Chapter V: Part III: The Big Cave Today

_By JOE N. LONG_

Visitor's Center Building--Completed in 1958]

1

From Above

When the traveler finally decides to include a visit to the Carlsbad Caverns in his itinerary, or perhaps make a trip to the Caverns an end in itself, he procures a map of the Southwestern United States and searches for the little town of Carlsbad. Far down in the southeast corner of the state of New Mexico he will find this colorful little community, resting serenely some 40 miles north of the Texas--New Mexico line, about a hundred and sixty miles east of El Paso, and about a hundred miles northeast of the Mexican border.

Carlsbad is now a thriving little city of approximately 20,000 people, situated on the banks of the Pecos River at an altitude of slightly over 3100 feet. It is often referred to as the potash capital of America, and the growth of the potash mines has had a direct influence on the increase in population, which has been quite rapid in the past few years.

Carlsbad was settled in 1888 and at that time was known as Eddy. In 1906 the Government purchased what remained of a private irrigation system which had been destroyed by a flood of the Pecos River two years before, and developed it into the Carlsbad Reclamation Project. This assured adequate irrigation to the surrounding fertile lands and reduced to a great degree the danger from subsequent floods. As a result, agriculture flourished and has continued to be of prime importance in and near the area. The soil is especially adapted to the growing of alfalfa and cotton.

Air view of the entrance and surrounding area.]

The visitor can reach Carlsbad by air, rail, or automobile. Continental Airlines provides daily airplane service to the Carlsbad Airport, and connections can be made with nearby cities on all of the major airlines flying through this section of the country.

The Santa Fe Railroad operates regularly scheduled trains to Carlsbad from Clovis, connecting with transcontinental trains to Clovis from coast to coast. The Southern Pacific connects at El Paso, as does the Texas & Pacific, and the Rock Island.

But there is little doubt that the great majority of visitors come via the family automobile. From U. S. Highways 60 and 380 to the north the motorist turns south on Highway 285 through Roswell and Artesia to Carlsbad. Here Highways 62 and 180 intersect, going from Carlsbad to Whites City, 20 miles south of Carlsbad, where a turn-off on State Highway 7 takes the traveler seven miles to the Caverns' entrance.

Airplane passengers and those coming by train will take the same motor route from Carlsbad, since it is direct, and the only route from that city. Special busses known as the Carlsbad Caverns Coaches make the trip at frequent intervals, and also operate from El Paso, which is about 145 miles away.

As the Caverns-bound sightseer heads toward his objective from Carlsbad or El Paso, he will find himself in the heart of the desert. There is hardly a tree that is more than head-high. Visitors seeing the desert for the first time will marvel at the yucca and sotol along with other less majestic desert vegetation. The stately yucca points its bloom skyward and is a thing of beauty in the spring. Among its grass-like leaves are often found mockingbirds, thrashers or cactus wrens, who like to build their nests amid the security afforded by the spine-tipped bunching of the limbs and branches. The uppermost point of the sotol sometimes reaches as high as 15 feet in the air, while the yucca, often referred to as the Spanish bayonet, occasionally looms to 25 feet. Indians used its leaves for baskets and its roots for soap, and the sotol served the Indian as food, both cooked and raw, the crisp rich centers tasting much like celery hearts.

Cavern Entrance]

There are several other species of cactus, and to the newcomer these will be a new experience. Besides the Devil's Head and the branching cane, one sees the thousand-headed cliff cactus, the large leaf "prickly pear", various kinds of mescal, and numerous smaller varieties. The octopus-like ocotillo, spreading its fingers outward to the sky, is numerous, picturesque, and unforgettable.

The traveler who is fortunate enough to make the trip during the spring months will be extra rewarded by seeing this desert flora in bloom. Every color of the rainbow will be noticed, but primarily the desert blooms of cacti are for the most part quite pronounced in the lighter, soft colors, especially in the light pinks and yellows. A few give forth edible fruit, and many are known for their ability to hold moisture, often a lifesaver to man and beast.

What trees there are will be found mostly along the banks of, or adjacent to, small streams or rivers which supply them with the water their roots must have. Besides several species of oak are the black walnut, black cherry, New Mexico maple, junipers, Mexican buckeye, the small green ash, an occasional pine struggling for existence, and numerous mesquites. There are also several nut and berry trees which have long been helpful in preserving the wild life that inhabits the area.

Desert wild flowers accentuate the land in spring with their dots of red, yellow and blue. In places they are so thick as to resemble a crazy quilt of many hues and shades.

Although the area gives the impression of a barren wasteland to the inhabitants of less arid regions, there are many forms of wild life which for countless centuries have made the area their home. Although the Red man's arrows and the white man's bullets have reduced the herds of wild game which once roamed the hills and valleys, there are still a sizeable number which may occasionally be seen.

Among these are the gray mule deer, still found in the narrow gulches and on top of rocky ridges, jack rabbits which continue to multiply and dart rapidly hither and thither, being most noticeable at dusk, rock squirrels which dwell primarily in the rocky cliffs, and numerous kinds of rats which seem to have little trouble eking out an existence.

Occasionally an antelope is seen, but the great herds of buffalo are now almost entirely gone, as are the mountain sheep, the Merriam elk, the bear and wild turkey. The latter two were sacred to the Red man and were protected during his inhabitation of the Western United States, but the coming of the white man left no bird nor beast in safety.

Statue--Green Lake Room]

Along the banks of the nearby Pecos River one may see geese and ducks, and occasionally one can find a crane, a heron and perhaps a soft-shelled turtle. Scaled quail are in the vicinity, as are Mearns or fool quail. Buzzards, several varieties of owls, swifts and flickers are a few of the many wild birds which dot the countryside.

On the ground there are several kinds of snakes and lizards. There are several varieties of non-poisonous snakes such as the bull snake, the Mexican black snake, the coachwhip, the ring-neck, and several species of water snakes. Three poisonous snakes are found, the black-tailed or "Texas" rattler, the prairie rattlesnake, and the large western diamond-back.

Lizards are quite numerous and will be seen by any traveler who keeps his eye peeled along the roadside from which they suddenly dart, running swiftly to the other side of the highway. There are several species which consist of the rough, scaly rock lizard, the smooth, slender whip-tail, the brilliantly colored collared lizard, and the bar-tailed lizard. There are several smaller species including the horned lizard, often referred to as a horned toad. Scorpions and spiders are numerous, and there are many other smaller insects that inhabit the area and serve as a source of food for the birds, reptiles, and small animals.

As the journey to the park continues the visitor passes by small adobe shacks which may serve some cowboy or sheepherder as the necessary shelter while tending his herds. Range cattle are numerous and occasionally several goats will be seen. An old prospector or "desert rat" who can't stand the hustle of city life may perchance be found out on the dry, arid wasteland hoping for a find within the hills or neighboring Guadalupe Mountains which by now are quite plainly visible to the west.

Stretches of the land are alkaline, white as though touched by the fingers of Jack Frost, and now and then a dry lake reveals only the sodium given up as the water evaporated and left its soft white lining.

Beyond, the Guadalupes loom up a deep purple on the horizon, darkened by the foliage of pine trees that populate the peaks of this mountain range which reaches a height of almost 9,000 feet. It is the first mountain range to be encountered by the traveler coming from the east after having journeyed across the flat plains of Texas and the other midwestern states.

Along the trail in the King's Palace]

For the visitor who is coming from El Paso, the Guadalupe Range must be crossed, and the pass is located next to Guadalupe Peak, the highway reaching an altitude of 5,288 feet at this point. Guadalupe Peak is the highest mountain in the Guadalupe Range and it is also the highest point in the state of Texas.

It was near this spot that the Butterfield Stage passed on its way from St. Louis to San Francisco. The famous trail passed the southern tip of the Guadalupes near Guadalupe Peak, coming this far south in order to avoid the snow covered Rockies which made winter travel impossible and summer travel difficult. In 1857 the Butterfield Stage brought mail to the little settlements in southern New Mexico, giving the people there a more frequent contact with the rest of the world. The Butterfield Line was discontinued four years later, yet the history of its brief existence lives on in the minds of New Mexico residents today.

The Guadalupe foothills are covered with shrubs and hardy vegetation, growing above the limestone, shale and gypsum below which are harbored numerous caves similar to the Carlsbad Caverns. There is Deep Cave, appropriately named by Carl Livingstone, its discoverer, and Slaughter Cave, also known as New Cave, which is one of the best known. It has been explored and contains many beautiful and unique formations. Some of the cavern sequences in the motion picture "King Solomon's Mines" were filmed in New Cave. Difficult access to its entrance keeps it closed to the public.

McKitterick Cave is located near McKitterick Springs, some 18 miles west of Carlsbad, and holds fond memories for many of Carlsbad's older residents. They recall how, as long ago as 1885, the gay young blades would take their ladies fair on a trip to the cave as a form of amusement, leaving early in the morning and packing a mid-day lunch.

Others, not as famous, are Hidden Cave and Cottonwood Cave--part of more than thirty in the area well enough known to have names, and only a few of more than a hundred smaller caves which perforate the foothills in the area. Many of these are located within the park boundaries.

Under the Guillotine--King's Palace]

At the edge of the boundary, the traveler arrives at the turn-off point to the Caverns' entrance. If the journey is made in winter, zero temperatures can be expected at the coldest times. In summer the desert heat may reach 100 and often does. Winter or summer, the route is open, for the Caverns never close, being open to the public the year 'round. In winter the sandy soil may be buried under a blanket of freshly fallen snow, the air with a light snap and crystal clear 'neath a warm winter sun. In the summer months a bluish desert haze often filters down on the surrounding countryside, but it does not stop even the slightest breeze from whipping up a soft funnel of dust from the dry, parched earth, or sending a tumbleweed rolling along a haphazard path towards an undetermined destination.

But the traveler's destination by this time has almost arrived. Highway No. 7 leads seven miles up Walnut Canyon road through rocky mesas covered with choice examples of desert flora, and well they might be nice, for now, inside the park boundary, park laws protect their safety and no one is allowed to touch them. They live their normal lives secure and aloof from man's sometimes destructive inclinations.

The visitor is now within the more than 45,000 acres that constitute Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The paved highway that leads to the Caverns' entrance is indeed a decided contrast to the wagon wheel trail followed by Dr. Willis Lee and his party of explorers which first covered the route by automobile in 1923. His engine was overheated and steaming after taking two hours to make the trip from Carlsbad.

Now, at last, at the entrance to the famous Caverns, the visitor is excited at the thought of what he is to see, but few anticipate the real treat that is in store for them underground.

Here, at an altitude of 4,350 feet above sea level, is found the natural entrance to the cave. Park regulations are studied in order that no bounds may be overstepped. No living thing may be touched or disturbed, thus assuring protection and perpetuation of plant and animal life within the park. The walls of the Caverns may not be touched, defaced, scratched or marred in any way. Canes or walking sticks may not be carried except upon permission of a park official, who will decide if such cane or stick is necessary for the owner to make the Caverns trip.

No dogs are allowed in the Caverns. They may be kept in the kennels provided for the purpose at a nominal charge. Cameras may be used on the surface, but within the Caverns they may be used only on the special photographic tour, full information concerning which may be obtained from the superintendent's office.

King's Palace]

There are no accommodations for camping or overnight lodging within the park, but motels are available at Carlsbad and smaller communities along the highway in either direction from the Number 7 turn-off.

Tiny children will not appreciate the beauties of the Caverns and their lack of interest will detract from full enjoyment of the trip by their parents and older members of the family. Accordingly, the park service maintains a day nursery where children may stay during the trip of their families below ground. The charge is $1.50 per day, which includes lunch.

Before going below the visitor should make certain his clothing is adequate. The temperature in the Caverns remains at a constant 56 degrees the year around. The winter visitor is usually well equipped with proper clothing, but the summer visitor, dressed for the hot summer temperatures above ground, may become quite chilled after a few moments in the sudden change of some 30 to 40 degrees. Consequently, warm clothing should be worn for the Caverns trip, which should include a medium weight coat or sweater plus heavy skirt or trousers. High heeled shoes are not recommended for the journey, and a change to the low heeled variety is strongly suggested.

The trip through the Caverns requires approximately four hours, and a box lunch may be taken if desired, but the added inconvenience it imposes is hardly worth the trouble since a large lunchroom with a capacity for serving 1,200 people per hour has been established in one of the rooms below and each tour stops 40 minutes for lunch at this spot.

And now, armed with all of the essential information concerning the park, the Caverns, and the regulations concerning the forthcoming visit to Nature's fairyland, the visitor is eager to get on his way.

Park rules prohibit anyone entering alone or without a guide. Trips are conducted every day in the year, beginning hourly in the summertime when the tourist season is at its height, and being less frequent during the winter months.

Children under 11 years of age are admitted free when accompanied by an adult who will be responsible for their behavior. The admission for adults is $1.50, including tax, and with the ticket in his hand the visitor waits for the next tour to begin.

Sheet Stalactites--Queen's Chamber]

As the guide collects the many sightseers together who will form his party, the enthusiasm for the trip within each individual mounts to a high tension. At his beckon the members of the party move toward the natural entrance--ready to begin an experience not quite like anything they have ever seen or known--an experience that will linger in their memories as long as they shall live.

A view of the Caverns is just ahead!

A park ranger briefs the party on the early history of the Caverns, describes its geological aspects, and reviews once again the rules visitors must observe on their trip below. Then, as he flicks a switch, the first section of the black hollow in the earth becomes illuminated. With a swish of his flashlight he directs the members of his party to follow.

The trip through the Caverns has begun!

Elephant Ears--Queen's Chambers]

2

From Below

Of several ways to enter the Caverns, only two are permitted today by the National Park Service. One is through the natural entrance and the other is by elevator which takes the visitor rapidly down 754 feet to a spot adjacent to the lunch room and the famous Big Room. The true adventurer--the visitor who wants to really see the Big Cave from the beginning, much as my father first saw it, will prefer to enter through the natural opening with the regular tour. Visitors not in the best of health will go down by elevator, but they will miss much of the fun and excitement.

As the tour passes into the mouth of the natural opening the warm sunshine soon gives way to the yellow incandescence of the man-made light which illuminates all the passageways and underground chambers. The cool cave air is soon felt, and the warm coat or sweater is already appreciated. The guide points out the important features that should not be missed, and answers questions from members of his party about the cave, its history, formations and development.

Visitors today have a sloping paved trail to follow--far easier than the rock strewn path the early explorers crawled over in their thirst for a view of what lay below. Steep climbs have been eliminated by sharp switchbacks which lengthen the walking time but make the descent much easier.

Draperies--Papoose Room]

As the tour continues, the descent begins to steepen and the walls change in both composition and texture. Solid rock predominates, appearing much darker than around the entrance. An occasional pale color is noticed in the illuminated areas, and a few moments later the first stalactite is seen hanging from the ceiling.

Shortly the tunnel divides and the party will follow the trail as it leads to the left. The guide points out that to the right is the Bat Cave, that portion of the Caverns where the millions of bats live and where the great guano deposits were found. It extends over a half mile back in an easterly direction and is not a part of the tour.

At this point the trail levels somewhat and the visitor finds himself in the Auditorium, a large room where the Ranger pauses for a brief explanation to the group. Members of the party will be surprised at how well the guide's low voice can be heard, a phenomenon due to the excellent acoustics of the room.

All eyes are absorbed in the ever-changing spectacle that is unfolding before them. Next comes a low ceilinged passageway, followed by a clear pool of water from which rises a lone column. The formations along the way are getting larger with each step, the coloration is more vivid, and the variations are great indeed.

Formations at times suggest the ancient cliff dwellings found at Mesa Verde, and one wonders if the early Indian did, by chance, ever inhabit them. Suddenly, as the descent drops rapidly, the ceiling is some 125 feet above and the visitor finds himself at the Whale's Mouth, a formation with slender stalactites enhanced by clever lighting which indeed does resemble the interior of that sea-going mammal's jaws.

As the ceiling rises still more, the party enters the Main Corridor, a tunnel almost a mile long which leads directly to the most picturesque rooms of the Caverns. The descent is for the most part uneventful and rapid, and the guide points out some of the unique formations along the route such as the American Eagle, which has a wingspread of 12 feet, the Baby Hippo, others resembling sea foam and waves, and the three Little Monkeys perched well towards the ceiling overhead.

Along the walls of the Main Corridor one may see small openings which reveal an inky blackness that may cover up some mysterious room or hallway. Someone in the party asks the guide about it. He explains that there are many such openings in other rooms of similar nature, but since they have nothing different to offer from what is already being seen, the Parks Department has not opened them to public view.

Have the Caverns been fully explored, someone asks. No, he replies. To date about 23 miles have been mapped and surveyed, and many openings into large chambers are known to exist, but their size is unknown. Perhaps even larger rooms lie close by. No one knows.

The formations continue to change in size, shape, and contour. Stalactites hanging from the ceiling look as though some little elf might have hung them there the night before, using a spindly stalagmite to stand on as he did so. The visitor has been so absorbed in what he has been seeing that he is startled to hear the guide announce that the party is now 600 feet below the surface. That is further than the Washington Monument is high.

The most picturesque portions are now to begin, he says, but the first of them will require some climbing. For that reason, those not quite up to the task may take a short cut to the lunchroom which is a brief jaunt to the left. The rest will head on past the Iceberg, the largest "loose" rock in the Caverns, which is estimated to weigh about 200,000 tons. It once "fell" from the ceiling, but the fall was gradual. The delicate stalactites grew later. The ceiling at this point is some 358 feet above.

If the visitor thinks he has seen something up to now, he is due for a surprise, for a few moments later the winding pathway leads to the first of the many scenic rooms for which the Carlsbad Caverns have become so famous. Appropriately named the Green Lake Room, this first of several similar chambers is breath-taking in its beauty. Its name is derived from the small green pond seen to the right of the trail, which is fed by drip water from above, a pool so clear its depth is easily seen.

On the ceiling above are huge masses of stalactites, at times so thick as to form curtains of stone, varying from reddish brown to a light grey, intriguing in their staggered form and defying description by even the most talented poet or writer. On beyond the pool the visitor marvels at the Veiled Statue, a pillar of dripstone which resembles a frozen waterfall and which began its existence about 100,000 years ago.

The Painted Grotto--Big Room]

Many visitors have said at this point they have had their money's worth. This one room alone was worth their whole trip. Actually, they aren't yet quite half way, and there is more to come.

Continuing on past the Frozen Waterfall and the Bashful Elephant, both named for the effect they give, the traveler enters the King's Palace which, to some, is the most ornate of the many chambers the entire Park has to offer. Thousands of stalactites hang from the ceiling, at times resembling stringy mosses hanging from the limbs of trees. Some, appearing to hang at a slight angle, give the impression the "stone moss" might be swaying in the wind. Underneath there is a noticeable scarcity of corresponding stalagmites, and geologists think the floor at this point was at one time covered with water, which would prohibit the formation of the "floor icicles."

The eye roams over ever-changing forms with no two quite alike, and the immensity of the room alone is sufficient to remind man what a small mortal he be, after all. At the far end of the Palace are seen two pendants, stalactite and a stalagmite which come within a fraction of an inch of kissing. Now dead, they will never touch; hence the name, the Frustrated Lovers. And, as though they might have been the King and the Queen, they are found at the small passageway that connects the King's Palace with the Queen's Chamber, another room of similar shapes and decoration which do indeed remind the visitor of the ornate finery to be expected in Her Majesty's domicile. The countless rows of stalactites look like driplets of finely woven lace, stretching over much of the ceiling not unlike the frills of a canopy one might expect to find adorning the Queen's bed in her castle.

One unique and different formation is known as the Queen's Draperies, which are found at the southwest side of the room. They are a form of massed stalactites grown together so evenly that they resemble a huge drape from which the wrinkles haven't been ironed out. But the unusual feature is the ability of this stone to absorb light and reflect it moments after the light has been extinguished. These portieres are the highest in the Caverns, being slightly over 40 feet. Throughout the rest of the room one feels as though he must have interrupted Mother Nature while she was busily experimenting and trying to decide what to do next, having left behind her first efforts for the world to see.

The Chapel or Dome Room in the Big Room]

The paved trail continues through a low, rocky passageway at the far end of the Queen's Chamber and presently the party finds itself in the Papoose Room and in one of the lowest spots in the Caverns, approximately 875 feet below the surface. Here the stalactites have grown together in such a way as to resemble huge curtains of stone which appear much like a sheet of lava which has slipped through a crevice and then hardened.

Here, too, are numerous needle-like points protruding down from the ceiling as though sharp pointed pins had been pushed through from above. Areas on the floor remind the visitor of a growing rock garden, yet there is not a green leaf anywhere to be seen. Nevertheless, few gardens offer any more beauty or color than these gentle formations along the edges of the Papoose Room, smallest of the scenic chambers on the trail.

Here the party must retrace a few steps, returning through the King's Palace, leaving this time by the eastern end, entering a small passageway which leads to a series of sharp turns and switchbacks made necessary in order to climb the rather steep grade ahead.

It has now been an hour and 45 minutes since the visitor left the outer world behind, and the up and down climbing has done its part towards working up an appetite. But if that hasn't been enough, going up this zig-zagging hill should complete the task and make anyone ready for something to eat. Appropriately enough, it has been tagged Appetite Hill, and uses 60 feet to accomplish its task.

A moment later the party passes by a room of rocks which looks as though it was noon hour at a rock quarry, and the workmen had scurried off at the abrupt blow of the whistle, not caring in what manner of disarray they left their chores. But in this case it was Nature's workmen who left--untold hundreds of years ago--never to return. Labeled the Bone Yard, it features an alcove where the formation resembles a huge sponge--rock eaten away or dissolved by the continuous action of water which, at times, resembles bone formations.

After having seen the more colorful scenic rooms, many visitors give this spot scarcely more than a fleeting glance, but geologists find here exacting evidence as to the Caverns' beginning. After the Swiss cheese effect was created the water was in some manner diverted and, in the absence of drip water, no stalactites or stalagmites were formed.

Altar in the Chapel--Big Room]

A few steps more and the visitor finds himself in a huge room with a massive rock formation hanging from the ceiling as though it might fall to the floor at some prearranged signal. Huge boulders dot the sides of the room, between which are many narrow white benches and tables. In the center of the room are long aisles which carry the visitor past waist-high counters on which have been placed hundreds of box lunches. Yes, this is the famous lunchroom, 754 feet below the surface of the earth, and just about the most popular room for those who have been hiking for the past couple of hours.

The guide announces there will be a rest of 40 minutes--ample time to eat a noon-day meal and rest a couple of tired feet. It seems that no matter how many people enter the lunchroom, the line past the counters never stops or is held up. Designed to accommodate 1200 an hour, as many as 2000 hungry sightseers have been clocked picking up their lunch and beverage in that time. The lunchroom is operated by the Cavern Supply Company under the supervision of the National Park Service.

Visitors who took the easy way into the Caverns, via the elevator, arrive at the lunchroom as their first stop. From this point they continue their limited tour of the Caverns pretty much on one level.

With so many people in this one huge room a long way from the outside atmosphere, someone asks the guide if the air doesn't become stale and musty. No, he replies, the air changes naturally every 24 hours. How much longer does our tour last, another wants to know. This is the halfway point, says the guide, and we have about two hours more.

Here many a traveler pauses a moment to absorb what he has seen--the beauty, the magnificence, the grace and charm. Mother Nature does her work so well--so thoroughly. But the guide said there is more. How can there be more--how can anything match what has already been seen? Man is indeed a humble creature, the tiniest detail in the great heavenly scheme. Great though man's work may be, God's work is ever greater.

The rest period is over. It is time to go on. In a moment the party is once again assembled in the main passageway section which connects the many rooms, and turns to the left past "hanging mosses" and honeycombed fissures into the famous Big Room, largest underground chamber known anywhere, and unsurpassed in length, width and height, variety and size of formations, number of colors to be seen, and value to geologists due to the many finds that have been made.

Temple of the Sun--Big Room]

Here the remainder of the 4-hour tour will be spent. The trail around the perimeter of the room is one and a quarter miles and, although many sections and alcoves are actually under one huge roof, the visitor usually feels he is in a series of separate chambers. One reason is that the big room is shaped roughly in the form of a cross, the length of the "staff" measuring some 2,000 feet while the "cross-arm" is slightly over half that length. 2,000 feet is almost 4/10 of a mile!

Two hours is not enough to see everything the big room has to offer. Many small formations are not seen but must be discovered. Every visitor sees something new--something no one else within the party has noticed, for the formations are countless and the resemblances they offer are equally as numerous.

The elaborate indirect lighting system has been designed to reveal the largest, most beautiful and ornate of the spectacles to be seen, but a flashlight aimed in a dark corner is likely to reveal formations resembling a Mermaid, Frog on a Toadstool, Queen's Necklace, Weeping Willow Trees, the Petrified Forest, and countless others, limited only by man's imagination and his ability to seek them out.

But the larger formations which have contributed to the fame of the Big Room include Giant Dome, Hall of Giants, Rock of Ages, and the Temple of the Sun.

No two people see quite the same thing when they enter the Big Room. It is so huge and there is so much to greet the eye that at first everything is taken in but no one thing is seen. Then the eye begins to settle on one formation at a time. One of the first is the Hall of Giants, so named for the size of its principal formations; the huge Giant Dome, a massive, light grey stalagmite flecked with tinges of orange, stretching upward some 62 feet above the ground, making it the largest upward growth in the Caverns, and behind it the Twin Domes, similar in structure and formation, though not as high and therefore not as old.

As the party continues one listens to the whispered observations of the members. Looks like the inside of a great Cathedral, says one. Oh, no, answers his companion, too eerie and spooky for that!

The beauty continues to defy all description. The color in the Big Room, too, is appealing to the eye, no doubt enhanced by the deft use of colored lighting. No, says the guide. Only plain light bulbs are used in the thousands of feet of wire strung throughout the Caverns. Any color you see was put there by Mother Nature herself.

Temple of the Sun--Big Room]

Creeping along the north side of the Big Room the party passes by Fairyland, a group of fantastically shaped stalagmites recalling the fairies from childhood tales as they go about their sprightly tasks.

Next to be seen is the Temple of the Sun, named for the many colors found shimmering on its sides and base. It is a huge stalagmite from which hang many stone icicles from a dozen or more layers, the curtains of icicles pink in color mounted upon a stone base of blue.

Thousands of inverted spires rain down from above, and on the ground the crinkly rock formations resemble pop-corn in color and appearance although not hardly in flavor! This same pop-corn formation is seen in other parts of the Caverns and geologists say this condition resulted after stalagmites had grown to a considerable height, following which the cave was flooded for thousands of years with water, the excess lime from which accumulated in the tiny globules which give the bubbly appearance.

Further on is the Totem Pole, a tall, slender stalagmite whose parent stalactite never had time to form due to the rapid rate of the dripping water. Standing pretty much alone, it sticks out like a large suhuaro cactus stalk against a cloudless sky. The outside "skin" is about as rough, but the spines are missing. To others it resembles a group of men's hats thrown carelessly into a pile, one on top of the next. What it lacks in color, it makes up for in its unique appearance.

The floor of the Big Room is a reddish brown color, and at this point the visitor sees numerous rounded mounds of stones, looking much as though a stalagmite might have gotten a good start only to be engulfed in water and be polished down to this semi-globular formation. That is probably just what happened, leaving these half-buried basketballs to remain in exactly that fashion for eternity.

A sudden right turn brings the party to the famous Jumping Off Place, which in reality is one of the entrances to the Lower Cave. The trail passes midway between floor and ceiling, approximately 150 feet in each perpendicular direction. Here the floor of the Lower Cave approximates 900 feet below the surface.

An easier entrance provides access to the cave which may be entered by those who care to do so, although it is not a part of the regular tour. Lower Cave shares honors with the Papoose Room as being the two lowest points on the underground tour. Also, they are the furthest west. Here, with the limit reached, the pathway begins its return trip.

Giant Column and Twin Domes--Big Room]

On once more, lily pads, huge boulders, and clusters of flowstone along the walls greet the visitor as he heads for Mirror Lake, a small, crystal-clear pool that is well named. On beyond is the Bottomless Pit, a dark hole with mysterious implications that received its name from the first explorers who thought the title would intrigue all who saw it. From the trail the light of a spotlight has trouble in penetrating the depths of the pit, adding to its ghostliness. Actually, the pit has a bottom some 140 feet below the rim where the visitors pass, but unlike many other attractions of the Caverns which were named by those who first saw them, the name of the Bottomless Pit has remained unchanged. Other of the Caverns' features have been renamed two or three times within the past few decades.

As the column of silent visitors marches silently along the return trail the Big Room takes on a new look. Indeed it does not appear to be the same room where the party entered slightly over an hour ago. All sense of time and direction are lost in the myriad of decoration, light and shadow, gigantic, often grotesque formations, and the serenity of this underground heaven.

Passing quietly ahead the traveler pauses at the largest "living" stalagmite within the known part of the Caverns, the Crystal Spring Dome. Generally dry, this part of the Big Cave is moist, and water, dripping slowly from the ceiling above, is still depositing its minute quantities of calcium on the mighty Crystal Spring Dome as it has been doing for countless centuries.

The Crystal Spring is perhaps 20 feet high and resembles a bushy Christmas tree laden with snow, its branches drooping under the massive white blanket. The dripping water is depositing its lime at the rate of about 2½ cubic inches a year, although this rate varies depending upon the amount of moisture descending from the ceiling above, and also upon the amount of lime contained in the water.

This constant application of moisture keeps the white, plump stalagmite glistening all the time, and the excess moisture, unable to evaporate, forms into a small pool at the base of the dome, known as Crystal Spring.

Rock of Ages--Big Room]

In an adjoining area is the celebrated Rock of Ages, a gigantic stalagmite, stately in position and dramatic in location, thought to be one of the oldest forms in the Caverns, although its exact age is not known. For years it marked the end of the Caverns Tour, and an impressive ceremony conducted by the guides consisted of a short talk followed by the singing of the old favorite, "Rock of Ages." No visitor could ever forget this inspirational ending to a breath-taking tour of God's underground handiwork. The Rock of Ages became almost a symbol of the Caverns tour in the minds of those who had taken it. But, as the crowds of visitors increased, the park officers found they could not continue this service.

Its discontinuance brought protests from former Caverns visitors who had remembered this final closing gesture as the high point of the tour. Rippled layers give the Rock of Ages a shape all its own, and it marks the end of the journey through the mighty Carlsbad Caverns of today.

It is now nearly four hours since the traveler entered the big natural opening to the cave some 700 feet above him. His sweater feels good, though he isn't as cold as he had first supposed he might be, for the constant walking during the 2¾ miles which the full trip requires has kept him relatively warm.

Before saying good-bye to the Caverns he likes to pause a moment at the entrance to the Big Room and look back, for one last glimpse of this largest known room in the world, man-made or otherwise. Above him some 285 feet is the bedecked ceiling, the highest point in the Caverns, and suspended by the longest unsupported arch known in the world!

The human mind can't quite believe it, yet there it is. And as the visitor slowly turns to thoughts of the return trip he revolves in his mind the beauties he has seen.

He will find the elevator takes him quickly and safely 750 feet upward to the surface where the warm sunlight appears exceedingly bright to human eyes, which, in the intervening hours, have become accustomed to the gentle illumination found in the Caverns' otherwise inky blackness.

Within his own mind the visitor knows he will never forget the indescribable sights he has seen, but how can he tell others of the size, the intricate design, the scope and beauty that he has witnessed? Pictures help, and these may be purchased at the souvenir stand near the entrance. Views of all the better known formations in color are obtainable, as well as booklets telling about the history of the mammoth Caverns and how they were formed millions of years ago.

Man enters the great underground fairyland a bit apprehensive and sometimes skeptical as to what he will see, finding it hard to believe all he has heard of the Great Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico. But some four hours later, as he once again greets the light of day, he recollects how Man has been responsible for some pretty remarkable shows, it is true, but now he is convinced that Mother Nature herself puts on the biggest, the most colorful, and the most spectacular show of all!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

National Parks Folder on Carlsbad Caverns
New Mexico, The American Guide Series
Animal Life of the Carlsbad Cavern, by Vernon Bailey
National Geographic Magazine, January, 1924; September, 1925;
October, 1953
Science American, October, 1900; December, 1923
Science, December, 1923; November, 1924
Sunset, May, 1924
Mentor, August, 1925
Literary Digest, November, 1924
The New York Times, October, 1923
Natural History Magazine, December, 1947
Bulletins of the U. S. Geological Survey

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Transcriber Note

Some text was moved to avoid paragraphs being split by illustrations. Transcriptions of the text for images of printed documents are provided to assist the reader. As a handwritten and typeset version of Amended Notice of "Big Cave" Mining Claim were presented and labelled the same, "(Handwritten)" was added to the caption of the first image to distinguish them. Several transcribed copies contain typos as given in the original.