Archaeology

A Hollywood writer would love this plot…but it's true. The "largest, most advanced aircraft of its day," modified for a secret research mission, takes off for a flight over the desert. Painted on its nose are the words, "Cosmic Ray Research." The plane ends up at the bottom of one of the largest lakes in the world, where its become a prized find for underwater archeologists.

Over two dozen people were seen scouring parts of the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park with metal detectors in recent weeks, and then collecting historic artifacts they discovered during their search. What was going on…and where is Palo Alto Battlefield?

The National Park Service is seeking to inventory and preserve archaeological sites across the National Park System until funding permits their excavation. With the largest number of archaeological sites in the Southeast, the spotlight is turned on the relatively humble Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.