Lost Image

​​​​​​​​Lost Image Rockshelter is located along the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau in the Red River Gorge.  It was recorded in June 1992 by U.S. Forest Service archaeologists.  Ceramics, animal bones, and stone tools were scattered fairly evenly across the shelter's floor. During their visit, the survey team noted that the shelter had been heavily looted.

​​The shelter measures approximately 70 feet wide by 30 feet deep. The ceiling is 15 feet high at the dripline. The floor consists of dry, loose sand, some roof fall, and mounds of backdirt created by looters. Native groups primarily used Lost Image Rockshelter toward the end of the Late Woodland period (ca. 800-1000 AD).

​Appearances are Deceiving

At firs​t glance, Lost Image Rockshelter appears to hold limited research potential. Looters seriously disturbed the site, as evidenced by the large holes and backdirt piles that covered the site's surface. 

But artifact analysis determined that Native peoples had occupied the shelter mainly during the Terminal Late Woodland period. Thus, despite the looting, Lost Image Rockshelter is contributing to our understanding of Native American settlement patterns just prior to the shift to full-time agriculture and an increased reliance on corn.​​