The Cave

[W. Gray]

From the October 2007 issue of Gen-Tree, Newsletter of the Chautauqua County Historical and Genealogical Society



The Cave
By Waldo E. Gray
Centennial, Colorado

Unknown to Howard County residents, the county had, perhaps, one of the larger cave systems in the United States. The October 27, 1900, Kansas City Times compared the huge cave that is now part of Chautauqua County to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Whether or not there is a valid comparison, the cave extends underground for at least a known five miles with some rooms reaching nine feet high and twenty-five feet wide. According to the Kansas City newspaper, an underground stream prevented explorers from following the cavern any further than five miles. A November 16, 1958, Independence Reporter article described the small three by four foot cave mouth as located in an obscure and hard to reach area ten miles east of Cedar Vale. Other accounts place the cave between the former towns of Hewins and Elgin.

The cave was a nineteenth century safe haven for counterfeiters, murderers, and other outlaws trying to escape the long arm of the law. In 1899, the cave served as a hiding place for the killers of a Sedan city marshal. Searchers for the murderer found counterfeiting equipment that had apparently been there for quite some time. Volume I of the history of Chautauqua County says the unofficial name for the cavern is Eagle Camp Cave.

Apparently, no one has ever considered developing the area into an underground attraction. However, during the twentieth century falling rock seems to have closed off a good portion of the cave system.

[Marcia Moore]

     Waldo, I read your Cave story in the Chautauqua Co. Historical Society newsletter earlier this week.  Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy reading your articles in the newspapers, etc.  -- Marcia

[W. Gray]

Thank you.

You do very well, yourself.

[Marcia Moore]

Thank you.