Graham Cave State Park records early Archaic life near Danville

Graham Cave State Park sits near Danville in Montgomery County, in the hills above the Loutre River. It protects a wide rock shelter that formed where Jefferson City dolomite meets St. Peter sandstone. Between 1949 and 1955, the University of Missouri and the Missouri Archaeological Society dug here and found signs that people lived in the cave 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, back in the Paleo-Indian, Dalton, and Archaic periods. That is long before anyone wrote things down. Because of what was found, in 1961 Graham Cave became the first archaeological site in the United States named a National Historic Landmark. Today the park has hiking trails and picnic spots. The Graham Cave Trail leads to the cave entrance, where you can go into the mouth of the cave and read interpretive panels about the early people who lived here. The deep history of this place belongs to Indigenous (Native American) peoples, so the careful thing is to trust Missouri State Parks and archaeology experts rather than the popular “oldest in America” saying. Check with the local park office before you visit for current trails and access rules.