Mammoth Cave’s Rich Past

In this installment of ‘History Off the Beaten Path,’ we visit the history of the Mammoth Caves.
Mammoth Cave’s Rich Past
Mammoth Cave National Park sees more than 500,000 visitors a year. Courtesy of Deena Bouknight
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The forested and grassy areas around America’s 26th national park belies what exists underneath. Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park is considered the most extensive known cave system in the world, with more than 400 miles of explored passageways and many more expected to be discovered in the future.

During the War of 1812, the cave system offered a necessary chemical compound: saltpeter, a main ingredient in gunpowder. The war ended in 1815 and demand for the compound decreased. However, miners left the cave and passageways open, and as early as 1816, entrepreneurs, adventurers, spelunkers, and guides began converging on the area to capitalize on the tourism that such a natural wonder offered: stalactites, stalagmites, gypsum formations, eyeless creatures, and a room (rotunda) that is almost 11,000 square feet.

Deena Bouknight
Deena Bouknight
Author
A 30-plus-year writer-journalist, Deena C. Bouknight works from her Western North Carolina mountain cottage and has contributed articles on food culture, travel, people, and more to local, regional, national, and international publications. She has written three novels, including the only historical fiction about the East Coast’s worst earthquake. Her website is DeenaBouknightWriting.com