National Monuments of the US Bingo- We have a winner!!!

[yagam1]

Ooooh Jewel Cave--very cool! Also brings me up to 7/10.

[Ketta]

Got both today...up to 8/10!

[Lessa54]

Both for me too Up to 7/10 now

[MaudL]

Ooooooohhh, 9/10

[dwitt]

The numbers today are 10 and 21....

10. Grand Canyon- Parashant
a. Located in Arizona and established as a national monument on January 11, 2000. Located on the northern rim of the Grand Canyon, this diverse landscape includes an array of scientific and historic resources. About 20,000 of the monument's 1,017,000 acres (4,120 km2) are also within Lake Mead National Recreation Area; Grand Canyon-Parashant is not considered an official NPS unit. There are no paved roads or visitor services.
b.

c. Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (sometimes referred to as Parashant National Monument) is located on the northern edge of the Grand Canyon in northwest Arizona. The monument was established by Presidential Proclamation 7265 on January 11, 2000.[2] A remote area of open, undeveloped spaces, the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument is an impressive and diverse landscape that includes an array of scientific and historic resources.
The national monument is a very remote and undeveloped place jointly managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). There are no paved roads into the monument and no visitor services. The 1,048,325-acre (424,242 ha) monument is larger than the state of Rhode Island. The BLM portion of the monument consists of 808,747 acres (327,288 ha).[1] The NPS portion contains 208,453 acres (84,358 ha) of lands that were previously part of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. There are also about 23,205 acres (9,391 ha) of Arizona State Trust lands and 7,920 acres (3,210 ha) of private lands within the monument boundaries. Grand Canyon-Parashant is not considered a separate unit of the NPS because its NPS area is counted in Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Elevation ranges from 1,230 feet (370 m) above sea level near Grand Wash Bay at Lake Mead, to 8,029 feet (2,447 m) at Mount Trumbull. The Interagency Information Center is located in the BLM Office in St. George, Utah.
The name Parashant is derived from Paiute word Pawteh 'ee oasoasant, meaning "tanned elk hide," or "softening of the elk hide.

21. Russell Cave
a. Donated by the National Geographic Society, the cave's exceptionally large main entrance was used as a shelter by prehistoric Indians from the earliest known human settlement in the southeastern United States. The rock from which Russell Cave was formed over 300 million years ago at the bottom of an inland sea that covered the region.
b.
c. The Russell Cave National Monument is a U.S. National Monument in northeastern Alabama, United States, close to the town of Bridgeport. The Monument was established on May 11, 1961, when 310 acres (1.3 km2) of land were donated by the National Geographic Society to the American people. It is now maintained by the National Park Service. The National Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
With a mapped length of 7.2 miles (11.6 km), Russell Cave is the third longest mapped cave in Alabama, is ranked 90th on the United States Long Cave List, and is currently listed as number 314 on the World Long Cave List. Its exceptionally large main entrance was used as a shelter by prehistoric Indians from the earliest known human settlement in the southeastern United States, through to European colonization. The surrounding forest provided food, tools, and wood fuel for fires.
The rock from which Russell Cave was carved was formed over 300 million years ago at the bottom of an inland sea covering the region. Due to continental drift, the area that is now northeast Alabama was located very close to the Equator at the time this limestone was forming. This area is now located in a temperate climate, but 300 million years ago it was a shallow, tropical sea. Carbonaceous deposits of skeletons and shells were slowly transformed into limestone. Rainwater, mildly acidic from atmospheric carbon dioxide, slowly dissolved a portion of the limestone rock resulting in the formation of the cave. About 9,000 to 12,000 years ago, the collapse of a cavern roof beneath a hillside near Doran's Cove created a sinkhole and exposed Russell Cave.
Until shortly before the first occupation by Native Americans, the cavern was uninhabitable due to the presence of a large stream which occupied the entirety of the cavern. A fortuitous rockfall from the cavern roof diverted the stream to one side, however, exposing a portion of the cave floor. The first occupants dwelled on this irregular floor of rock slabs. Debris from occupants and deposits falling from the ceiling slowly raised the floor. The floor ultimately was raised an additional seven to eight feet (2.0 to 2.5 m) and up to 30 feet (9.0 m) near the upper entrance.[6] In the 1960s, the United States Bureau of Mines installed bolts with a length of 15 feet (4.5 m) to prevent additional collapses of limestone rock.
The cave mouth faces to the east preventing the ingress of a cold north and northwest winds and allowing in the morning sun. According to a published cave map, the cave has five entrances in addition to the Main Entrance. Three of the entrances are referred to as Canoe Entrances while the other two are named the Picnic Entrance and Pig Entrance.
A natural spring flows into the cave and travels underground for 1.5 miles (2.5 km) before joining Widow's Creek and, ultimately, the Tennessee River.
Archaic period (before 1000 BCE)
Chipped flint points and charcoal from campfires provide evidence that occupation of Russell Cave began nearly 10,000 years ago[9] by southeastern Archaic period Native Americans. The charcoal remains of the first fires in the cavern date to between 6550 and 6145 BCE based on radiocarbon dating. As they maintained their existence as hunter-gatherers, it is likely that the cave was only occupied during the autumn and winter seasons. According to John Griffin, the issue of seasonality (during what season or seasons the cave was utilized) remains to be determined. Evidence indicating inhabitance in autumn and winter include deer bones and passenger pigeon remains. The presence of shellfish artifacts clouds the determination somewhat since shellfish would have been easier to procure during periods of dry weather in mid-spring and late summer. However, William J. Clench has suggested that the occupants may have brought mussels and snails to nearby bodies of water (Dry Creek and/or Crownover Springs) for use as needed including in autumn or winter.[11] Based on the existing information, Griffin is "strongly inclined" to view Russell Cave as a place of winter occupancy.
In addition to serving as a shelter (presumably for several related families totaling 15 to 30 individuals[7]), the cave would have provided a constant source of water due to the lack of freezing temperatures in the cavern.The cave housed 15-30 individuals because it was limited by the need for mobility and by how much the actual land could house people. The surrounding hardwood forest and nearby Tennessee River served as sources of food throughout the year. The food sources would have included aquatic animals (fish, turtles, shellfish), birds (including turkey), small mammals (squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, gray foxes, skunks, bobcats, porcupines, peccaries), nuts (including acorns), seeds, and roots. Larger animals such as deer and black bears were also commonly hunted when the seasons permitted. Griffin has stated that the dominant animal food sources for these occupants were deer and turkey. As gatherers, these occupants also would have consumed fruits and berries although these plant foods may have been scarce or unavailable during the seasons of cave occupancy. Generally speaking, hunter-gathers relied more heavily on plant foods than they did animals. Indirect evidence of gathering includes pits for storage of nuts and seeds, mortars and pestles, and nut stones.
Goosefoot, also referred to as Chenopodium, is a small flowering plant with edible seeds that may have been cultivated in small gardens. The evidence for this is uncertain, however. This also leads to an uncertainty in the timeframe of the suspected cultivation (believed to be during Archaic or Woodland periods).
These early cave dwellers were efficient consumers of game. Flesh was roasted or stewed while hides were made into clothing and bones were made into tools.
The chief weapon of these occupants was a short spear (tipped with stone point) propelled by an atlatl (throwing stick). The points were chipped from chert which occurs as nodules and veins in limestone near the cave.
Chert was also utilized to fashion knives and scrapers. They turned bones into awls and needles indicating the production of clothing from hides or manufacturing of baskets. Small pieces of bone were also used to make fish hooks. No ornamental works have been found in this layer of deposits.
Other items such as baskets and articles fashioned from wood and hides were probably produced but have not been preserved by the soil.
Woodland period (1000 BCE to 500 CE)
Around 1000 BCE, the implements of the Native Americans utilizing Russell Cave underwent a dramatic change. Pottery appears for the first time. Smaller weapon points indicate that the bow and arrow had replaced the atlatl. Tools fashioned from bone were more refined. Other domestic implements provide the first evidence of gardening at the site. Additionally, bone and shell appear in ornamental artifacts. Evident throughout the Woodland period is an increase in the amount of hunting at the expense of other activities. During this period, it is clear that the cave had become simply a hunting camp. In the seasons away from the cave, the natives probably joined other groups at summer villages larger than those of the Archaic period.
These changes occurred in groups throughout the eastern United States marking the beginning of the Woodland period. During this period, burial mounds were first built, the population increased, and trade became important.
Changes in the shape and style of artifacts at Russell Cave during the Woodland period serve as a basis for identifying cultural subdivisions within the period. For example, early pottery of the period is decorated with fabric impressions while later pottery is decorated with impressions made by carved wooden paddles.
Mississippian period (after 500 CE)
After the close of the Woodland period (around 500 CE), Native Americans made less and less use of Russell Cave. Occasionally, small parties of hunters left objects distinct from those of the Woodland period occupants. These visitors (Mound Builders of the Mississippian period) came from permanent villages which had successfully implemented agriculture near the rich river bottomlands. The last occupants departed around 1000 CE.
Centuries later, Cherokee Indians occupied this part of the Tennessee Valley. They and the subsequent European settlers made little use of the cave. Due to the establishment of permanent settlements, locations like Russell Cave were used only sporadically as stopovers for hunting and trading parties. Few objects that they left were found very close to the surface. The only modern historical artifact found at the site was a metal fishing hook.
The expedition of Hernando de Soto passed within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of Russell Cave in 1540.
Russell Cave was named after Colonel Thomas Russell, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War from North Carolina, who owned the property at the time when maps of the area were drawn. The surrounding land called Doran's Cove is named after Major James Doran, the brother-in-law of Russell and the original owner of the land. The land was purchased by the National Geographic Society and donated to the American people. The area was designated as a National Monument in 1961 during the presidency of John F. Kennedy.
Russell Cave provides the most thorough records of any prehistoric culture in the southeast. Archeological field surveys have uncovered the records of the cave's occupants. Around two tons of artifacts have been recovered from the site. These discoveries include charcoal from fires, bones of animals (as remains of hunted game and as bone tools), spear and arrow points, sherds of pottery, and the remains of several adults and children buried at the site. The bodies, ranging in age from infant to 50 years, were buried in shallow pits in the cave floor and were not accompanied by artifacts.
The first relics were discovered in 1953 when four members from the Tennessee Archeological Society and University of Chattanooga began digging in the cave. This first excavation reached a depth of six feet (1.8 m). Upon realizing the extent and importance of the site, they contacted the Smithsonian Institution which conducted three seasons (1956–1958) of archeological digs in cooperation with the National Geographic Society reaching a depth of more than 32 feet (9.8 m). An additional excavation was performed in 1962 by the National Park Service to a depth of 10.5 feet (3.2 m). This final excavation completed the archeological record and established an on-site exhibit.
Analysis of the distribution of the artifacts among functional categories (fabricating and processing tools, domestic implements, weapons) using an experimental technique proposed by Howard Winters reveals that the ratio of non-weapon artifacts to weapons was very low. This is indicative of a hunting camp with lack of permanent occupancy. It should be noted that the picture of prehistoric life gained from Russell Cave is incomplete due to the incomplete nature of archeological records and because Russell Cave only represents a portion of the annual life cycle of the inhabitants.
Studies of historical geology and paleobotany have shown that the flora and fauna of the Eastern Forest Region remained essentially unchanged for thousands of years. This began to change with the arrival of European settlers who removed trees for timber and to open land for subsistence farming and commercial farming.
The cave is populated by both the brown bat and northern long ear bat. The cave stream contains fish known as sculpin. Snakes of the surrounding area include the copperhead, timber rattlesnake, rat snake, and kingsnake. Over 115 species of birds have been identified by researchers at Russell Cave, a site on the North Alabama Birding Trail. Although the site is now below the southern boundary of their range, porcupine bones have been found in digs at the earliest occupational levels. The peccary, also hunted by the occupants, is no longer found in this region.

[Ketta]

That brings me to 9/10...and I have to say, that as an American, I'm ashamed to say I have not seen the Grand Canyon yet. It's on my list of places to see, sooner rather than later though!

[rcperryls]

Grand Canyon brings me up to 8. Though I haven't been there, on a trip to California years ago, we flew over the Grand Canyon. I try not to over use the word "awesome", but it absolutely, positively applies to this phenomenal landscape. It seemed like it took forever to fly from one end to the other. That is something I will never forget.

Good luck to those of you who are close. We could have a winner today!

Carole

[Lessa54]

On a roll now Have both of those too so that takes me up to 9/10. Must remember to check tomorrow

[Fizzbw]

Poo, none for me!

I'd love to do the Grand Canyon. My friend visited there a few years ago but actually preferred Bryce Canyon and went back last year. While they were there they saw a Borax twenty mule train and she took video and pics of it as she knows I love mules (big ones), which caused some hilarity as she hates mules and has always said she'd disown me if I ever got one! But she did have to have some grudging respect for them after that.

I've never been to the US. Been to Toronto though!

Niki xxx

[Princesslaughton]

8/10 now. This is going to be a close call folks. Such an interesting Bingo.

Thank you xx

[tiffstitch]

I'm at 7/10!

[jocellogirl]

BINGO!!!!

[yagam1]

Congratulations, Jo!
And thanks, Desiree, for a very interesting bingo game!

[geekishly]

Congrats, Jo!

[Princesslaughton]

Congrats xxxx Excellent Bingo. Thank you so much xx

[Fizzbw]

Congrats Jo!!!!

Look forward to your next host!!!

Niki xxx

[dwitt]

And we have a winner!!!!!
jocellogirl Congrats!!!

[rcperryls]

Congrats Jo.
Looking forward to your next Bingo!!!!

Carole

[elementaryteacher77]

Well I had both numbers today, so I got up to 9/10! That't the closest I have ever been!! Congrats Jo!!! This was fun AND educational! Can't wait for the next to start up!!!

[tiffstitch]

Congrats Jo!