Toquima Cave

East of the summit, north of the highway, and under a basalt flow lies Toquima Cave, whose walls are decorated with red, white, and yellow aboriginal drawings. Usually located near springs, as here, and on migratory big game trails, painted or pecked petroglyphs are associated with the food-gathering localities of Nevada's prehistoric inhabitants. No known specific meanings are attached to these particular design elements. Presumably, these people created the designs as ritual devices to insure success in the hunt, and most petroglyphs therefore probably were not messages or conscious art forms.

Austin, Nevada · United States