The park attributes the paintings to Fremont culture, but its pages give conflicting dates, so the chronology is unsettled. The images' meaning is unknown. In the 1930s, archaeologist E. P. Harrington recovered stone artifacts, animal bones, ash, charcoal and fire-cracked rocks from the cave floor, evidence that people used the shelter for more than painting. Packrats have built middens here, and Townsend's big-eared bats occasionally use the cave; staying outside helps protect both the artwork and the bats.
