![[136]](http://www.nv-landmarks.com/Landmark%20Photos/la/shl136.jpg)
| Toquima Cave |
39.39998, -116.9419"The BLM road extending across the valley leads to Toquima Cave, approximately eight miles from this marker. The surrounding valleys around Austin offer more than meets the eye; and, in a valley as big as Big Smoky Valley, it isn't hard to see why ..." -- Journal Entry, October 2008
Along SR 376 and the BLM road to Toquima Cave, 1/4 mile south of US 50
Original Date Visited: 10/27/08
Signed: Both lanes of SR 376
![[136] Marker 136 plaque](http://www.nv-landmarks.com//Landmark Photos/la/136-2.jpg "[136] Marker 136 plaque")
![[136] Marker 136 at the north end of the Big Smoky Valley](http://www.nv-landmarks.com/Landmark Photos/la/136-3.jpg "[136] Marker 136 at the north end of the Big Smoky Valley")
![[136] Toquima Cave, 15 miles east of Marker 136](http://www.nv-landmarks.com/Landmark Photos/la/136-4.jpg "[136] Toquima Cave, 15 miles east of Marker 136")
![[136] Toquima Cave](/Landmark Photos/la/136-5.jpg "[136] Toquima Cave")
Exact Description:
East of the summit, north of the highway, and under a basalt flow lies Toquima Cave. Red, white, and yellow aboriginal drawings (pictographs) decorate its walls.
Usually located near springs, as here, and on migratory big game trails, painted or pecked petroglyphs are associated with food gathering localities of Nevada's prehistoric inhabitants.
There are no known specific meanings attached to the particular design elements. Presumably, these people created the designs as ritual devices to insure success in the hunt.
Most petroglyphs, therefore, probably are not "messages" or conscious "art forms."
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Related Links & Markers
Toquima Cave (Online Nevada Encyclopedia)
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