Pictographs of the Bridger Mountains

U.S. Forest Service Archaeologist Walt Allen points to a pictograph depicting a bear paw painted by the Salish people.

Paintings from left to right depict a human hand, a rectangular box, a possible anthromorph, a bear and a cross. all show signs of traditional scratching. This scratching is a traditional practice of collecting the paint off the cave walls in order to gain power from the original painter.

A small cross is painted above a possible zoomorph of either a pear-shaped body with two horns or that of a sitting bear.

The image at the left may be a human with looped arms, or a butterfly. The middle figure is an anthromorph, or human figure, and the right is an anthromorph with a horned headdress.

A possible Mountain Sheep is painted above a group of turtles.

A well defined atlatl, or spear thrower, is painted above two human figures with horned headdresses. Archaeologists are monitoring the pack rat's nest to insure that the paintings are not damaged.

The pictograph above is thought to represent a human figure transforming into a bear.

The floor of this cave is littered with pack rat feces and modern beads given as offerings from local Native Americans visiting the site. Archaeologists have found older glass beads burried in the cave.

The view out of one of the larger caves.

These two stone fire rings with wind breaks are located above two heavily used pictograph caves. Young Salish men used the caves during their Vision Quests. An elder would wait here to then help interpret the visions. Once these visions were identified, both men would go below to the caves and paint those visions on the cave's walls.

This pictograph measuring approximately one meter high, is believed to represent a horse and rider. The pictographs in this cave are not as old as many at other sites yet they are more faded due to greater exposure to the elements.

Close up of the lower portion of horse and rider.

A possible bison zoomorph.

A possible fish zoomorph.