About the Region

The Mammoth Cave region of west-central Kentucky bears the imprint of 11,000 years of human occupation. Prehistoric American Indians lived in the area's rock shelters, exploited the caves' mineral resources, and explored deep underground with reed torches for a light source. Euro-Americans started settling the region in the late 18th century and created a subsistence-oriented community typical of the upland South. African Americans were brought to the region as slaves. Many labored in the Mammoth Cave saltpeter works and later became integral to the development of the cave as a major, privately owned tourist attraction. In the early twentieth century, emerging national ideas of conservation and preservation dramatically altered the trajectory of the region. A national park was carved out of 70,618 acres of the cave region, including Mammoth Cave. More than 600 families and thirty communities were displaced in the process. In 1981 Mammoth Cave National Park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in recognition of the global significance of its natural and cultural landscapes. The diversity of groups who have occupied the Mammoth Cave region and depended on its resources for their livelihoods, along with the region's role in shaping American identity through tourism and the national park movement, make Mammoth Cave National Park and ideal site for the study of place-based history.