Bones, Artifacts in 15,000-Year-Old Sinkhole

C A R E Y, Ohio, Oct. 17 -- Artifacts recovered from a sinkhole inWyandot County are giving archaeologists a good look at how peoplesurvived about 15,000 years ago as glaciers retreated from northernOhio.

The hole was a natural trap for animals that fell into it and agathering place for Ohio’s first inhabitants, who butchered andcooked the animals.

The site near the Indian Trails Caverns on State Route 568 hasbeen an object of gathering scientific excitement since researchbegan there in 1989.

Sinkholes Get Attention

It has received little public notice in a state whosearchaeology is dominated by the mounds of the Adena and Hopewellcultures, which are from a more recent period.

But it’s starting to get more attention. Skulls and bones foundat the site are on exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum of NaturalHistory and bones, scrapers and tools are scheduled to go ondisplay next year at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

“There are very many such localities [sinkholes],” said JebBowen of the Ohio Historical Society, the first scientist to visitthe site. “But I don’t know of any discovered that even come closeto approaching the richness of this one. Most of them will give youa few bits of information, but not this kind of treasure trove.”

The pit is known as the Sheriden site, in honor of the Sheridanfamily, which owned the land at the beginning of the 20th century.The spelling mistakenly was changed when the site was registeredwith the historical society.

The extent of the formation, and its history, became evidentonly in 1989 when the late Richard Hendricks and his son, Keith,began digging it out in hopes of linking it to the caverns thattheir family owns.

About 15,000 Years Old

At first, the site was of interest because of the wealth ofanimal bones found there, many of which came from species that areextinct or are no longer in Ohio.

The sinkhole opened about 15,000 years ago, a thousand yearsafter the glaciers had passed, Kent State University archaeologistKen Tankersley said.