History
Layser Cave, a shallow rock shelter in Washington’s Cispus Valley, preserves a rare record of long-term Indigenous seasonal use, especially by the Upper Cowlitz and possibly the Yakama. People processed deer, elk, and salmon there as early as 7,000 years ago, using the site as a domestic shelter and hunting work area before it was likely abandoned about 3,400 to 3,500 years ago during eruptions of Mount St. Helens. After its rediscovery in 1982, excavations revealed hearths, tools, hide working, clothing production, and trade links reaching Central Oregon and the Oregon coast. Despite looting damage, it remains one of the national forest’s most important archaeological sites.
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Packwood, Washington · United States
