History and Site Features
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 it was 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 have also founded the Shawnee Woodland Native American Museum, a 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 caverns site is "Southwind Park", a camping and retreat area which hosts URB events. A small permanent settlement has also been erected at the site.
Read more about this topic: Zane Shawnee Caverns
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