• Jewel Cave was discovered in 1900

• Frank and Albert Michaud

• They found crystals inside the cave and thought they were valuable, so they filed a mining claim called the “Jewel Tunnel Lode” on Halloween in1900.

• Eventually, they conducted tours of the cave after they made no money off the calcite crystals.

• The cave tours gave them no money because Jewel Cave was considered inferior to Wind Cave in the early 1900s and the location was bad.

• The Michaud brothers moved away and sold the cave to the government for $500.

Frank & Albert Michaud

The Original Entrance

• In In 19081908, President Theodore , President Theodore Roosevelt declared Jewel Cave a Roosevelt declared Jewel Cave a National Monument.National Monument.

• In 1933, the National Park Service began managing the monument and Rangers from Wind Cave came to the monument in the summer.

• The cave entrance was altered, a surface trail of about 800 feet was made, and a new stone stairway was also constructed.

• In 1939, a NPS Ranger was stationed at the monument and began conducting tours. Except for a brief period of closure during WWW II, NPS rangers staffed the tour operation.

Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltThe stone stairwayThe stone stairway

• By 19591959 about ½ mile½ mile of the cave had been discovered.

• Geologist Dwight Deal asked two rock-climbers, Herb and Jean Conn, to help him explore and map the cave. At first they didn’t want to do it, but later they agreed.

• By 19611961 they had extended the known length of the cave to more than 15 miles.

• In In 19661966, construction of the elevator shafts, one , construction of the elevator shafts, one elevator, the visitor center, parking lots, elevator, the visitor center, parking lots, maintenance area, and scenic area trail began. It maintenance area, and scenic area trail began. It took nearly took nearly 5 ½5 ½ years to complete. years to complete.

• The Conns retired in 1980, having discovered 65 miles of Jewel Cave.

““Our exploration of Our exploration of Jewel Cave, which Jewel Cave, which started out as a mild started out as a mild diversion, quickly diversion, quickly mushroomed into an mushroomed into an all-absorbing all-absorbing interest."interest."

-the Conns-the Conns

Herb and Jean ConnHerb and Jean Conn

Today Jewel Cave offers a variety of tours, including the scenic tour, the spelunking tour, and the lantern tour, as well as trails on the surface.

The spelunking tour is extremely strenuous and requires all participants to be at least 16 years old and be able to crawl through a 8 ½ inch by 24 inch crawl space.

The tour lasts 3-4 hours.

In the scenic tour you enter the cave by an elevator in the visitor

center. This tour is a ½ mile loop on paved trails and includes 723 stairs. It lasts about 1 hour and

20 minutes.

The lantern tour is a ½ mile long unpaved trail. The only light is from lanterns, which each person carries. Bending or stooping on the way to the Dungeon or Heavenly Room cause this tour to be strenuous.

Jewel Cave began forming about 320 million years ago when rocks such as sandstone, limestone, and dolomite were created.

The shallow sea that covered the land receded and rainfall increased. Water made its way underground and was turned into acid by carbon dioxide. The acid traveled through fissures, filling cracks in the limestone and eroding it.

Over a period of millions of years, this slow-moving water hollowed Over a period of millions of years, this slow-moving water hollowed out Jewel Cave and drained from it in the form of springs.out Jewel Cave and drained from it in the form of springs.

StalactitesStalactites are formed by water dripping are formed by water dripping from the ceiling.from the ceiling.

StalagmitesStalagmites are formed where are formed where water that drips from the water that drips from the ceiling hits the floor.ceiling hits the floor.

Draperies are formed when water trickles down a slanted ceiling.

The two kinds of calcite crystals are dog-tooth spar and

nailhead spar.

Calcite crystals are no longer forming. They were formed when the cave was still filled with water and the

acidic water evaporated, leaving deposits of calcite.

Gypsum cave formations form when water that enters the cave contains gypsum. When this water

evaporates, it deposits gypsum in the form of beards, flowers, or spiders.

Hydromagnesite balloons are Hydromagnesite balloons are formations in which formations in which

hydromagnesite (a pasty hydromagnesite (a pasty material) has been inflated.material) has been inflated.

The Heavenly RoomThe Heavenly Room

The DungeonThe Dungeon

The Target RoomThe Target Room

Martha’s KettleMartha’s Kettle The Brain DrainThe Brain Drain

What you look like when you’re done

“On August 24, 2000 events transpired that would change the face of the landscape for years to come. A local woman pulled off the highway onto a forest service road that leads to Jasper Cave. She lit a cigarette, dropped the burning match to the ground, watched the fire start and drove away. The fire spread rapidly due to the hot and dry conditions.” (Fox)

As the fire spread towards the monument, the area was evacuated. In the end, the total area burned at Jewel Cave was 1,279 acres. Fortunately, no buildings were lost at Jewel Cave.

The Fire CloudThe Visitor Center

• http://www.nps.gov/jeca/home.htm

•http://www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/parks/jeca/index.htm

I wish I could visit I wish I could visit Jewel Cave.Jewel Cave.