MAR daily 9-17.
APR daily 9-18.
MAY to JUN daily 9-19.
JUL to LD daily 8:30-19:30.
LD to SEP daily 9-18.
OCT daily 9-17.
NOV to DEC daily 9-16.
Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. [2006]
Groups (15+):
[2006]
Karst cave,
cave system
| Location: | Meramec State Park. 30 minutes south of St. Louis. Take I-44 West exit 233 Stanton, then south. |
| Open: |
JAN to FEB daily 9-16. MAR daily 9-17. APR daily 9-18. MAY to JUN daily 9-19. JUL to LD daily 8:30-19:30. LD to SEP daily 9-18. OCT daily 9-17. NOV to DEC daily 9-16. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. [2006] |
| Fee: |
Adults USD 15, Children (5-11) USD 8, Children (0-4) free. Groups (15+): [2006] |
| Classification: |
Karst cave,
cave system
|
| Light: | electric |
| Dimension: | L=7,321m, VR=9m, T=14°C. |
| Guided tours: | D=80min., L=2,400m, wheelchair accessible, V=150,000/a [2005]. |
| Bibliography: | |
| Address: |
Meramec Caverns, PO Box 948, Stanton, MO 63079, Tel. +1-573-468-3166.
E-mail: |
| Last update: | $Date: 2008/07/01 20:32:37 $ |
| local tribes if Indians used the cave as shelter. | ||
| 1722 | discovered by Jacques Renault, a French miner, who mined for saltpeter for the manufacture of gunpowder. | |
| 1862-1864 | during the Civil War gun powder manufacturing was at it height at the cave. The Union forces set up power kilns and leaching vats as well as an underground railway station. | |
| 1864 | the Quantrill Irregulars, under the command of General Price, of the Confederate Army captured the gun powder mill and plant. | |
| 1870s | used by Jesse James as hideout. | |
| 1893 | used by local people when a dance floor and receational facilities were built in a large chamber near the entrance. | |
| 1933 | Lester B. Dill discovered the seven upper levels of the Caverns. | |
| 1935 | opened to the public by Lester B. Dill. |
Meramec Caverns is famous for an infamous inhabitant, Jesse James. He and his band used the cavern in the early 1870s as a hideout for men and horses. They are thought to have hidden in this cave for three days after the Gad's Hill train robbery. A funny episode happened in the 1950s, when an 102 years old man visited the cave, who claimed to be Jesse James.
The most famous formation in the cave, the Stage Curtain, is located in the chamber called Theater. It is a so-called drapery or frozen waterfall, measuring 21m high, 18m wide and 11m thick and estimated to be 70 million years old. It is said to be the largest single cave formation in the world, which is obviously not true. Onyx Mountain is another huge formation, a group of stalagmites which is almost 10m high and has a circumference of 150m.
A huge chamber of the cave called Ballroom is used for public and private events since the end of the 19th century. It is huge enough for 2,000 chairs and a stage. Every year several public events like the World's only underground bodybuilding contest Caveman take place. For the rest of the year, the ballroom is available for rent for private or public events.
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