Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Wind Cave National Park is the big brother to Jewel Cave National Monument. Wind Cave National Park protects one of the world’s longest and most complex caves and 28,295 acres of mixed-grass prairie, ponderosa pine forest and associated wildlife are the main features of the park. The cave is well known for its outstanding display of boxwork, an unusual cave formation composed of thin calcite fins resembling honeycombs. The park’s mixed grass prairie is one of the few remaining and is home to native wildlife such as bison, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes and prairie dogs.
Wind Cave National Park was established January 9, 1903. It is the seventh national park in the world and the first to protect a cave. Wind Cave has over 104 miles of explored passageways. It is one of the longest, most complex caves in the world. Amazingly, judging from airflow at the entrance and estimated 95% of the cave still awaits discovery. Its unseen depths provide opportunities for cave explorers to experience a true frontier, a place where people have never before ventured.
History & Culture
American Indians of the area have many stories about holes in the Black Hills that blow wind, but the first recorded discovery of Wind Cave was in 1881. Jesse and Tom Bingham were attracted to the cave by a whistling noise. As the story goes, wind was blowing out of the cave entrance with such force that it blew off Tom’s hat. A few days later when Jesse returned to show this phenomena to some friends, he was surprised to find the wind had switched directions and his hat was sucked into the cave. Today, we understand that the direction of the wind is related to the difference in atmospheric pressure between the cave and the surface. The first person reported to have entered the cave was Charlie Crary in the fall of 1881. He claimed to have left twine to mark his trail, others entering the cave later found his twine. These early explorers were the first to see a rare cave formation called boxwork. Several mining claims were established at Wind Cave, but the most noteworthy one was by the South Dakota Mining Company in 1890. J. D. McDonald was hired to manage the claim. The mining was unsuccessful, but McDonald and his family realized they could make money by giving cave tours and selling formations from the cave. They filed a homestead claim over the opening and worked on improving a manmade entrance and enlarging passageways for tours.
One of J. D.’s sons, Alvin, spent much of his time exploring and mapping the cave, faithfully keeping a diary and making a map of his findings. On January 23, 1891, Alvin wrote that he had “given up finding the end of Wind Cave”. In the summer of 1891, business was improving and more modifications to the cave were needed. A man known as “Honest John” Stabler formed a partnership with the McDonalds. The two families created the Wonderful Wind Cave Improvement Company. Cave passages were widened and wooden staircases were installed. A hotel was built near the cave entrance and a stage coach provided rides to the cave.
The McDonalds accused the Stablers of keeping profits for themselves and demanded additional money. Meanwhile Peter Folsom had gained control of the mining claim on the cave. Folsom and the Stablers joined forces against the McDonalds in court with both sides trying to prove that the other party had no claim to the cave. In December 1899, the Department of the Interior decided that since no mining nor proper homesteading had taken place, neither party had any legal claim to the cave. In 1901, the land around the cave was withdrawn from homesteading.
On January 3, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the bill creating Wind Cave National Park. It was the seventh national park and the first one created to protect a cave. The parklands at that time were small and there were no bison, elk, or pronghorn. They came later as the park boundaries expanded.
In 1912, the American Bison Society was looking for a place to reestablish a bison herd. Because of the excellent prairie habitat around the park, a national game preserve was established bordering Wind Cave. It was managed by the U. S. Biological Survey. In 1913 and 1914, the animals began to arrive. Fourteen bison came from the New York Zoological Society, twenty-one elk arrived from Wyoming and thirteen pronghorn came from Alberta, Canada.
Interest in the wildlife attracted more visitors to the park and additional improvements were necessary. Some happened in the 1920’s but the major work was accomplished by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930’s. The CCC camp was located in the park and operated from July 16, 1934 to October 3, 1939. Some of the projects they worked on can be seen today. These include roads, the entrance to the cave, concrete stairs in the cave, the elevator building and shaft and other structures.
In July of 1935, the game preserve became part of Wind Cave National Park. During the early years of the preserve, the animals were kept in small enclosures. Eventually, it was realized that they needed more space. The bison and elk needed additional forage and the pronghorn needed room to escape from predators. With the help of the CCC, fences within the park were removed. And in 1946, 16,341 additional acres were added, enlarging the park to 28,059 acres.
During the 1950’s and 60’s, park wildlife was the focus of much attention. Because of the lack of large predators, like wolves and grizzly bears, the bison and elk herds had grown to the point that they were literally “eating themselves out of house and home.” Park rangers began to evaluate the carrying capacity of the park. Carrying capacity is the number of animals that can exist in a habitat without damaging it. To solve the problem of overgrazing, the bison and elk herd sizes were reduced. Park rangers began an active program to manage the herd size. They began rounding up the animals and shipping the excess live from the park to other parks and reserves. Rangers also worked to improve the grassland by reseeding overgrazed areas with native grasses and controlling exotic plant species.
In the 1970’s and 80’s, managers continued to focus on caring for the wildlife and rangeland by building an understanding of how the natural systems should function. The reintroduction of fire as a natural means to improve the range and to limit the expansion of the forest onto the prairie was researched. An active fire program was started, with the first prescribed fire occurring in 1972.
While investigating the naturally operating systems, park managers realized that the cave is not an isolated environment. What happens on the land can and often does influence the cave. Understanding where cave passages are located in relation to the land above helps us avoid damaging the cave. For example, if the land is altered, it might change the way water travels through the cave and change cave formations. Exploration is important and is a continuous project with several miles of new cave being surveyed each year.
The mission of Wind Cave National Park is to preserve and protect the natural resources. Wind Cave National Park is 28,295 acres. Because of its relatively small size and because there are missing parts, park managers must take an active role in helping the ecosystems function as they might have in the past. This requires understanding how everything in the park relates and how the naturally operating system would have functioned. Park rangers work with researchers to replicate that natural system using prescribed fires, bison and elk round-ups and biological control of exotic plant species.
Recreation
Wind Cave National Park is an extremely diverse park and arguably the best National Park in South Dakota. Not only are there a number of cave tours available under the ground, there is over 28,000 acres of Dakota Black Hills to explore above! Hiking, camping and a number of ranger lead activities abound. Imagine walking across a prairie and viewing scenery similar to that seen by Black Hills pioneers in the 1890’s. Such landscapes can be seen from the 30 miles of hiking trails in Wind Cave National Park. From these trails you can view one of the best examples of mixed-grass prairie in the United States. Seventy-five percent of the park is mixed-grass prairie and the balance is ponderosa pine forest and riparian habitat.
Backcountry camping offers an opportunity to learn firsthand about the plants and the animals of the prairie and forest. the backcountry camping area is located in the northwest part of the park. All Backcountry campers must obtain a free Backcountry Use Permit at the visitor center or at Centennial Trail access points. Information gained from backcountry permits help park rangers protect the resources while allowing for use of the backcounty of Wind Cave National Park.#
Traveler Facts
Contact Information
Wind Cave National Park
RR 1 Box 190
Hot Springs, SD 57747-9430
Phone: 605-745-4600
Fax: 605-745-4207
Operating Hours & Seasons
Wind Cave National Park is open year-round. The Visitor Center is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Days.
Weather/Climate
Spring and fall weather are the most variable with cool, damp days alternating with dry, warm ones. Summers are generally sunny, hot and dry. Winters are generally mild with little snow, but occasional sub-zero temperatures can be expected. Dress appropriately for the season. Persons touring the cave should wear low-heeled walking shoes with nonskid soles and a lightweight jacket or sweater. The cave is 53 F all year.
During spring, occasional high winds can make for surprising chilly weather. Consistent spring-like weather generally occurs in late April, but some snow is possible. May usually brings the most precipitation. Severe thunderstorms are common in June and July and occasional in August. During autumn, days are warm and nights comfortably cool. Snow is common in late fall. Snowfall averages 30 inches annually. January is usually the coldest month, but March often brings the most snow.
