Carlsbad Caverns National Park holds a history that dates back to the prehistoric era, and is one of 300 limestone caves in the southeastern corner of New Mexico, not far from the Texas border. Now, while this doesn’t necessarily mean dinosaurs walked the caverns, the permian reef certainly was home to interesting creatures. These caves were created within a fossil reef laid down by an inland sea that existed about 250 to 280 million years ago.
1925 view of the wooden stairs looking up toward the outside of the natural entrance, Carlsbad Caverns National Park / NPS - Ray V. Davis (possibly)
The caverns contain unique examples of marine fossils dating back to the Permian Period (299 - 251 million years ago) found within the limestone formation, including sponges, moss animals, rare horn coral, nautiloids, and snails.
In the 1400s, native cultures began exploring what is now Carlsbad’s sister park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park. A century later, Spanish explorers ventured into parts of Carlsbad Caverns, and Spain claimed the Southwest until 1821, when Mexico revolted and declared independence. At the same time, Mexico fought the United States’ westward expansion, but ultimately lost, giving way to the New Mexico Territory in 1850.
Cultural conflict arose between the native peoples originally residing within the area, and the United States government. What is now Carlsbad was established in 1888, 24 years before New Mexico officially became a state.
Ray V. Davis photographed parts of the caverns in 1915, sparking public interest after the New York Times published some of Davis' work in 1923 and leading to the surveying and mapping of the caverns several months later. On October 25, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge signed the legislation establishing Carlsbad Cave National Monument
The caves were explored extensively by Dr. Willis T. Lee and Jim White in 1924, and by 1925 a staircase was installed from the natural entrance to the Bat Cave, eliminating the use of a guano bucket to enter the caverns and thus marking the beginning the "Road to Hell," as the natural entrance was called.
As progress was continuously made to explore the caverns, dirt paths were created for the Main Corridor, Kings Palace, Queens Chamber, and parts of the Big Room and an electric lighting system was implemented for the Main Corridor and Kings Palace in 1926.
As renovations continued over the years, Congress redesignated the caverns at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in May 1930. By January of 1932, the park’s 750-foot (229 m) elevator was operating after a year of construction. Two more elevators were added in the mid-1950s.
In December 1955, the caverns were declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
