Mammoth Cave:
Its Explorers, Miners,
Archeologists, and Visitors

(Mammoth Cave National Park) Along the banks of the winding Green River, newly fallen leaves rustle as a man walks from his camp toward the high bluffs. Pausing to gaze back into the deep river valley and then upward into the sunlight sparkling on the crimson and golden leaves still clinging to their summer hosts, he thinks about the great darkness that lies just ahead beneath the forest floor. He has journeyed there many times since he was a young man. Around campfires he often listened to the stories of the old people who journeyed into the darkness. Now he himself is old. Perhaps this winter he will tell his own tales about the great cave that opens directly beneath his feet. The mysterious darkness of Mammoth Cave in southwestern Kentucky has both lured travelers to enter and warned them to stay away. Some entered and never returned. Most entered and came back to tell of their experiences in the dark, silent, and mysterious cave. From the dawn of time visitors have been awestruck by the cave’s size and its rugged beauty.

TABLE OF CONTENTS About This Lesson Getting Started: Inquiry Question Setting the Stage: Historical Context Locating the Site: Maps 1. Mammoth Cave National Park and surrounding region 2. Mammoth Cave, 1845 3. Modern map of Mammoth Cave Determining the Facts: Readings 1. The First Explorers 2. Mammoth Cave Becomes a World-Famous Attraction 3. For Future Generations Visual Evidence: Images 1. Cross section through Mammoth Cave 2. Saltpeter mining operation 3. Modern view of Green River Valley 4. Farm field, c. 1935 5. Visitors pose with their guide, c. 1900 6. Modern day visitors in a cave passageway Putting It All Together: Activities 1. Touring Mammoth Cave 2. Caring for Local Resources 3. Luring the Public to a Special Place Supplementary Resources

RELATED INFORMATION How to Use a TwHP Lesson Lessons on Related Topics TwHP Home National Register Home About the National Register How the National Register Helps Teachers Contact TwHP Mammoth Cave National Park This lesson is based on Mammoth Cave National Park, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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