Mammoth Cave - So Interesting Some Never Leave

Mammoth Cave, the longest cave system in the world,thought to be the ghost of a woman who had
consists of 367 miles of passage ways with morevengefully played a trick on the man she loved by
being discovered all the time. The cave system isleading him into the cave, which she was familiar with,
actually many cave systems that connect at someand leaving him there. When the gentleman failed to
point underground. Among the attractions of thesereturn to the surface again her guilt drove her back
cave system are limestones riddled with crinoid,into the cave in search of him. She never found him
blastoid, gastropod, and shark teeth, and otherand continues to this day to search for the man. Many
Mississippian fossils. Satan spar gypsum, calcite,guides and visitors to the cave have claimed to hear
mirabilite, aragonite, nitratine, and other mineral depositsher in her search.
lie within the labyrinth of tunnels. A myriad life formsAnother haunting has been recognizable as famous
roam in and around the caves. The most mysteriousexplorer Floyd Collins who died in Sand Cave in 1925.
of the features of the Mammoth cave systems areHe was exploring the cave to find the linking passage
the ghosts that roam the sinuous passages andto Mammoth cave when he was pinned by a falling
caverns.rock. After weeks of a well publicized attempt to save
Some parts of the caves have been used for burialhim, a further collapse sealed him off. When workers
by cultures that inhabited the area up to 12,000 yearswere able to dig through Collins had already perished.
ago. The bodies of many early explorers have alsoRather than being buried, his body was put on display
been found within the depths of the cave systems.in a glass topped coffin in Crystal Caves from which
Modern history of the cave extends from the latethe body was stolen. He was recovered not far from
1700's to the present. It is a history of dangerousthe caves but was missing a leg. Finally his ordeal was
exploration, mining, war, and tourism. It is also a historyover and he received a normal burial in a local
of strange and haunted events. While some reports ofcemetery. It seems that the explorer was not ready to
strange noises, footsteps, weird lights, and apparitionsleave his beloved cave systems, however. Many
can be explained as natural effects of the darkguides, tourists, and explorers have heard and seen his
corridors and caverns, some defy such explanations.ghosts roaming the corridors and calling out from the
Guides have reported happenings such as seeingdarkness.
figures lingering away from others in tours, sometimesIf you visit Mammoth caves you will find much of
in the dress of era's past. These apparitions vanish,interest to nature lovers of all sorts. If you stop to talk
sometimes right before spectators eyes. Others reportto someone who seems to be hanging back away
feeling others touch or push them when no one is nearfrom the group, however, and they disappear before
enough to have done so. Not all ghosts roaming theyour eyes, don't be too surprised. Hauntings have
caves are unrecognized.become just one more interesting phenomena of the
One haunting that has been reported repeatedly isMammoth Cave systems.