Karst Canyons Caves of Kentucky
Caves have always been the part of this world that mystify me. Why are they here? What purpose do they have? We are so accustomed to the life above land that the amazing structures and formations below are alien to us. I took a trip south to the Karst region of Kentucky to understand more about this mysterious underworld bringing back with me intricate images and a wealth of knowledge.
Cave Directory 3. Mammoth Cave 11. Diamond Caverns 19. Hidden River Cave 27. Great Onyx Cave 33. Cub Run Cave
Mammoth Cave Lincoln, KY
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ccording to the legend, the first European to discover Mammoth Cave was either John Houchin or his brother Francis Houchin, in 1797. While hunting, Houchin pursued a wounded bear to the cave’s; large entrance opening near the Green River. Brucker and Watson’s The Longest Cave claims that the cave was “certainly known before that time.” Caves in the area were known before the discovery of the entrance to Mammoth Cave. Even Francis Houchin had a cave entrance on his land very near the bend in the Green River known as the “Turnhole.” It is less than a mile from the main entrance of Mammoth Cave. As it became more well-known, the cave was sold to Franklin Gorin in the spring of 1838. He planned to operate Mammoth Cave as a tourist attraction, having since fallen out of the saltpeter market. Gorin was a slave owner, and used his slaves as tour guides Stephen Bishop, one of Gorin’s slaves was a guide during the 1840s and 1850s, was one of the first persons to make extensive maps of the cave, and named many of the cave’s features. Bishop made a number of important contributions to the human knowledge of the cave, and became and important figure for Mammoth Cave’s history. Gorin wrote, after Bishop’s death: “I placed a guide in the cave – the
celebrated and great Stephen, and he aided in making the discoveries. He was the first person who ever crossed the Bottomless Pit, and he, myself and another person whose name I have forgotten were the only persons ever at the bottom of Gorin’s Dome to my knowledge. After Stephen crossed the Bottomless Pit, we discovered all that part of the cave now known beyond that point.” 1842 brought about the idea that the unpolluted cave air could cure tuberculosis. Dr. Coghan brought 16 people to the underground sanctuary to heal. Unfortunately over time many of the patients passed and Dr. Coghan came to terms with the fact that the experiment did not work. The doctor eventually became infected with tuberculosis himself and passed away in 1849.
The National Park was established on July 1, 1941. It became a World Heritage Site on October 27, 1981 and international Biosphere Reserve on September 26, 1990. Located in Edmonson County, Kentucky, Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world. The Mammoth – Flint Ridge Cave System is the official name of the ridge where Mammoth Cave is located. Over millions of years, the natural 6.
acidity of ground water caused the Mississippian-aged limestone and sandstone to dissolve. In time, the cave is known to include over 360 miles of passageway. Amazingly enough, several more miles of discoveries and connections are added to this total every year. Many of the most famous features of the cave include Frozen Niagara, Fat Man’s Misery, and Bottomless Pit. The latter of the four was named
in the days when electric lighting wasn’t installed at the lowest point. Rangers took advantage of the fact that visitors couldn’t see the lowest point. They would throw coins and lit matches down the shaft, but no one could hear them hit or see a constant light. There was a mud pit only 30 feet down causing the match to go out and the sound of the coin to muffle. 7.
Diamond Caverns Park City, KY
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hree Forks was a small village in Kentucky that was home to Bell’s Tavern Hotel. Known around the state, it was the place to stay when traveling by stagecoach to Mammoth Cave. One and a half miles north of Bell’s Tavern, very near the start of 8 mile road to Mammoth Cave, a young slave of landowner Jessie Coats discovered a pit in the bottom of this limestone valley on July 14, 1859. He was lowered on a rope into the cave and as the first visitor, he thought the sparkling calcite formations resembled diamonds, which coined the name ‘Diamond Caverns.’ This cave is thought of as the most beautiful and pristine because of the efforts of conservation immediately after the cave was discovered. After a month of work developing the cave for tours, the Kennedy Bridal Party was the first to enjoy the newly opened show cave on August 19, 1859. Except for short periods during the Civil War, the cave has been shown as an attraction for over 147 years. This makes it the fourth oldest show cave in the United States. In 1854 the Louisville and Nashville Railroad reached Three Forks. A branch line was laid to the nearby town of Glasgow. Subsequently, the town was renamed Glasgow Junction,
Glasgow Junction, and in 1938 it was changed to the town we know presently as Park City. The arrival of the railroad brought many more visitors to Diamond and Mammoth Caves. For years there was a close relationship between Mammoth Cave and Diamond Cave. Books and cave brochures would describe both caves. 14.
Beginning in 1880, the Mammoth Cave Railroad tracks were laid just west of Diamond Cave. When the line finally opened in 1886, Diamond was one of the primary stops on the railroad. Excursions were available to see Diamond and Mammoth Caves on the same day, and still return to Glasgow Junction in time to catch through trains to Louisville or Nashville. This is quite the expedition
for the late 1800s. In 1942 Dr. Rowsey became the sole cave owner. Cave explorers of the National Speleological Society organized an expedition to Diamond Caverns and surrounding caves in late 1942. The cavers surveyed the cave and produced the first map incorporating discoveries made since 1936. With Dr. Rowsey’s leadership, the cave became a destination resort with hotel rooms,
restaurant, and pool. Interstate 65 was completed through the area in the late 1960’s, bringing more visitors to the Mammoth Cave region. The cave is presented by a state-of-the-art lighting system that brings to life spectacular formations.
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Hidden River Cave Horse Cave, KY
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idden River Cave is located in Horse Cave, Kentucky. The water in Hidden River Cave flows into the Green River. Five of the ten largest springs in Kentucky are located in this area of Kentucky. This water flows through at least seven miles of winding passage ways and the largest spring before actually reaching the Green River and daylight. Hidden River is known as a Karst Cave along with 40% of the caves in this Kentucky area. This includes features such as caves, sinkholes, sinking streams, underground streams. Limestone, dolomite, gypsum, or marble are called solutional rocks because they can be dissolved by acidic rainwater.
Hidden River is “a noble gateway to the birthplace of springs and fountains and the dark treasures of the mineral kingdom.” This quote is by Jon Muir, an American Naturalist and preservationist of the US wilderness. It’s called the ‘Noble Gateway’ is the fact that the
entrance to the cave is on Main St in Downtown Horse Cave, Kentucky. There is a three story drop in the giant sinkhole. The town came after the cave of course, around the 1800’s which brought many visitors and trade opportunities. Unfortunately as the years went, high amounts of pollution caused the drinking water and streams from this hidden river to be cut off. Not until 1989 did the process of restoring the cave begin. It is known as an astonishing environmental success stories in the United States. After the cave was fully revitalized in 1993 the American Cave Museum was added. It is the only museum in the US dedicated to the history and science of Cave. This Museum goal is to not only teach visitors about the cave formations but also ‘smart ecology.’ Interestingly this city in the second city in the state of Kentucky to have electric lighting due to the cave hydroelectric system in the 1890s.
Hidden River Cave is also known as Horse Cave which tends to confuse many tourists. Hidden River Cave was the name used to distinguish between the cave and the town. There are a couple of legends of how this name came about. The nickname ‘Horse Cave’ is reflecting of the large size of the 22.
opening of the cave. Another story has it that horse thieves in the 1700s utilized the cave for stolen goods and because of it’s accessibility to the railroad. The name Horse Cave was voted on officially in 1897. Over time the creatures of Hidden River Cave have adapted to the dark world. The cave fish and crawfish do not eyes. To possess
these unnecessary organs would consume much of their energy in this nutrient-poor environment. These habitants unfortunately don’t have pigment. If sunlight ever hit their skin it would be fatal, therefore the dark cave is the safest possible place for them to live.
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Great Onyx Cave Cave City, KY
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n 1971, interstate 65 was layed and Great Onyx Cave was discovered, the most recent discovery in the cave region. It was found while a parking lot was being laid for the Guntown Mountain Amusement Park on Huckleberry Knob. Great Onyx Cave was opened in May 1973. Like Diamond Caverns, Dr. Rowsey’s leadership was the reason the cave became a destination resort with a hotel, restaurant, and pool.
All of the caves in this region have a predominately brown and orange tint. The amount of iron in Kentucky soil is the cause of this coloring. The cave is mostly a system of vertical shafts with many distinct cave formations. The drapery with alternating brown and white calcite is prevalent in Great Onyx Cave popularly called “cave bacon.” Great Onyx Cave did not weather under the protection of the knob’s sandstone cap rock which caused the unique formations. Onyx Cave also contains a 40 foot column. Like many of the caves in Kentucky, Great Onyx is “wet,” which means its formations are presently being formed and shaped.
Cub Run Cave Cub Run, KY
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n August of 1950, the farm work on the Childress homestead and was put on hold due to recent rains. With lunch behind him, Kenneth the youngest son and his 16 year old cousin, Rancel Logsdon, went off to do what they both enjoyed the most, exploring the Indian artifact rich countryside. They decided to explore Otter Spring – a spring that flowed from the side of a steep hill on the property of Walker Thompson. On an earlier visit they had noticed not only water coming from the small opening at the bottom of the rock outcropping but just above the spring, cold air rushing out of a tiny opening with a force that caused leaves on trees 15 feet away to rustle. On a hot, humid, August day it was like standing in front of an air conditioner blowing 52 degree air. The bottom portion of the opening was loose gravel and rocks. The two began digging. Soon they had created a hole large enough to crawl about 10 feet into the hillside. The passage opened to a muddy channel and the two boys crawled another 60 feet finding themselves in a large room. With only the aid of a kerosene lantern, which seemed dim in the vast cavern, they explored about 150 more feet of the cave and were astonished by the never-before-seen, magical
formations. They exited full of excitement to tell others what they had discovered. Word of this discovery spread quickly. The cave and its spectacular sights opened to the public. Bars were placed in the cave for the visitor’s safety, but caused damage to cave. Damage that can never be undone. Tours went 36.
on for only a year when it was closed because of land disputes brought by land owners of acreage above the cavern. These amazing and remarkable sights of Cub Run Cave where sealed for over half a century. After all this time the cave is finally open for visitors, even though it’s private property. It’s
such a spectacular cave with characteristics and formations that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. Ken Childress, the younger of the discovers, still travels to the area to describe to visitors his experience all those years ago coming upon this magnificent cave.
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Book created by Laura Durham in 2009. Cochin is the font used through the entirety of the book. 40/42 for title pages and 8.5/12 for the body copy.