Wyandotte Caves - History of Human Use

History of Human Use

Wyandotte Cave was used by Native Americans for nearly 4000 years before Europeans arrived in the area; using carbon dating, evidence of activity and artifacts found in the cave have been dated to 8000 BCE. The Native Americans used torches made of hickory bark and grape vines to light their way into the cave where they mined for chert, which they used to make stone tools. The remains of their mining explorations can be seen on tours to this day.

The discovery of Wyandotte Cave by European settlers is believed to have occurred around 1798. Shortly thereafter Wyandotte Cave became known as an excellent source of saltpeter, an integral component of gunpowder, and of Epsom salts, which have medical uses. Saltpeter mining in the cave reached a peak under a man by the name of Dr. Benjamin Adams during the War of 1812. Modern tours feature Dr. Adams' vats and hoppers, and point out where magnesium sulfate (the chemical name of Epsom salt) is visible as a glittery substance lining the cave walls. The cave was also used to store supplies for the army of William Henry Harrison.

Wyandotte Cave was named by Governor David Wallace after the river which was then known as the Wyandotte, but which is currently known as the Blue River. Before receiving its current name it was variously called the Mammoth Cave of Indiana, the Epsom Salts Cave, and the Indiana Saltpetre Cave.

The land beneath which the caves are located was bought by Henry Peter Rothrock in 1819. The Rothrocks seemed to have had little to do with the cave until 1850, when they offered the first commercial tours of the cave after the discovery of a large new section of cavern. This date of 1850 makes Wyandotte cave the fourth oldest commercial cave in the United States. Siberts Cave was discovered in 1851 and named after the person who discovered it. The caves were sold to the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry in 1966, along with 1,174 acres (4.75 km2) of woodland. The DNR spun the caves and associated tours off to a private company, Wyandotte Caves LLC, in 2002.