First of all the caves are in Cretaceous Eagle Sandstone, not limestone. The Sandstone is relatively soft and sloughs off on a regular basis thus eliminating the painted layers of the cave interior. There are diagrams of cave art from many years ago which are now invisible. The deterioration of the drawings are not due to vandalism, but rather to nature. Just recently another section of sandstone fell within the largest cave which is a natural occurence and the way in which the caves came to be in the first place. To see similar Native American wall paintings, I suggest people go to Graybull, Wyoming and hike along the Big Horn River south toward Basin, Wyoming. The paintings there are amazing and all still quite visible.
I, by the way, live in the area and am a watercolor artist. I have painted in the cave area for the past 61 years and seen many transitions. Pictograph cave is an amazing camping area of our ancient North American ancestors. The many artifacts found in the caves are probably far more significant than the wall paintings. They are stored in boxes in Bozman and not available to the public. Mana Lesman
Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road