![]() Perhaps the most famous were John Maier and Josiah “Kid” Smith who were eventually shot by the Wells Fargo Messenger, J. The “cowboy days” in the late 1800s spawns stories of train robbers and escaped convicts that used the caves as a hiding place. A collection of photographs by Randy Gruss at the La Posta Quemada Ranch Museum gives the public amazing views of the beauty inside Arkenstone Cave. Arkenstone has been designated a research site and access is limited to only scientific researchers. The other is “Arkenstone”, a “live cave” which continues to grow formations. The first of course is Colossal Cave which visitors tour daily. That same entrance has been enlarged within a modern setting that overlooks the panoramic views of La Posta Quemada Ranch into over 2,000 acres of Colossal Cave Mountain Park. ![]() While searching for stray cows on the vast ranch, he accidentally came upon its narrow opening. Officially, Colossal Cave was discovered by Soloman Lick in 1879. There are even “candlelight tours” where each visitor is given a lighted candle to experience the cave as the Hohokam did over a thousand years ago without electric-powered lights. Visitors can choose from ongoing daily “generic tours” or can arrange more adventurous tours through darkened more narrow passages requiring hardhats and good physical fitness. Although there are an estimated 39 miles of cave tunnels, it took over two years to map just two miles of passageway where tours penetrate six stories deep into the cave. Interestingly, although outside summer temperatures can become quite high in the desert area, the temperature inside Colossal Cave is always a cool 70 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.Ĭolossal Cave has never been fully explored. As arid conditions evolved, Colossal Cave became totally dry, stopping the growth of new formations. The stalactites, stalagmites and majestic columns were created by slow-seeping ground water through the limestone ceilings. Today the cave and ranch are united as Colossal Cave Mountain Park, a historical destination and educational outreach for school children.Ī tour through Colossal Cave is by itself an attention-grabbing experience where natural formations were formed over millions of years. The peaceful Indians farmed the valley below the cave, which about a thousand years later became known as La Posta Quemada Ranch. Old Spanish Trail in Vail.Artifacts confirm that Colossal Cave was used as shelter by the ancient Hohokam Indians from about 900 through 1450 AD. Even without a stash of gold, though, Colossal Cave is a treasure worth seeing.Ĭolossal Cave Mountain Park is located at 16721 E. If they did, he said, it's never been found, and park personnel have extensively explored the cave. Our tour guide addressed one popular legend: that bandits hid a stash of gold somewhere in Colossal Cave. More extensive tours that utilize CCC ladders and rock-climbing techniques also are available. The basic tour, on which we were joined by three others on a rainy Sunday morning, follows a half-mile loop and includes information about the cave's history, geology and legends. CCC crews also built the walkways inside the cavern, where the temperature stays in the low 70s year-round. Many of its rock formations were broken off to be sold as curiosities.īut Colossal Cave is still a spectacular place to visit, starting with the above-ground facilities constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. In contrast, Colossal Cave was used for storage by the Hohokam people about a century ago, and after white men discovered it in the late 1800s, it became a hideout for bandits and a target for treasure hunters. No one had ventured into Kartchner Caverns before its discovery in the 1970s, and its designation as a state park has kept it in pristine condition. The other big difference is the caves' human histories. Colossal Cave no longer has water flowing, although it's not technically a "dead" cave - a bit of monsoon runoff trickled into the cave this summer, the first time that's happened in 12 years, our guide said. For one, water continues to flow into Kartchner Caverns, meaning that cave's rock formations continue to grow. On an hourlong tour past the cave's stalactites, stalagmites and other unique formations, we learned while Colossal Cave is similar to Kartchner Caverns in many ways, there also are important differences between the two caverns. Having visited Kartchner Caverns State Park last year, we decided to check out another well-known cavern in the area: Colossal Cave Mountain Park, located east of Tucson. On the way back from a recent Arizona Highways assignment in Southeastern Arizona, my wife and I were looking for something to do in the Tucson area.
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