Skeleton Cave (Oregon) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Skeleton Cave
Bat gate at the entrance of Skeleton Cave
Location	Deschutes County, Oregon
Length	3,560 feet
Entrances	1
Difficulty	Easy
Access	May 1st thru September 30th via private tour

Skeleton Cave is a cool lava tube located in Deschutes County, Oregon, in the United States. It's found inside the Deschutes National Forest. The cave is on the northern side of Newberry Volcano, close to the city of Bend. This ancient cave is between 75,000 and 400,000 years old!

Why is it Called Skeleton Cave?

Discovering the Cave's Secrets

The cave was first found around 1924. However, a stick inside had markings from 1894, meaning someone visited it even earlier! At one point, people might have called it Bone Cave. It got its current name, Skeleton Cave, from Phil Brogan. He saw many different animal bones inside.

What Scientists Thought

A scientist named Dr. James W. Gidley from the National Museum had a theory. He thought all the fossils fell into the cave from cracks in the ceiling. These cracks might have been caused by earthquakes. Dr. Gidley found it hard to believe an animal would crawl so far into the cave just to die.

A Natural Trap

The cave has an entrance that acts like a natural trap. Animals could fall in through a skylight opening and then couldn't get out. Many old newspaper stories mention the fossils found inside. One important discovery was a horse bone from the Pleistocene era. This horse was later identified as Equus niobrarensis.

Amazing Animal Finds

Scientists also found bones from a bear. This bear was much larger than any living bear species today. Many other bone pieces were also discovered inside the cave.

Here are some of the animal bones found in Skeleton Cave:

• Bear (Arctotherium)
• Deer
• Elk
• Fox (Alopex fox or Arctic fox)
• Fox (Gray fox - Newton's and Townsend's)
• Horse
• Lynx
• Rodents
• Wolf (almost as big as the Canis occidentalis)
• A large hyena-like dog
• A meat-eating animal about the size of a Marten

Exploring Skeleton Cave's History

Early Surveys and Maps

Walter J. Perry and Phil Brogan were among the first to map the cave. They used a method called compass and pace to measure its length. They found it was about 3,036 feet long. Perry later drew a sketch of the cave's passages. He noted a side passage about 1,734 feet into the cave. This passage was later named the Bear Passage. Most of the skeletons and bone dust were found in this very passage. Perry was even filmed in the cave by MGM and FOX News for a history movie!

More Accurate Measurements

Later, Ronald Greeley from NASA published a book with a new survey of the cave. His map showed the cave was 3,300 feet long. However, it didn't include a small part south of the entrance. In 1971, Jim Nieland did a full survey. He found the most accurate length, which is 3,560 feet. Another cave, Boyd Cave, is part of the same lava flow as Skeleton Cave. It even connects towards the Bear Passage, which is also called the Tributary Tube.

Protecting the Cave Today

Recently, Skeleton Cave and other nearby caves were studied. An environmental impact assessment was done to see how human activity affects them. To protect the plants and the cave itself, the parking lot for Skeleton Cave was moved. The cave is also closed every year from October 15 to May 1. This is to protect bats during their hibernation period. Skeleton Cave has always been known as a home for bats.

Today, Wanderlust Tours is the only company allowed to lead tours through Boyd Cave.