Few natural formations are as awe-inspiring or intriguing as a
cave. The deep, dark recesses immediately conjure up images of
adventure, mystery, terror, robbers and pirates.
At Cave-In-Rock you can experience this fascination for yourself.
Sitting atop the high bluffs overlooking the scenic Ohio River the
heavily wooded park is named for the cave that was carved out of
the limestone rock by water thousands of years ago.
Throughout the 19th century, this remarkable geological feature was
an important landmark, prominently displayed on maps from the
period.
This karst cavern in the Mississippian St. Louis Limestone once
extended farther to the south, but the swirling waters of the Ohio
River, just a few feet to the south of the entrance, have truncated
it. The Cave-In-Rock was worn into the sandstone bluffs of the Ohio
by river floods, especially during the melt off following the
Wisconsin ice age. It is not a cavern like Mammoth Cave in nearby
Kentucky; it is a wide tunnel leading a short distance.
Karst topography is a landscape shaped by the dissolution of a
soluble layer or layers of bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as
limestone or dolomite. These landscapes display distinctive surface
features and underground drainages, and in some examples there may
be little or no surface drainage. Some areas of karst topography,
such as southern Missouri and northern Arkansas in the USA, are
underlain by thousands of caves.
Modern history says this cave has been a landmark for almost 300
years and has been a church, tavern, home and now tourist
attractions. Today trails wind along the riverbank offering views
of riverboats, barges and other river scenes.
Early on as European explorers traveled this way it was a
conspicuous curiosity frequently mentioned in diaries and journals.
In 1729 the first European explorer to encounter it was M. de Lery
of France who called it “caverne dans Le Roc”. The cave
also served as a great lair for outlaws, bandits and river pirates
who preyed on the people traveling along the Ohio River. For
example, in 1797 it was converted into a tavern, offering an
opportunity for the owner to dispatch his cohorts/henchmen upriver
to do what pirates do best. Various such desperadoes took advantage
of the secrecy and seclusion afforded by Cave-In-Rock until
westward expansion of civilization and commerce had destroyed or
driven out the “river rats” and the cave began to serve
as temporary shelter for other pioneers on their way west.
It’s interesting to note that the cave served as a backdrop
for a scene in the movie “How The West Was Won.” The
scene was a near-accurate portrayal of how, in the 18th-19th
centuries, ruthless bandits used the cave to lure unsuspecting
travelers to an untimely end.
Available here is boating, camping, hiking, picnicking, lodge,
restaurant, and a marina.
Requirements for Handicapped:
1) Log a picture with your GPS at the listed coordinates.
Email your answers with the name of the earthecache to the
owner.
Near the listed coordinates you will find a man-made structure that
will give you an unusual view.
2) What you are looking into?
3) What depth do you estimate it to be?
Requirements for Non-Handicapped:
1) Post a picture with your gps at the entrance to the cave.
Email your answers with the name of the earthecache to the
owner.
2) What year on entrance ceiling is noted when B.C. Cole
visited?
3) In the back look at the ceiling, what geological feature you
see?
4) While visiting the entrance of the cave, how wide do you
estimate the width?
During times of extreme high water All cachers are allowed to
log using the questions of the Handicapped Accessible cachers if
the entrance is unaccessible.
