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The Redmond Caves are a group of five lava tubes in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. The caves are located in the city of Redmond and are jointly managed by the city and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).〔 〕〔 〕 They are part of the Redmond Caves Park and have been well known locally for many years. The caves are a part of the Horse Lava Tube System and the farthest northern extent of the system.〔 The lava flow that created both the Horse system and the Redmond Caves continued on into the Redmond Dry Canyon and terminated near Crooked River Ranch.〔 〕〔 〕 The caves have a geologic age of about 80,000 years.〔 〕 == History == Many of the caves in the system were known long ago by prehistoric Native Americans, as attested by archaeological artifacts found therein.〔 The first known caves of Central Oregon by Euro-Americans, may have been the Redmond Caves. During the 1870s an old stage road passed by their area.〔 〕 Since their discovery by settlers, various uses have been recommended for the caves. One report mentions the caves were considered for potato storage as early as the 1910s.〔 〕 There was also a proposal from a Madras resident who wanted to use them for growing mushrooms.〔 On one occasion, the Deschutes Historical Society was notified about using the site as their museum.〔 〕 In 1954, the Lions Club of Redmond opened up an entrance to a previously inaccessible cave. After finally gaining entry into the cave, they discovered footprints of modern shoes in the dusty floor. Later, two boys admitted to squeezing into the cave the night before.〔 〕 The newly opened cave turned out to be the longest on site and Y-shaped.〔 Later, the cave was fully explored by two boys searching for relics. They discovered that the Y-shaped passage was instead a loop.〔 〕 After the discovery of the new cave, John Berning of the Lions Club, showed a few artifacts to Dick Nooe and Harry Sly (then small boys). The artifacts had come from within the caves. Later, the boys would go back several times to sift through the dirt and pumice and found a wide assortment of ancient artifacts. After the boys were notified that they were violating the Preservation of American Antiquities Act, they donated their collections to the University of Oregon.〔〔 〕 During the 1960s, the caves were considered as fallout shelters by the Office of Civil Defense.〔〔 〕 The three largest caves were reviewed and noted to have a capacity up to 450 individuals.〔 〕〔 In the early 1970s, packets were mailed to residents of Bend and Redmond showing directions on how to get to their nearest fallout shelter. The caves were to be used in the event of an atomic attack, volcanic eruption, or earthquake.〔 〕 Since the 1970s, the caves were constantly being proposed as a city park site.〔 〕 Not until the last five years has the site seen progress towards that goal. Before improving the site, archaeological field studies had to examine the caves and their contents.〔〔 〕〔 〕〔 〕 In the meantime, the caves have suffered from recurring vandalism and defacement.〔 〕〔 〕〔 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Redmond Caves」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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