Day 1: Early American Indian Occupations

Archaeological evidence from over one thousand sites demonstrates that American Indians have occupied the Mammoth Cave region for 11,000 years. Some of the earliest evidence of plant domestication, cave exploration, and mineral mining in eastern North America derives from these sites. Workshop participants will learn about native prehistory and cultural resource preservation from archaeologists and American Indians. They will practice archaeological lab methods using artifact collections and field methods at actual sites in the park. Curriculum units and resources for teaching archaeology and American Indian history and culture will be presented.

Specific activities related to this theme are listed below.

•Multimedia presentation on archaeological perspectives of prehistoric American Indian occupations in the Mammoth Cave region by renowned archaeologist Dr. Pat Watson, Washington University (emeritus)
•Presentation on native perspectives of American Indian prehistory by Russell Townsend, M.A., Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, member of the Cherokee Nation, and archaeologist.
•Multimedia presentation on preserving and protecting American Indian archaeological sites by Dr. Darlene Applegate
•Presentation and workshop on curriculum units and resources for teaching archaeology and American Indian history and culture by Dr. Gwynn Henderson, Education Coordinator, Kentucky Archaeological Survey
•Workshop on archaeological lab methods: prehistoric artifact identification and classification
•Workshop on archaeological field methods: mapping an archaeological site

Day 2: Folklife

The morning will consist of introductions to the folklife of the Mammoth Cave Region. Dr. Lynwood Montell, the dean of Kentucky folklore, will speak on the many oral and customary traditions of central Kentucky, including legends (historical and supernatural), songs, and oral history. Dr. Michael Ann Williams will provide a brief overview of the traditional architecture and folk art of the region.

In the afternoon, we will visit the Gardner House, believed to be the oldest house in Hart County and discuss what we can learn from examining architecture closely. En route, we will also view a traditional log house. We will then meet a maker of white oak baskets, one of the most significant folk art traditions in the cave region, and watch a demonstration of this art.

Day 3: African Americans in the Mammoth Cave Region

Specific activities related to this theme are listed below.

•A discussion and introduction to life, labor and social conditions experienced by Black Southerners during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
•Multimedia presentation demonstrating methods used when researching slaves and their descendants, using case studies to examine Kentucky genealogical resources and providing technology-based resources, such as web sites and electronic databases.
•A discussion of current research concerning the contributions of the African American community at Mammoth Cave, using the Bransford family as a case study and examining the challenges of researching five generations of an African American family.
•Multimedia overview of slaves and their descendants who served as cave guides and explorers and made lasting contributions to the cave's natural and cultural history.
•An in-cave site visit to examine cultural impacts to the cave, discussing the impacts of entrepreneurial ventures on the lives of the men who helped make their success.
•Site visit and discussion of the importance of cemeteries in genealogical research and the study of community history.

Day 4: Tourism Development and Community Impacts

Mammoth Cave rose to prominence as a tourist destination in the 1800s. Proprietors of the cave initially sought to position it among the inland resorts, such as Saratoga Springs, New York, and White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, that attracted wealthy clientele for a lengthy summer season. Its subsequent development, and that of the surrounding region, has reflected distinctive eras of changing American tastes and patterns of travel. Workshop participants will learn about the history of North American tourism, its European antecedents, and its expression in the Mammoth Cave region. They will explore how literary analysis can be applied to travel writing and guide books to uncover key elements in the history of tourism, including who traveled, how they traveled, and the attitudes of tourists to the places visited and people encountered. The impacts of tourism on place will be highlighted through the changing built environment, and students will visit sites significant to the history of tourism in the Mammoth Cave region.

Specific activities related to this theme are listed below.

•Presentation on the historical geography of tourism, highlighting the effects of changes in transportation technology, social condition, and ideologies by renowned scholar of tourism, Dr. John Jakle, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (emeritus)
•Multimedia presentation on tourism development at Mammoth Cave by Dr. Katie Algeo, Western Kentucky University
•Deconstructing Baedeker: Literary Analysis & Guide Books -- Workshop on the use of travel guides and travel writing as primary source material to uncover past landscapes and process of tourism
•Landscapes of Tourism: Motels, Gas Stations, and Road Side Attractions Ð An introduction by Dr. John Jakle to the study of AmericaÕs evolving built environment with a focus on the functional and aesthetic aspects of tourism-related landscapes
•Field trip to significant sites in the history of tourism in the Mammoth Cave region, including Diamond Caverns, the second oldest continuously operating show cave in the region; the ruins of Bells Tavern, a noted stage coach inn; and Wigwam Village, a 1930s-era motel on the Dixie Highway

Day 5: Creation of A National Park

The origins of why Mammoth Cave became a national park lie not only in the significance of internationally known resources like Mammoth Cave, but in the national movement to establish national parks closer to population centers east of the Mississippi River. At the time the law to establish Mammoth Cave as a national park was passed by Congress in May of 1926 over 600 families in 30 communities lived on the land destined to be included within the park. The intent to provide a ÒwildernessÓ type experience for park visitors, seemed to necessitate removal of all inhabitants and the destruction of all visible evidence of cultural history. Workshop participants will learn the historic context in which the park was created and the origins, both local and national efforts, which began many years prior to the law actually being passed in 1926. They will hear presentations, participate in hands-on research with original materials, and make a field trip to view remains of the pre-park landscape, including buildings constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and utilized by the National Park Service to support park operations. The field trip will also include viewing on the ground the structural remnants of a homestead.

Specific activities related to this theme are listed below.

•Presentation by Colorado National Monument Superintendent Bruce Noble about the ideology behind the establishment of national parks in the United States and the historic context in which the legislation to establish Mammoth Cave National Park was passed.
•Presentation by Mammoth Cave National Park Cultural Resource Management Specialist, Historian Bob Ward about the specific efforts to create Mammoth Cave National Park.
•Presentation by Dr. Lynwood Montell, Professor of Folk Studies and Anthropology, Western Kentucky University emeritus about National Park policies towards private land holders who found themselves within the proposed boundary of Mammoth Cave National Park and the effects of the establishment of the National Park on communities within that area. Discussion will highlight changes to the local life-ways and cultural resources.
•Hands-on activity with original documents and photographs to learn how to use primary source materials in historical research.
•Field trip to view pre-park cultural resources including Civilian Conservation Corps constructed buildings and the remnants of an historic homestead site.