Bluespring Caverns is a cave system located in

Lawrence County, Indiana Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 46,134. The county seat is Bedford. Lawrence County comprises the Bedford, IN Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Until the Battle of Tippeca ...

, approximately 80 miles (128 km) south of

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. The cave system is a

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

and river type cave formation and drains a 15 miles² (38.8 km²)

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

plain. The cave contains of surveyed passages and is most notable for having the longest known subterranean river in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

with approximately of navigable river.

Discovery

The cave system was discovered as early as the 19th century. Up until 1913, the entrance used was the exodus of a spring which drained into the White River. However, a dam completed in 1913 on the White River closed off this entrance. In 1940, a second entrance was created after a severe storm passed through the area. A small pond on the farm of George Colglazier vanished overnight, becoming a sinkhole, and the present day entrance into the cave system. The undeveloped cave soon had Colgazier's children wanting to learn more about the newest adventure spot on the family's farm. Although his daughters Uzahne and Janet were not frequent visitors to the cave; his sons, Norman, James, Lee and Daniel were fascinated by the cave. Soon word of the largest opening of Bluespring Caverns spread and the Colglazier family welcomed visitors from around the world as others descended on the small farm to explore the caverns. George Colglazier and his wife, Eva, lived on their family farm and welcomed visitors to the caverns until the death of George Colglazier in the early 1980s. Neither Colglazier nor his wife ever profited from Bluespring Caverns. They made their living as hard-working dairy farmers. They freely allowed cave explorers on their property and asked them to obey one rule, "not to destroy or remove from the caverns".

Geology and temperature

The cave was formed in two types of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, separated by a thin layer of

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

. The two types of limestone are: *

Indiana Limestone Indiana limestone — also known as Bedford limestone in the building trade — has long been an economically important building material, particularly for monumental public structures. Indiana limestone is a more common term for Salem Limestone, ...

St. Louis Limestone The St. Louis Limestone is a large geologic formation covering a wide area of the midwest of the United States. It is named after an exposure at St. Louis, Missouri. It consists of sedimentary limestone with scattered chert beds, including the ...

The cave remains a constant 54 °F (14 °C) temperature throughout the year.

Wildlife

The cave is host to a number of species, including

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

s, and

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s. Most notable among these is the rare sightless

Northern Cavefish The northern cavefish or northern blindfish (''Amblyopsis spelaea'') is found in caves through Kentucky and southern Indiana. It is listed as a threatened species in the United States and the IUCN lists the species as near threatened. During a ...

, which is abundant in this cave system. A small number of

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

s make this cave their home, especially during winter. However, the frequent flooding of this cave system discourages bat habitation year-round.

Visitation

Visitation to the cave is controlled by Bluespring Caverns Park, a commercial corporation. The featured activity is an hour-long boat ride on the subterranean river in a 17-person boat equipped with lighting. This ride is offered seasonally in the months of April through October. The park also offers overnight adventures for organized youth groups from October through April. Bluespring Caverns are one of five

show caves A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits. Definition A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. The other four are

Marengo Cave Marengo Cave is a privately owned cave located in Marengo, Indiana. One of only four show caves in Indiana, public tours of the cave have been given since 1883. Tours commenced just days after the cave's discovery by two school children. The cave w ...

Wyandotte Caves 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 ...

Indiana Caverns Indiana Caverns is part of the Binkley Cave system near Corydon, Indiana. History In 1918, an 81.5 acre farm less than a mile south of Corydon was purchased by Arvel H. Miles. A sinkhole entrance to Binkley Cave opened on the farm at some point ...

and

Squire Boone Caverns Squire Boone Caverns and Village is a cavern exploration attraction in Mauckport, Indiana (near Corydon in Southern Indiana). The park consists of a one-hour walking tour into the caverns, as well as a working pioneer village and grist mill. Park' ...

. Twin caves, located in

Spring Mill State Park Spring Mill State Park is a state park in the state of Indiana. The park is located to the south of Bloomington, about east of the city of Mitchell on Indiana Highway 60. It contains a settler's village, the Gus Grissom Memorial (with the ac ...

, about 15 minutes south of Bluespring Caverns, near

Mitchell, Indiana Mitchell is a city in Marion Township, Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,350 at the 2010 census. History Mitchell was built as a railroad town in the mid-19th century. At this location in Lawrence County, the Chi ...

offers a 20-minute boat tour into the cave which goes back about . Twin Caves is owned and operated by the state of Indiana and the

Indiana Department of Natural Resources The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the U.S. state of Indiana. There are many divisions within the DNR and each has a specific role. The DNR is not only responsible for maintaining resource areas but also manages In ...

Facts

* The cave is the 29th longest in the United States. * The cave is the 109th longest in the world. * The cave is the 3rd-longest cave in the state of Indiana.

References

External links

Official website

{{Coord, 38.796193, -86.546029, display=title, scale:4000 Caves of Indiana Show caves in the United States Limestone caves Landforms of Lawrence County, Indiana Tourist attractions in Lawrence County, Indiana