Smith Rock Shelter
Encyclopedia
The Smith Rock Shelter is a natural limestone
overhang in McKinney Falls State Park
near Austin, Texas
. The shelter is believed to have been used by Native Americans from 500 BCE until the 18th century. The last known occupants were related to the Tonkawa
. It is accessible via the 0.8 mile round-trip Smith Rockshelter Trail in the park.
The shelter abuts Onion Creek and is one of two natural rock shelters in Travis County to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places
(the other is the Levi Rock Shelter
). Smith Rock Shelter was added to the Register on October 1, 1974.
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
overhang in McKinney Falls State Park
McKinney Falls State Park
McKinney Falls State Park is a state park located at the southeastern edge of Austin, Texas, United States around the confluence of Onion and Williamson Creeks and is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park opened on April 15, 1976 and is named after Thomas F...
near Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. The shelter is believed to have been used by Native Americans from 500 BCE until the 18th century. The last known occupants were related to the Tonkawa
Tonkawa
The Tickanwa•tic Tribe , better known as the Tonkawa , are a Native American people indigenous to present-day Oklahoma and Texas. They once spoke the now-extinct Tonkawa language believed to have been a language isolate not related to any other indigenous tongues...
. It is accessible via the 0.8 mile round-trip Smith Rockshelter Trail in the park.
The shelter abuts Onion Creek and is one of two natural rock shelters in Travis County to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(the other is the Levi Rock Shelter
Levi Rock Shelter
The Levi Rock Shelter, named for former property owner Malcolm Levi, is an archeological site west of Austin, Texas where Paleo-Indian Native American artifacts dating back 10,000 years or more have been discovered....
). Smith Rock Shelter was added to the Register on October 1, 1974.