Jewel Cave National Park
Jewel Cave National Park
The cave attracted attention, and in 1908 Jewel Cave National Monument was established to protect the small but extraordinarily beautiful cave. Fifty years later exploration of the cave intensified. Led by the husband-and-wife team of Herb and Jan Conn, modern-day cavers have discovered new wonders and explored many additional miles of passages. Today the cave is among the world's longest and is renowned for its variety of formations.
When Herb and Jan Conn were first persuaded to join a caving expedition in Jewel Cave in 1959, the couple responded without enthusiasm. Their passion was rock climbing, not crawling around in dark, gloomy holes. Little did they know they would spend much of the next 21 years in Jewel Cave, lured by the thrill of discovering the secrets of yet another mile of never-before-seen cave.
The caving parties led by this husband-and-wife team would make 708 trips into the cave and log 6,000 hours exploring and mapping.
"Our exploration of Jewel Cave, which started out as a mild diversion, quickly mushroomed into an all-absorbing interest," the Conns explain in their book, The Jewel Cave Adventure.
On a typical day, the Conns and their fellow cavers spent 12 to 14 hours underground. Outfitted in hard hats, carbide lamps, gloves, loose fatigues, elbow and knee pads, and boots, the explorers squeezed, crawled, and climbed their way through Jewel Cave's complicated maze. The going was rough. During rest stops they often munched on mangled sandwiches and squashed fruit while massaging sore muscles.
Names they gave to some passages, such as Contortionist's Delight and The Miseries, tell the story.
Currently OutsideOther pages you might find helpful:
Jewel Cave National Monument
The Jewel Cave National Monument, located just outside of Custer, is one of the longest caves and is filled with amazing calcite crystals.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Traveling to Colorado? Don't miss Rocky Mountain National Park.
