Gourd Creek Cave
- Archaeology
- Near Rolla, Missouri
- 7.4 mi from Route 66
Gourd Creek Cave is a large cave and archaeological site in the Ozark hills of Phelps County, about 12 miles southwest of Rolla, MO, near where Gourd Creek meets Little Piney Creek. People camped in its wide mouth for a very long time before European settlers came, leaving beds of ash, stone tools and pottery. It was listed on the National Register in 1969. It lies about 7 miles off Route 66 and is not a public attraction.
What is Gourd Creek Cave?
The cave opens from a bluff on the north side of Gourd Creek, close to its mouth. The entrance is about 110 feet wide with walls some 25 feet high, and a farmer's wagon could once be driven inside and turned around. A small stream runs out of it, and the main passage is easy to walk for roughly 600 feet before it narrows into crawlways.
Its value is in the ground near the entrance, where ash from countless prehistoric fires built up into a deep deposit.
History of Gourd Creek Cave
By the early 1900s the cave was a local landmark, used for social gatherings and later as a barn. Its owner hauled ash out to spread on his fields as fertilizer and turned up pottery, flints, animal bones and a few human skeletons. A local story held that a fortune in gold was hidden inside, and treasure hunters dug up parts of the floor looking for it.
The archaeologist Gerard Fowke excavated the deposit and published his findings in 1922 for the Smithsonian's Bureau of American Ethnology. He found spearheads, knives, cord-marked pottery, bone tools and shells, and judged that at least the west side of the cave looked less like a permanent village than a camp used over a long period by travelling or hunting parties. Items from the site are in Smithsonian collections. The cave was listed on the National Register in July 1969, with its exact location kept restricted.
Visiting Gourd Creek Cave: tips
There is nothing set up for visitors, and the site's location is withheld to protect it, so do not plan on going inside. Never dig or collect anything at an archaeological site. On a Route 66 drive past Rolla, the Vessie ghost town is about 2 miles from the cave, the Lyric Live Theater about 6.5 miles and the Rolla Ranger Station Historic District about 9.
On the map
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Stops near Gourd Creek Cave
All of Missouri1.9 mi from Gourd Creek Cave
6.5 mi from Gourd Creek Cave
8.9 mi from Gourd Creek Cave
8.9 mi from Gourd Creek Cave
9.4 mi from Gourd Creek Cave
9.7 mi from Gourd Creek Cave
Questions about Gourd Creek Cave
Where is Gourd Creek Cave?
In the Ozarks of Phelps County, Missouri, about 12 miles southwest of Rolla, just northeast of where Gourd Creek flows into Little Piney Creek. It is roughly 7 miles from Route 66. Its exact location is restricted on the National Register to protect the archaeology.
Can you visit Gourd Creek Cave?
Not as a tourist stop. The cave has no visitor facilities, and its location is kept restricted because it is an archaeological site listed on the National Register. Digging or collecting there would damage the site.
What was found in Gourd Creek Cave?
Deep beds of ash from prehistoric campfires, with spearheads, flint knives, cord-marked pottery, bone tools, mussel shells and animal bones. Archaeologist Gerard Fowke described the finds in a 1922 report. Some items are in Smithsonian collections.
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