Mammoth Cave by Graham LaBass

  Mammoth Cave

    Caves are the passageways through the earth. They can go from 1 foot to four hundred  miles. Mammoth Cave stretches to this great length. With only four hundred miles charted, cave explorers or “cavers” are discovering different passages every day. This gives Mammoth Cave the well deserved title of the world's longest cave.

The Beginning

Let's go back about three million years. A small river fueled by rain is slowly carving at the soft limestone. Over the years the small opening gets bigger and bigger. The limestone is carved and shaped. Then after about 3 million years the river's masterpiece is done, over 400 miles  of cave are carved.  The river dries out and the cave is discovered by people. During the war of 1812 slaves mined the opening, looking for a stone called saltpeter. This rock is used to make gunpowder. This was very vidal to the US Army and their almost never ending supply was supporting many troops. Then in 1842, several people broke out with tuberculosis disease. There was no cure for this rare disease so they built sick homes in the cave hoping the cold and humid air would cure them. But, even with their best efforts, 5 died in that cave.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

    Today

Today  The National Park Conservation Association is in control of Mammoth Cave. They provide tours through the cave.The cave gets visited by 2 million people every year. Weekly cavers volunteer to explore the cave and try to find new passages. Mammoth Cave is in great condition. Experts believe that if The National Park Conservation Association keeps caring for the cave, it will last millions of years to come.