Nature
Big Bone Cave in Van Buren County, Tennessee, is both a major natural landmark and an important archaeological site, valued for unusually well-preserved prehistoric remains, human artifacts, and traces of later industry. Its name comes from the 1811 discovery of giant ground sloth bones, which drew early scientific attention. The cave later served as a saltpeter mine during the War of 1812 and the American Civil War, linking it to the production of gunpowder. Formed in Mississippian Monteagle limestone and predating about 5.7 million years ago, it remains one of Tennessee’s major cave systems and the state’s tenth longest mapped cave.
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Tennessee · United States