Jewel Cave National Monument - South Dakota
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 43° 43.741 W 103° 50.328
13T E 593521 N 4842431
This cave was thought to a be a small yet exquisite cave in 1908 when it was made a National Monument. Now 137 miles have been explored and it may possibly be the longest continuous cave in the world.
Waymark Code: WM1WEQ
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 07/20/2007
Views: 46
The following excerpt is from "The WPA Guide to South Dakota":
Right on this road is JEWEL CAVE, 1.5 m. (5,500 alt.), a national monument. The cave was first discovered by two brothers, Albert and Frank Michaud, while prospecting, and remained in their possession until 1928 when the Custer Commercial Club and the Newcastle, Wyo., Lions Club took it over for development and exploration. In July 1934 it was made a national monument by the Federal Government.
The cave derives its name from its crystal formations. There are two routes in the cave, one having been explored 2 m. and the other 1 m.
Well, they've extended their map of the cave since 1938 when this book was published - by 134 miles, to be exact. Using wind measurements and air flow charts, they figure there's still much more to map.
When this guide was printed the original cave entrance was the starting point for tours. The CCC had built a small log-cabin style ranger station and a beautiful trail to the cave entrance. Later, to increase accessibility for the disabled, the visitor center and administration area were moved about a mile away. We thought the original area was much more beautiful, perhaps because of the rugged feel of the landscape. The park still leads tours in the older section of the cave, however you must buy the tour at the modern section of the park and then drive over for your tour to the historic section.