There’s not any written evidence that either Europeans or Native Americans ever visited what is now named Jewel Cave, but it’s surmised that Indigenous peoples must have known about the then-small entrance to this cave. It wasn’t until 1900, when brothers Frank and Albert Michaud, prospecting for gold, discovered the cave’s small entrance. Using dynamite and hand tools to enlarge the opening, the Michaud brothers and friend Charles Bush finally entered the cave to see for themselves the wondrous, sparkling calcite known as spar, the “jewels” which gave the cave its name.
A 1936 postcard of a ranger and visitors at Jewel Cave's historic entrance, Jewel Cave National Monument / NPS file
Though they knew calcite crystals were not going to bring in much of an income, the Michauds filed a “Jewel Tunnel” mining claim in 1900 to give them greater control to the cave’s access. They did mine some of the crystals, selling the bulk of them to a priest, but it’s believed the brothers intended to create a tourist attraction along the same vein as the cave and area later established in 1903 as Wind Cave National Park. Now that might be a moneymaker.
According to park staff:
During the following decade, they constructed a trail within the cave, built a lodge up on the rim of Hell Canyon, and even organized the "Jewel Cave Dancing Club" in 1902 to attract tourists. However, a lack of people in this region and the difficulty of travel at that time made the tourist venture anything but a financial success. Frank Michaud bought out Charles Bush's share of the cave in 1905 for $300. For a while, Frank continued to work at the cave, exploring and keeping up the annual assessment work.
Due to the lack of success of Jewel Cave as a tourist attraction, the Michauds started to support themselves with other employment and even sold part of their claim to Bertha Cain. In a joint effort to increase visitation, the Michauds and Cain proposed a petition in 1906 to create the “Jewel Cave Game Reserve.” They hoped that a federally administered preserve would attract more visitors. U.S. Forest Service employees came out to investigate and survey the proposed game reserve. Unfortunately, because there is not much wildlife here, they denied the proposition. However, they suggested that it be designated as a National Monument because it contained “objects of scientific interest.” Jewel Cave was proclaimed a National Monument in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt. It was the first cave to ever be named a National Monument.A local movement to set Jewel Cave aside for preservation culminated in the proclamation of the cave as a National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt on February 7, 1908. This was possible due to the Antiquities Act which passed in 1906. The Antiquities Act gives a president the power to provide legal protection on federal lands for cultural and natural resources of historic or scientific interest.
In 1928, a group of businessmen from Custer, SD, and Newcastle, WY, formed the Jewel Cave Cooperation (JCC). The JCC raised money and paid the Michaud family $750 in 1928 to give their mining claim back to the government. The JCC then continued to operate cave tours and manage Jewel Cave. When created, the monument was initially under the administration of the U.S. Forest Service until an executive order transferred the management of several National Monuments to the National Park Service in 1933. The JCC continued to work jointly with the NPS until 1939 when the JCC dissolved and Wind Cave National Park rangers began leading the cave tours in the summer.
There’s some history above ground as well as below ground, according to park staff, and this includes the Civilian Conservation Corps.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a group of men hired by the U.S. government during Great Depression to provide people with jobs and a way of supporting their families, helped build much of the original infrastructure of the Monument. In 1935 members of the CCC were sent from the base camp at Wind Cave National Park to Jewel Cave National Monument. There was a camp set up at Jewel Cave from 1935 to 1939. Twenty-five men, with a budget of $1,500, accomplished several projects for the Park Service during the four years they were stationed here. A three-room cabin and comfort stations were built. Sewage and water connections were completed for the cabin and public campground. The cave entrance was altered to provide easier access, and a surface trail of approximately 800 feet was constructed, along with a new stone stairway. The Michaud’s original log building was removed at this time. By the end of 1941, the CCC had employed over 26,500 men throughout South Dakota and paid out in wages over $6,200,000.
In 1939, park rangers were stationed at the monument and began conducting cave tours and providing visitor services. The cabin was used as the Visitor Center as well as a residence for rangers. It became home to the monument’s first permanent ranger, Elwood Wolf and his wife Shirley in 1941. Except for a brief period of closure during World War II, NPS rangers staffed the cabin and cave tour operation. Then, in the late 1950s, significant discoveries were made within the cave, which lead to the development of a new visitor center and cave tour route. The cabin was continuously updated to accommodate increased visitation until the current Visitor Center, Scenic Tour, and Discovery Tour opened in 1972. After the new Visitor Center was built, the original cabin built in 1935 by the CCC was no longer needed and was restored in 2000 to how it looked in 1935.
The historic cabin which served as the first visitor center as well as ranger housing at Jewel Cave National Monument / NPS file
Exploring The Cave
Cavers Herb and Jan Conn at the historic entrance, Jewel Cave National Monument / NPS file
At 220 miles (354 km), Jewel Cave is one of the longest caves in the world (according to Wikipedia, it’s the 5th longest cave, and Mammoth Cave of Mammoth Cave National Park is the longest cave). It took some exploring to add those miles together. Up until 1959, only 2 miles (3.2 km) of Jewel Cave had been explored. Enter adventurers and rock climbers Herb and Jan Conn. Their interest in the cave was sparked by geologist friend Dwight Deal, and from 1959 to 1981, these two cavers subsequently explored and mapped over 65 miles (104.6) of the cave.
That’s still a long way from the 220 mapped miles (354 km) of today, though. Volunteers and park staff continue exploring the lengths of Jewel Cave, often spending 4 days and 4 nights exploring and mapping undiscovered regions of the cave.
A caver near the Crushing Deep, Jewel Cave National Monument / NPS - Dan Austin
Because of the proximity of Jewel Cave to Wind Cave (approximately 30 miles / 48.3 km), there is the question of whether these two caves are connected. The answer is that scientists just do not know, at this point in time. There is certainly enough volume for connection based upon barometric wind studies which include both the discovered and undiscovered parts of both caves, but they could just be two caves very close to connecting, but which are not. Further exploration is needed to determine the truth.
If you would like to read more about both Wind Cave and Jewel Cave, the Traveler published an article about visiting both of them back in 2018.
