Marengo Cave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marengo Cave |
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Formations seen during a tour in the cave.
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| Location | Crawford County, Indiana |
| Nearest city | Marengo |
| Area | 7 acres (2.8 ha) |
| Owned by | Private |
| Designated: | 1984 |
Marengo Cave is an amazing privately owned cave located in Marengo, Indiana. It's one of only four "show caves" in Indiana, which means it's open for public tours. People have been exploring this cave since 1883, just a few days after two local school children discovered it! Because of its unique natural features, Marengo Cave was named a National Natural Landmark in 1984.
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How Marengo Cave Was Discovered
Marengo Cave was first found on September 6, 1883. There are a few different stories about exactly how it happened, but the most common one involves two siblings, Orris and Blanche Hiestand. Orris was 11 years old, and Blanche was 15.
The Hiestand Children's Story
Blanche worked as a cook at the local Marengo Academy. She heard some boys talking about a sinkhole they had found in the nearby woods. They thought it might lead to a cave and planned to go back with lanterns later.
Blanche decided to explore it first! She went home, got her brother Orris, grabbed two candles, and headed into the woods. The children crawled through a narrow passage, about 50 feet long. They were the first humans known to enter Marengo Cave. They were amazed by what they saw, but also a bit scared of the darkness, so they quickly went back outside.
Three days later, they told the landowner, Samuel Stewart, about their discovery. The kids thought they had found diamonds because of the sparkling flowstone formations their candles briefly lit up inside the cave. Believing there might be diamonds, Mr. Stewart quickly gathered a group of men from town to explore the cavern. Guided tours started very soon after, costing just a quarter per person!
Protecting the Cave
When Mr. Stewart saw people coming out of the cave with broken pieces of mineral formations, he quickly realized how special the cave was. He wisely stopped people from breaking off or taking any of the cave's natural deposits. This early protection is a big reason why the cave's beautiful interior is still in such great condition today.
Another lucky event saved one of the most beautiful parts of the cave, known as the Pillared Palace or Crystal Palace. The first explorers didn't notice this section right away. By the time it was discovered, Mr. Stewart had already given instructions to protect the formations. This means this part of the cave remains almost untouched, just as it was found.
The Rabbit Story
Some stories say that the children followed a rabbit into the opening, which led to the cave's discovery. However, Mr. Stewart and those connected with the cave have always said that the discovery was simply due to the children's curiosity. It's thought that recent logging in the area might have caused more water runoff, which could have helped open up the sinkhole entrance.
Marengo Cave Today
The Stewart family owned Marengo Cave until 1955. Then, Floyd Denton bought it, hoping to make it even better. Sadly, he passed away in 1961. The current owners bought the cave in 1973, around the time Interstate 64 was being built through southern Indiana. With better roads and more people traveling, the cave business grew a lot. The cave and its surrounding park have continued to expand over the last 40 years.
Recent Discoveries
In 1992, a small crawlway called "Blowing Bat Crawl" was finally opened up. This led to the discovery of the stream level of Marengo Cave. About 3.5 miles were added to the cave's known length with this amazing find! The largest room of any cave in Indiana was also discovered in this new stream level. Today, Marengo Cave has almost 5 miles of known passages, making it one of the longest caves in Indiana.
Visiting the Cave
Marengo Cave is open all year long and offers two different walking tours:
- The Dripstone Trail Tour: This tour covers about 1 mile of the cave and takes around 60–70 minutes to complete.
- The Crystal Palace Tour: This shorter tour takes about 35–40 minutes and covers one-third of a mile.
Both tours explore different parts of the cave, so they offer unique experiences.
Marengo Cave in Movies
Marengo Cave has even been a filming location for a few movies! These include Abby (1974), Madison (2001) starring Jim Caviezel and Jake Lloyd, and Fire from Below (2008) starring Kevin Sorbo.
Other Show Caves in Indiana
