Although they pre-date the Ice Age,it's only been a dozen years
since geologists identified a vast cave system tunneling through
south east Alaska. The caves serve as the sewer system for the
timber lands around them, providing an outlet for an enormous
amount of rain, up to 150 inches a year. But as loggers continue to move in, the caves may be destroyed.
And with them disappear the clues archeologists seek to better understand early humans. In fact, some archeologists think humans used the caves
to move up and down the coastline in small boats. Producers Lisa Busch and Robert Woolsey of the Writer's Block
look at the evidence these caves provide to our prehistoric past.
Cave People was produced by Lisa Busch and Robert Woolsey at the Writer's Block in Sitka, Alaska. The studio engineer was Dave Patchkey. For technical assistance, special thanks to Mary Baker at WCAW FM in Sitka.
Links:
El Capitan Cave
A great website to learn about El Capitan cave and the various discoveries made there.
ICE AGE PALEONTOLOGY
Explore this website to learn about caves in Alaska and the human prehistory they have revealed.
Books:
Settlement of the Americas: A New Prehistory by: Thomas D. Dillehay 2001 The author challenges accepted notions of how the first humans came to the American continent.
The Great Journey: The Peopling of Ancient America by: Brian Fagan 2003 This book, fully illustrated with maps, photographs, and reconstruction drawings, gives the most authoritative and up-to-date account of the first Americans yet produced.
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