Graham Cave State Park in Montgomery County, Missouri, centers on Graham Cave, a large sandstone shelter and an important Pre-Columbian archaeological site with evidence of human use dating back as early as 10,000 years ago. Artifacts show early inhabitants hunted and fished with spears, and a stone arrangement suggests ceremonial activity, while pottery indicates later Native American occupation. After the Graham family acquired the land in 1847, discoveries from the cave drew the University of Missouri and the Missouri Archaeological Society to excavate there between 1949 and 1961. In 1961, it became the first archaeological site in the United States designated a National Historic Landmark, and the surrounding land was donated for the park in 1964.

Danville, Missouri · USA