CHAPTER VI

Crystal Cave

From the cement plant we take U. S. Highway number 16 through Black Hawk and Piedmont to Crystal Cave. On this road we encounter the second notable man-made achievement. The car begins to register a few degrees of added heat in the cooling system. Before we reach the top of the great hill, (several miles long), we pass several cars which have not been as effectively cooled as our own. The grade has been gradual and even, clear from the bottom to the top of the mountain. The road winds around vale and crag, often having had to be cut through solid rock or cut into a niche on the steep side of the mountain. It is a feat of engineering skill capable of firing the imagination of anyone.

About sixteen miles out of Rapid City we come to the huge arrow and sign pointing to Crystal Cave. The distance it was to be from the main road is given us on the sign board; it seems twice as far. The road is no longer smooth and surfaced or the grades regular or straight. These “side” roads are fast being improved, and probably by another year this one will be fairly smooth, and wide enough for two cars to pass anywhere. We find it a bit rough, rutted, winding through dense vegetation, and narrow. However, in dry weather the driving there is safe, comparatively easy, and enjoyable. The scenery is quite picturesque. To those interested in birds, trees, and flowers this will be a splendid bit of road.

After some little time, a half hour or less, we arrive at the cave entrance.

The headquarters are located in a little log cabin with a wide veranda where one can see specimens from the cave and where souvenirs may be bought. The new cave entrance, pictured herewith is just above the cabin.

When a large enough party has gathered, a guide lights many gasoline lanterns and we are told to file into the cave entrance. As we do so the guide distributes the lights. After this he takes the lead.

We go into the cave in our regular clothing, without needing slickers or other special equipment. It might be said, however, khaki clothing and hobnailed boots are not so bad for a trip of this kind. The same holds for mountain climbing. High heels are decidedly a detriment to progress, and somewhat precarious as well, where the footing is moist or steep.

With our lanterns we file after the guide. He leads us down and forward into the bowels of the earth, stopping occasionally to explain the various formations which we are passing. His “line” is strongly based on fact, and if one has a good imagination he can enjoy the trip, being able to “see” the various animals, rooms, or formations which the guide points out.

First, the cave has been formed in limestone, through erosion by water, extending over many thousands of years. The mineral part of the water has hardened in perfect crystals, looking as though they had been cut. These crystals cling to the walls, creating a beautiful effect. They are as hard as rock.

Some of the high lights of the trip are “Devil’s Ice Box,” “Moses’s Meat Market,” with hams, bacon and a chicken hanging from the ceiling, “The Butcher Himself” (pictured), in his parlor, “Poverty Flats,” “Corcham’s Art Gallery,” which contained well hung walls, and even a goat. Then came “Cathedral Cave,” with its crystalline rolling clouds. “The Polar Bear,” “Diamond Rock,” made of pulverized mica, and “Santa Claus.”

There are stalactites hung from the tops of some of the caves and stalagmites built up from the floors, each of which if it could talk could tell stories that would be ancient history to Moses.

Going on, we come to “Old Man Cave” and “Black Hills Bakery.” In the latter were buns (of solid rock), rolls and loaves of bread, natural formations. From here we go into a room 300 feet below the surface and put out the lights. It is very dark there, even in the daytime.

We light the lanterns, pass on, and come to the “Whale that Jonah swallowed.” Next comes the “Mayflower,” and last the trip out. The “Bridal Veil” and “Frozen River” were among the most picturesque of the scenes, the exact position of which are not recalled.

Most of the rooms and passages are six to twelve feet in height. Some are hundreds of feet deep and some are too close to the floor for the unwary head. These rocks do not give very far when one’s head hits them.

Our guide is a decidedly congenial and unassuming young man. He wins the favor of all of the party, keeping the spirits high through the whole trip.

One half mile down, on the road from Crystal Cave is a sign pointing toward Knife Blade Rock. This is a gigantic thin rock formation rising 600 feet out of the bed of the canyon. The origin of this phenomenon also kindles one’s imagination.

When viewing Knife Blade Rock we stand on a high precipitous canyon wall and look nearly straight down hundreds of feet into the Elk Creek Canyon. This view is magnificent; the great deep canyon, the precipitous cliff, Knife Blade, and the expansive opposite bank covered with heavy vegetation.

From here we move on toward Sturgis about ten miles distant.