Description: Reverse reads: "District 6 Logan Co. West Liberty O. Ohio Caverns." This photograph shows stalactites and stalagmites in the Ohio Caverns, which is located at 2210 East State Route 245, just outside of West Liberty, Ohio, near the border of Logan and Champaign counties. In 1897, a farm boy investigating the disappearance of water into a sinkhole in a nearby field discovered this system of subterranean passageways. Digging down a few feet, he found an opening to a cave that had been formed by an underground river running through the soluble limestone bedrock, perhaps several thousand years earlier. Ground water dripping down from the cavern's ceiling continues to form stalactites, stalagmites, and mineral coatings on the cavern's walls, floor, and ceiling. A portion of Ohio Caverns near the discovery site was opened to the public in 1897, but that section closed in 1925 when a more extensive and geologically interesting part of the cave was discovered. Ohio Caverns is the largest known cave system in the state and is widely considered to be the most beautiful of all Ohio caves. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F04_035_001
Subjects: Caves--Ohio
Places: West Liberty (Ohio); Logan County (Ohio); Champaign County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "District 6 Logan Co. West Liberty O. Ohio Caverns." This photograph shows stalactites and stalagmites in the Ohio Caverns, which is located at 2210 East State Route 245, just outside of West Liberty, Ohio, near the border of Logan and Champaign counties. In 1897, a farm boy investigating the disappearance of water into a sinkhole in a nearby field discovered this system of subterranean passageways. Digging down a few feet, he found an opening to a cave that had been formed by an underground river running through the soluble limestone bedrock, perhaps several thousand years earlier. Ground water dripping down from the cavern's ceiling continues to form stalactites, stalagmites, and mineral coatings on the cavern's walls, floor, and ceiling. A portion of Ohio Caverns near the discovery site was opened to the public in 1897, but that section closed in 1925 when a more extensive and geologically interesting part of the cave was discovered. Ohio Caverns is the largest known cave system in the state and is widely considered to be the most beautiful of all Ohio caves. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F04_036_001
Subjects: Caves--Ohio
Places: West Liberty (Ohio); Logan County (Ohio); Champaign County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image shows the insides of the Ohio Caverns near West Liberty. In 1897, a farm boy investigating the disappearance of water into a sinkhole in a nearby field discovered this system of subterranean passageways. Digging down a few feet, he found an opening to a cave that had begun forming perhaps several thousand years earlier during the Ice Age in soluble limestone bedrock that was approximately 400 million years old. Ground water dripping down from the cavern's ceiling continues to form stalactites, stalagmites, and mineral coatings on the cavern's walls, floor, and ceiling. A portion of Ohio Caverns near the discovery site was opened to the public in 1897, but that section closed in 1925 when a more extensive and geologically interesting part of the cave was discovered. Ohio Caverns is the largest known cave system in the state and is widely considered to be the most beautiful of all Ohio caves. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06553
Subjects: Caves--Ohio; Geology--Ohio; Logan County (Ohio)
Places: West Liberty (Ohio); Logan County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph most likely shows the entrance to the Ohio Caverns, which is located at 2210 East State Route 245, just outside of West Liberty, Ohio, near the border of Logan and Champaign counties. In 1897, a farm boy investigating the disappearance of water into a sinkhole in a nearby field discovered this system of subterranean passageways. Digging down a few feet, he found an opening to a cave that had been formed by an underground river running through the soluble limestone bedrock, perhaps several thousand years earlier. Ground water dripping down from the cavern's ceiling continues to form stalactites, stalagmites, and mineral coatings on the cavern's walls, floor, and ceiling. A portion of Ohio Caverns near the discovery site was opened to the public in 1897, but that section closed in 1925 when a more extensive and geologically interesting part of the cave was discovered. Ohio Caverns is the largest known cave system in the state and is widely considered to be the most beautiful of all Ohio caves. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F02_009_001
Subjects: Caves--Ohio
Places: West Liberty (Ohio); Logan County (Ohio); Champaign County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "Zanes Cave's - Bellefontaine, O. Logan Co." This photograph shows limestone stalactites. Now called Zane Shawnee Caverns, the cave system is located in Jefferson Township, just east of Bellefontaine, Ohio. The caverns are a show cave, or commercial cave, presently owned by the United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation. These caverns are located near the Ohio Caverns; both cave systems were formed by the same glacial process which deposited moraine upon nearby Campbell Hill. The land adjacent to Zane Shawnee Caverns was used as a thoroughfare for the Shawnee, as it provided a portage between the Great Miami River and the rivers feeding into Lake Erie, particularly the Maumee River. However, the caverns were not known to modernity until they were discovered in 1892, when John Dunlap rescued a boy and a dog from a sinkhole. The caverns were named the Zane Caverns, after the nearby village of Zanesfield. The caverns were operated as a show cave throughout most of the 20th century. In 1996, the Shawnee Nation URB purchased the caverns and surrounding land, and renamed the site as the Zane Shawnee Caverns. The URB continues to operate the caverns as a show cave, and has also founded the Shawnee Woodland Native American Museum on the site. This museum is among the few Native American museums owned and operated by a Native American tribe, and displays exhibits about George Drouillard, a mixed-blood Shawnee guide, chief hunter and interpreter for the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Also on the cavern site is "Southwind Park," a camping and retreat area which hosts URB events. A small permanent settlement has also been erected at the site. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F02_012_001
Subjects: Caverns; Caves--Ohio; Stalactites & stalagmites; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project; Geology
Places: Jefferson Township (Ohio); Logan County (Ohio)
 

Description: Original description reads: "Ohio Caverns West Liberty, O. Logan County." This photograph shows stalactites and stalagmites in the Ohio Caverns, which is located at 2210 East State Route 245, just outside of West Liberty, Ohio, near the border of Logan and Champaign counties. In 1897, a farm boy investigating the disappearance of water into a sinkhole in a nearby field discovered this system of subterranean passageways. Digging down a few feet, he found an opening to a cave that had been formed by an underground river running through the soluble limestone bedrock, perhaps several thousand years earlier. Ground water dripping down from the cavern's ceiling continues to form stalactites, stalagmites, and mineral coatings on the cavern's walls, floor, and ceiling. A portion of Ohio Caverns near the discovery site was opened to the public in 1897, but that section closed in 1925 when a more extensive and geologically interesting part of the cave was discovered. Ohio Caverns is the largest known cave system in the state and is widely considered to be the most beautiful of all Ohio caves. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F02_026_001
Subjects: Caves--Ohio
Places: West Liberty (Ohio); Logan County (Ohio); Champaign County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows crystal stalactite and stalagmite formations covering the top and bottom sides of the Ohio Caverns. Located on 2210 East State Route 245 in West Liberty, Ohio. The caverns were formed thousands of years ago when an underground river cut through ancient limestone and created vast rooms and passageways that later filled with countless crystal formations. A portion of Ohio Caverns near the discovery site was opened to the public in 1897, but that section closed in 1925 when a more extensive and geologically interesting part of the cave was discovered. Ohio Caverns is the largest known cave system in the state and is widely considered to be the most beautiful of all Ohio caves. Reverse reads: "Ohio Caverns: West Liberty O. Logan Co. Dist 6." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F02_027_001
Subjects: Caves--Ohio
Places: West Liberty (Ohio); Logan County (Ohio); Champaign County (Ohio)
 

Description: Ohio Caverns, Champaign County, Ohio, ca. 1940-1949. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00322
Subjects: Caves--Ohio; Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio; Crystals; Tourism; Geology--Ohio
Places: Champaign County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1940-1949, this photograph shows the inside of Canter's Cave, looking up to the forest floor above. Canter's Cave is located in Jackson, Ohio, on the east side of Little Salt Creek. The "cave" is actually two natural rock shelters, Echo Cave and Indian Cave, created by a stream that runs through the area, slowly carving away the rock and lowering the ground level. Remains of mammoth, mastodon, and other prehistoric creatures have been discovered at Canter's Cave, as well as many common woodland animals, some no longer found in Ohio today, such as elk, buffalo, and panthers. Prehistoric American Indian peoples, such as the Hopewell, as well as modern American Indian tribes and early European settlers, inhabited the area. Canter's Cave is now a 4-H camp managed by The Ohio State University Extension Office. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00360
Subjects: Caves; Geology; Parks; Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio
Places: Jackson (Ohio); Jackson County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image shows the inside of the Ohio Caverns near West Liberty, Ohio. The unidentified man is touching a famous crystal known as "Crystal King." The most famous formation in the Ohio Caverns is the Crystal King, one of the biggest and most perfectly formed stalactites ever known. The caverns are the largest in the state, with over two miles of surveyed passageways ranging in depth from thirty feet to the deepest point of one hundred and three feet. The exact age of the caverns is unknown. The Columbus Grey Limestone in which the caverns are carved is some 400 million years old, and the oldest crystal is estimated to be 250,000 years old. The Ohio Caverns serve as a major tourist attraction in Logan County, along with the Zane Caverns and the Lake State Park. On the side of the photo in small print it reads: "Weber Photo." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06493
Subjects: Caves--Ohio; Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio; Crystals; Tourism; Geology--Ohio
Places: West Liberty (Ohio); Logan County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image shows the inside of the Ohio Caverns near West Liberty, Ohio. The focus of the photo is a crystal known as "Crystal King." The most famous formation in the Ohio Caverns, Crystal King is one of the biggest and most perfectly-formed stalactites ever known. The caverns are the largest in the state, with over two miles of surveyed passageways ranging in depth from thirty feet to the deepest point of one hundred and three feet. The exact age of the caverns is unknown. The Columbus Grey Limestone in which the caverns are carved is some 400 million years old, and the oldest crystal is estimated to be 250,000 years old. The Ohio Caverns serve as a major tourist attraction in Logan County, along with the Zane Caverns and the Lake State Park. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06495
Subjects: Caves--Ohio; Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio; Crystals; Tourism; Geology--Ohio
Places: West Liberty (Ohio); Logan County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image shows the inside of the Ohio Caverns near West Liberty, Ohio. The caverns were formed thousands of years ago when an underground river cut through ancient limestone and created rooms and passageways that later filled with a vast quantity of crystal stalactites. The most famous formation in the Ohio Caverns is "Crystal King," one of the biggest stalactites ever known. The caverns are the largest in the state, with over two miles of surveyed passageways ranging in depth from thirty feet to the deepest point of one hundred and three feet. The exact age of the caverns is unknown. The Columbus Grey Limestone in which the caverns are carved is some 400 million years old, and the oldest crystal is estimated to be 250,000 years old. The Ohio Caverns serve as a major tourist attraction in Logan County, along with the Zane Caverns and the Lake State Park. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06496
Subjects: Crystals; Tourism; Caves; Geology--Ohio
Places: West Liberty (Ohio); Logan County (Ohio)