The Wyandotte Caves is a pair of limestone caves located on the Ohio River in Harrison-Crawford State Forest in Crawford County, north-east of Leavenworth and from Corydon in southern Indiana which are a popular tourist attraction. Wyandotte Caves were designated a National Natural Landmark in 1972. They are now part of O'Bannon Woods State Park. The cave system is the 5th largest in the state of Indiana.
The term "Wyandotte Caves" is used to refer to Wyandotte Cave (sometimes called the "Historic Cave") and Little Wyandotte Cave (also called Siberts Cave and sometimes called the "New Cave"), but the two caves are completely different. They are located very close to each other, and are owned and managed by the same entity. There the resemblance ends.
Geological history and formations
Wyandotte Caves began to form in the Pliocene Era, about 2 million years ago. Like most of Southern Indiana's caves, the caves were formed when water dissolved limestone, causing hollow caves to form.
The limestone which forms much of Southern Indiana's bedrock, and from which Wyandotte and other local caves are formed, was first deposited in the Mississippian epoch (360 Ma to 325 Ma), when Indiana was covered by a shallow inland sea.
Although the glaciers of the Pliocene and Pleistocene periods did not quite reach as far south as the area now known as Crawford County, where Wyandotte and Marengo Caves are located, they dramatically influenced the development of those caves.
The Ohio River was formed at this time, and today flows only minutes from Wyandotte Caves. The advancing and retreating glaciers destroyed the pre-existing Teays River, and the Ohio River was formed, draining the land that the Teays once drained. As the glaciers melted, the icy cold water flowing towards the Ohio River (which was then much higher than it is now) dissolved the limestone which is the bedrock for much of Southern Indiana, hollowing out caves such as Wyandotte.
The main entrance to Wyandotte Cave is above the level of the Blue River. Wyandotte Cave is known for its long open passageways and large rooms. With of passageways on five levels it is the fifth longest cave in Indiana. Included in its formations is Monument Mountain. At tall, Monument Mountain is considered to be the world's largest underground mountain. Wyandotte Cave is also home to a great many helictites, which are considered rare. The cave is also home to the tallest stalagmite in the world, known as the Pillar of the Constitution, but this is only visible on crawling tours.
Long speleothems, formed by rainwater dissolving calcium carbonate, abound in Siberts Cave. The cave exhibits a wide variety of speleothems including; stalactites, stalagmites, columns, flowstone, flowstone colored with iron oxide known as cave bacon, flowstone known as cave draperies, soda straws, popcorn, and rimstone dams.
The temperature inside both caves maintains a constant .
History of human use
Wyandotte Cave was used by Native Americans for nearly 4000 years before Europeans arrived in the area; carbon dating of artifacts provided evidence of human activity potentially as far back as 8000 BC. The Native Americans used torches made of hickory bark and grape vines to light the cave where they mined for aragonite, which they used for pipes and necklaces, and chert, which they used to make stone tools. The remains of their mining explorations can be seen on tours to this day.
The discovery of Wyandotte Cave by European settlers is believed to have occurred around 1798. Shortly thereafter Wyandotte Cave became known as an excellent source of saltpeter, an integral component of gunpowder, and of Epsom salts, which have medical uses. Saltpeter mining in the cave reached a peak under a man by the name of Dr. Benjamin Adams during the War of 1812. Modern tours feature Dr. Adams' vats and hoppers, and point out where magnesium sulfate (the chemical name of Epsom salt) is visible as a glittery substance lining the cave walls. The cave was also used to store supplies for the army of William Henry Harrison.
Wyandotte Cave was named by Governor David Wallace after the river which was then known as the Wyandotte, but which is currently known as the Blue River. Before receiving its current name it was variously called the Mammoth Cave of Indiana, the Epsom Salts Cave, and the Indiana Saltpetre Cave.