For almost 9,000 years Russell Cave, in northeastern Alabama, was used for human habitation. This well preserved site offers one of the longest and most complete archeological records in the eastern United States.
Russell Cave National Monument was established on May 11, 1961, when the cave and surrounding 310 acres were donated by the National Geographic Society to the American people.
The most striking natural feature of Russell Cave National Monument is the beautiful underground stream which flows into the left chamber of the cave. This stream emerges as a spring from beneath a huge rock rock only about 100 yards from the cave entrance. If flows through a large sinkhole and then back undergound via the mouth of the cave. A mist often hangs in the air at this spot, formed when the cool spring waters chill the warmer outside air. This year-round source of fresh water was no doubt one of the things which made this spot attractive to the early American Indians who lived here.
The cavern has been found to be one of the more extensive cave systems in Alabama, with over 10 miles of currently known passageways. Entrance into cave passages, except on the walkways around the archeological exhibit, is allowed by permit only.
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