Cave History of Pulaski County
Although history is four-dimensional, my knowledge of the history of Pulaski County caves is pretty much linear, based on my own limited experience. Prehistoric: Many caves were used as shelter, particularly south facing sites above streams such a Buck Creek or Cumberland. Springs were also a source for water. From multiple artifacts plowed up in fields near Short Creek, a settlement may have been built there. Caves were also used as burial. We found vertebrae and other bones in a cave overlooking the Cumberland that had been looted. Bowling Alley Cave near Somerset was reputed to have an Indian scull, but I didn’t see it. I did find an arrowhead in Hog Cave and a tooth in Matchless.
Late 18th & 19th centuries: Settlers used springs for water and making whiskey, which was an important means of commerce. Salt Petre was also mined, reportedly in Stab, Fossil, Sloans Valley and Wind Cave and Dykes Petre Cave. Petre Pit in Whetstone community had a well developed mine with remnants of vats and a water trough still there in the 1970 when we surveyed it. Short creek had several mills, the earliest reportedly dating to 1801. Fossil Cave is also said to have had an overshot mill.
Early 20th Century: besides previous uses, caves were sometimes visited recreationally, and some attempts were made to commercialize at least two: Sloans and Stab. Blowing, Bob Hail, Wind and Wells all show signs of early visitation. (Hail and Cave Creek Caves were probably also visited and may have had earlier usage but my knowledge is tenuous about these caves.)
Mid-20th Century: two somewhat shady uses for caves developed: Moonshining and arrowhead hunting, a value for artifacts made this activity popular as a hobby and business. Stab Cave had been abandoned for commercialization in the 30s but sporadic guided tours of Sloans persisted into the sixties. At that time highway 27 was a direct route to Florida from Ohio, so the cave was a tantalizing summer stop off before air conditioning was widely available in cars. I first heard of Sloans as a teen when a friend said his family were not only given a tour of the cave, but also sold moonshine. Sloans was also mined for artifacts. In 1948 Lake Cumberland was built, within a few years flooding many caves including lower portions of Cave Creek, Hail and Sloans. A survey was done by Mallet (sp) in the Mid 40’s (see 2001 NSS convention guidbook) Jillson who taught geology at Transylvania University in KY also did some work ther in the late 40’s early 50’s (?). See Gary O’Dell for complete history.
1960s: In the mid sixties a group of cavers from Texas visited the area but details of their accomplishments have been lost. Palchewski (sp) from Pennsylvania did some work in Wells cave, and Slavey Pit and may have done a survey of Dykes Bridge. Thomas Barr also visited many caves in Pulaski collecting fauna for his bio-Speleological inventory (see publication.) Wind Cave was well known and was explored by the Hughes brothers who lived near the cave. A first attempt to survey Wells Cave was made by some boy scouts fro Cincinnati, Ohio. (See history of Wells Cave by Lee Florea.)
The Cincinnati Grotto began a third survey of Sloans and first survey of Cave Creek as well as Goochland in Rockcastle County. ‘The Dirty Dozen,” including Paul Howeiller, Ralph Ewers, Geiser, Cleakamp, Ersmann,‘Smiling John’ and others were involved with these surveys. Howeiller who was a land Surveyor is said to have used a transit in his surveys. Howeiller explored a number of other caves in the area including Dumpling Cave. He gave his data and locations to his nephew, Bill Carr. Cleakamp went on to survey Stykes cave, later resurveyed by COG. GCG also explored Wind Cave, Hail and other at this time. (I believe they may have hosted a NSS convention or ran trips from a nearby one in the late sixties but not sure.) GCG had definitely held Annual Meetings in Pulaski during the late sixties (later it was called Karst-o-rama.)
At about this time, Dave Beiter and Lou Simpson began again resurveying Sloans with members of COG and various others including Bill Walden, Ken Smith and Jack Sigafous. Cavers from Cleveland and even Michigan grottoes frequented the area caves. Independent groups such as the Hamilton Cave Rats existed.
One such group of college students from Miami of Middletown joined the GCG and later became known as the Coral Cavers; still later in the mid seventies they would join DASS, a Dayton Grotto. This group discovered a number of caves in 1969 and in 1970 began surveying Coral Cave. Members of COG and Cleveland Grotto also participated in caves that would later be connected to Coral.
In 1971 they also began surveying smaller caves on Sundays after harder trips into Coral. The first was Fossil Cave in Long Hollow. Wells Cave was begun in 1972, and in 1974 cave in Sinking Valley were surveyed to support Ralph Ewers PHD thesis. Other caves included, Blowing (71), Church (71), Bob Hail (71), Up-Ewers (72), Rabid Fish (72), Dykes Saltpeter (72), DJ Cave (72), High on the Cliff (72), Geologist’s (72), Funnel (72), Baker (73), Little Drip (73), Blue-Eyed Angel (73), Sheep Caves North & South (73), Better Open (73), Double (74), Purcell Hole (74), Hog (74), Hog Annex (74), Gilmore (74), Short Creek (77), Boiling Pot (75), Last Cave (74), Saltpeter Pit (73), Whetstone (74), Jugornot (74), Dumpling (74), Canyon Complex (74), Wind Cave (72-76), Moonshiner (80). They also began a survey of Eureka Cave in McCreary County. Several other caves in the Coral vicinity were mapped but as yet not connected: Little Canyon Sewer, Dud, Briar, Water Exit, Rams Horn and Nameless.
DASS formed in the early 70’s led by Paul Unger (see M. Johnson NSS 2001 convention guidebook.) doing some survey work in Rockcastle Co. (Humongous Canyon) and Cave Creek. Shortly after the Coral Cavers began surveying Wells Cave, they began caving with DASS. Some Coral Cavers remained members of GCG others joined DASS others were members of both. Likewise, many COG and BGG had multiple memberships and worked on multiple projects. The Coral Cavers began a Hail Cave Survey and Peter Cave Hollow Survey with COG but became too involved with Wells and Coral to contribute much. Likewise COG helped with Wells on occasion. The DASS / Coral group also started a survey of Sawdust Pit with GCG members. A spur group of GCG, SWORCA was formed around 1973 and were taught to survey by the Coral Cavers. They went on to survey Goochland in Rockcastle County. Other caves surveyed by COG, were Newel Spring (Wayne Co?), Reclining Budah and Neally Creek and Mud & Slime. Triple S, Blowing and Wind in Wayne Counties were also surveyed.
The Late seventies and mid eighties brought new groups to Pulaski and more multiple membership. Members of MVG & BGG began a survey of Long Hollow and spurred by Doc Daugherty of University of Cincinnati surveyed in Sinking Valley. Fossil Cave was resurveyed with new passage added bringing the total to around a mile. Dykes Saltpeter and Canyon Complex (aka Mary’s Hole) were also resurveyed. In Sinking Valley, Big Sink and Ranch Cave were surveyed and Logan was remapped and connected to Greensnake. This same group pushed sinks in Pumpkin Hollow but were unsuccessful in making connections. Guy Doppler cave in Somerset was also surveyed (MVG?) reportedly with over a mile. Carolyn Herral (sp?) from COG led MVG folks into Cricket Cave, surveying there and in Dave’s in attempts to connect the two as part of the Coral System. Farmer’s Cave was surveyed by Darrel Adkins and other COG members and White Lobster was surveyed by Paul Unger, both surveys assisted by Ersmann brothers, sons of one of the original Dirty Dozen.
All the while, Ewers’ students continued to use Sinking Valley and other parts of Pulaski for study areas, with Meiman surveying Ula Cave system in The Bent area. Mike Johnson continued to do dye traces and water analysis in Coral and Sinking Valley areas until health problems made this work impossible. While GCG still did trips to Wells Cave including several cleanup trips, the focus of most project caving shifted farther south to Wayne County and Tennessee, while the GCG and BGG became more involved in Rockcastle County with the leasing of Great Salt Petre Cave.
The 21st Century brought new interest to Pulaski with the proposed plans to build I-66 through the karst area. Eco-cavers ran trips through the threatened Wells Cave to document its size and possible hazard to the road. Other caves in the vicinity were explored and mapped. Speleobiologists documented fauna in the area with the help of Tom Kane and his students. Knee Shredder Cave was surveyed and a group calling themselves the Shreadites was formed. Jugornot Cave was resurveyed by Shreddites and COG, its length multiplied by five. Sump divers also came on the scene, a sump dive in Dave’s Cave increasing Coral by 400 feet and opening new possibilities. A push was made that may have connected Cricket Cave, but has yet to be surveyed. Several attempts to push the other end of Coral at the Slime Climb resulted in only 40 feet of new cave, but possibilities are still awaiting the use of bolts. COG continued work in Farmer and the Ehrsmann brothers connected it to Overlook Cave.
A grant from the NSS and realignment of I-66 to the Sinking Valley area has focused work in that area by Lee Florea and others. Sump diver Jason Gully pushed Short Creek upstream several hundred feet (exact amount?) Price Cave was resurveyed, and a resurvey of Big Sink was begun, as well as dye traces and exploration in other Karst near Somerset. Divers working with Jason Gulley are continuing to make progress in its underground reaches of Sinking Valley.
With regards to Sloans: I received this from O’Dell via Bill Simpson
Hi Bill
I am working on an article
that will focus upon the contributions of Willard Rouse Jillson, former KY state
geologist, to the exploration and survey of Sloans Valley Cave. Jillson published a small book in 1954
titled The Geology of Crystal Cave, by
which name Sloans Valley cave was then known.
He taught geology at
Transylvania in Lexington and took students on field trips to the cave in the late
1940s and early 1950s. I have access to
some of
My office email address is
attached; my home email address has changed and is now odell-at-adelphia.net.
<g.odell-at-morehead-st.edu>
Regards to all
Gary