ENVIRONMENT

How has Old Mans Cave changed over time?

"Over 330 million years ago, the Hocking Hills region was covered by the Atlantic Ocean, depositing the sand and gravel which eventually formed the Blackhand sandstone the area is known for."(Ohio Memory). Thousands of years of erosion, principally caused by glaciation and Salt Creek, which flows through the gorge, resulted in the cave. "After a time the ocean receded, and millions of years of erosion from streams and groundwater cut through the soft middle layer of sandstone, resulting in the iconic rock formations and natural features the region is known for today."(Ohio Memory)

Although people crowd the park every year, There is a long history of people settling at Old Mans Cave. People lived at Hocking Hills which I find very interesting. Shawnee Delaware and Wyandot tribes hunted and lived in this region. Also"Archaeological evidence documents that American Indian peoples inhabited the area as early as seven thousand years ago."(Ohio Memory) and used to call the park Hockhocking or bottle rock river because of the bottle shape of the river.

(Two young women descend a rock-cut staircase at Old Man’s Cave, via the Ohio Guide Collection.)

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