Craighead Caverns facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Craighead Caverns |
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Anthodite Formation
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| Location | Sweetwater, Tennessee |
| Designated | 1974 |
Craighead Caverns is a huge cave system in Tennessee, located between the towns of Sweetwater and Madisonville. It is famous for holding the largest underground lake in the United States. This amazing lake is called The Lost Sea. It's also the second-largest non-underground lake in the world.
Besides the lake, the caverns have many cool things to see. You can find sparkling crystal clusters called anthodites. There are also stalactites (which hang from the ceiling) and stalagmites (which grow from the floor). Plus, there's even a waterfall inside!
Contents
Discovering Craighead Caverns
Who are the Caverns Named After?
The Craighead Caverns are found in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. They are named after Chief Craighead, who was a Cherokee Native American. He used to own the land where the caves are located.
How Were the Caverns Used?
The Cherokee people used these caverns as an important meeting place. They held their councils and discussions inside the caves.
During the American Civil War, the caves had another important use. Soldiers from the Confederate army mined the caves for saltpeter. This material was very important for making gunpowder.
Later, especially during the Prohibition era, the main cave and lake area became a secret hideout. People who made illegal alcohol, known as "moonshiners," used the caves to avoid being caught.
Ancient Animal Discoveries
In 1939, something amazing was found deep inside the caves. Explorers discovered the fossilized bones of a Pleistocene jaguar. These bones belonged to a very large type of jaguar that lived long ago.
Cave guides Jack Kyker and Clarence Hicks made this exciting discovery. They were exploring the cave during their free time. They told the cave owners, Dr. W. J. Cameron and W. E. Michael, about their find.
The owners sent the bones to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Experts there identified them as jaguar bones and also found bones from an elk fawn. A scientist named George Gaylord Simpson visited the caverns in 1940. He found more jaguar bones and even made copies of jaguar footprints in the mud!
Other Uses of the Cave
From 1939 to 1940, a mushroom farm operated inside the cave. The cave's cool, damp environment was perfect for growing mushrooms.
In 1974, Craighead Caverns was recognized as a special place. It was added to the National Park Service list of National Natural Landmarks.
Exploring The Lost Sea
How Was the Lake Found?
The amazing underground lake was discovered in 1905 by a 13-year-old boy named Ben Sands. Ben loved to play in the cave. One day, he found a small opening and squeezed through it.
The room he entered was so huge that his lantern couldn't light up the whole space. To figure out how big it was, he threw balls of mud in different directions. He heard splashes, which told him there was water!
When Ben told people about his discovery, they didn't believe him at first. By the time he convinced his father to go back, the water level had risen. This hid the entrance to the lake. The lake was finally rediscovered several years later by other local explorers.
Size and Exploration of The Lost Sea
The part of the lake you can see is about 800 feet (240 meters) long. It is also about 220 feet (67 meters) wide. This visible surface covers about 4.5 acres (1.8 hectares) when the water is at its normal level.
Cave divers have explored even more of the lake. They have found several rooms that are completely filled with water. They still haven't reached the very end of the cave! This underwater exploration happened in the 1970s.
For many years, The Lost Sea was thought to be the world's largest underground lake. Today, it is still the largest in the United States. It is also recognized as the world's second-largest non-underground lake. The largest is Dragon's Breath Cave in Namibia.
Taking a Tour of The Lost Sea
Today, you can take commercial boat tours on The Lost Sea. For many visitors, this boat ride is the most exciting part of the cave tour.
Sometimes, during very dry periods, the lake's water level drops a lot. For example, during a drought in 2007-2008, the water level dropped 28 feet (8.5 meters) below normal. When this happens, the tour guides have to make the walkway and boat dock longer. This allows visitors to still enjoy the boat tours. During these times, you can see a much larger cavern above the lake's surface.
The Lost Sea was even featured on the CBS show America Wonders.
