of past environments and climatic fluctuations in the western part of the Snake River Plain from the time of the last major glacial advances to the present. Distinctive assemblages of artifacts were found in the different deposits. Interpretation of the function of these artifacts in relation to contemporary ecological conditions has enabled a partial reconstruction of the characteristics of the occupation which these LU material remains represent.

CO Comparison of the assemblages at Wilson Butte cave with archaeological material from other sites in the adjacent culture areas of the Plateau Great Basin, and Plains, show desert cultural relationships between southern Idaho and each of these three areas in different time periods and it was found that the extent of cultural affiliations with each area varied through time in conjunction with major changes in environ mental conditions in southern^Idaho. This information from Wilson Butte cave f^fffffjffjjjftffffi together with that now available from other sites in the South Hills and the foothills of the central mountains, has permitted construction of a tentative model of the culture history of southern Idaho.

A*(^ A**:;/ . //f •• Vf ::;^ &&• W^ : :*• • : ;i ' ;; ''•• < £:: ^':?l:i S^syxi!v|ili|| LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY J DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY D OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES 1C CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees _Minutes Seconds. Degrees Minutes Seconds, NW ° ° NE ° ° CC O t » O 1 n SW o . . o APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: ,-^

STATE: CODE COUNTY -'. 7^~ .-. CODE m X^Y^jT"^' }~^ m STATE: CODE COUNTY: •'r\^-/' |-^ "*" -. r\ ' \ CODE /^%/ MlC[i\/LU -^ STATE: CODE COUNTY: - btr^m OL jr """17u)/^ 4 ^ ' \ CODE

STATE: CODE COUNTY: '.; NATIONAL "/' CODE %. REGISTE! '^/ |lltfef?oM: PRfM^ • •". : •••• "V^N; : : :'/:^:^ NAME AND TITLE: ^ / /" j < T~"\ ~\ ]^ ^ o ———————— Earl Swans on ————————————————————————————————, ————————————— ORGANIZATION DATE H ————————Idaho State Univeroity Muocum———————————————————— 6 Sept 1972——— STREET AND NUMBER: •* O z CITY OR TOWN: STATE CODE on Pocatello Idaho ,16 \12. m ATE LIAISON OFFICER GERTIFICAT10W NATIONAL REGISTER VlRiFieAtldN

As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na I hereby certify that this property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law National Register. 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. The recommended Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation level of significance of this nomination is: National 3g State r] Local Q

Bate '( f ' f ' T Name / /^Z^o^ 'j (2/> <2/^^J£4t-~^ ATTEST: Ci ( / \ \ ** ^ Title State Historic Preservation Offic Keeper of' The National R/gister Date May 6, 1974 // n-ir

Form No. 10-301 a UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (7/72) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Idaho NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Jerome PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY (Type all entries - attach to or enclose with photograph) ENTRY NU 9.1

COMMON: Wilson Butte Cave (10 Je 6) AND/OR HISTORIC: u STREET AND NUMBER: Sec. 27 T7S R19E r> CITY OR TOWN: Of

COUNTY: Idaho 16 ____Jerome 053

PHOTO CREDIT: Idaho State University Museum

DATE OF PHOTO:

MEGATIVE FILED AT: Idaho State University Museum

DESCRIBE VIEW, DIRECTION, ETC.

Excavation of cave.

•fa US. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1973-729-152/1446 ID -1

OF THE HRrJDL ESE LA