Marengo Cave
Marengo Cave is 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.
Early History
Marengo Cave was discovered on September 6th, 1883 by Orris and Blanche Heistand, brother and sister. Orris was 11 years old, his older sister Blance was 15. Blanche worked as a cook at the local Marengo Academy and had hear some of the boys there discussion a sinkhole they had found in the woods nearby. They suspected it might lead to a cave and were talking of returning with lanterns later.
Blanche decided to beat the boys to it. She ran home from school that day, enlisted her brother Orris, took two candles and set off into the woods. Lighting the candles the children crawl down a narrow crawlway perhaps 25 to 30 feet long and were the first to set humans known of to set foot in Marengo Cave. Awed by what they has seen but quickly becoming afraid of the darkness they retreated back to the surface.
Three days later they notified the land owner, Samuel Stewart, who's land they had been trespassing on when they discoveredy the cave. The kids thought they have have found gold because of the sparkling flowstone formations their candles revealed briefly while they were inside the cave. Believing the cave to possibly contain gold to quickly organized some men from town and explored the cavern. Guided tours started soon aftwards for one quarter per person.
Recent News
2002
A small crawlway known as "Blowing Bat Crawl" was finally broken thru on July 14, 2002 leading to the discovery of the stream level of Marengo Cave. Several miles were added to the cave's length with this discovery. This section was later opened to the public on special cave exploring tours for those willing to squeeze thru the tiny Blowing Bat Crawl to enter the lower level of the cave.