The Wonders of the Lost River Cave and Valley

As promised, here are some of the interesting things I learned…

Geologic Wonders of the Cave and Valley

*Lost River rises 350 ft. from the cave entrance through Blue Hole and then disappears into the cave where it travels 3 miles underground beneath the city of Bowling Green, KY.

*The Blue Hole was thought to be bottomless for over 100 years and was later measured to be 437 ft. deep after a Railroad Engineer tossed a weighted measuring line into the hole. Robert Ripley visited this area to declare that Lost River, at 437 ft. deep and only 350 ft. long (before disappearing underground into the cave), was the “shortest and deepest river in the world.”…Believe it or not! ...Well,…possibly not…A theory exists that Lost River rises and descends through sink holes in the valley. A strong descending under-current could drag a measuring line horizontally which would lead one to believe the depth is much greater than actually is. I guess it would be like another river flowing beneath Lost River with Blue Hole being both the spring feeding the Lost River and an opening to the flowing subterranean river.

*The cave entrance is the largest natural entrance in the eastern U.S.

*The present day entrance is about 1 mile from the original entrance. The limestone wall of the cave was dissolved many years ago by flowing ground water and the roof of the cave collapsed creating the Lost River Valley. This explains the bluffs overlooking the cave and the many rocks strewn across the valley floor.

The Rich History

*Was inhabited by the Native Americans 11,000 years ago. Countless artifacts were left behind.

*An operating mill was established here around 1792. A couple more mills operated on the site off and on through the years until the last mill burned to the ground in 1915. The “Cave Mill” is the only known mill to have been built and operated within a cave.

*Numerous human bones have been recovered in the cave suggesting that it was used as a den for murderers or for grisly experiments made in the name of science.

A known example of this occurred during a time when doctors had a difficult time obtaining cadavers for dissection. Word got around to a local doctor that a convicted murderer was sentenced to be hanged the following day. The doomed man claimed his innocence to the end and requested some whisky to calm his fear of walking to the gallows. The jailer refused his request. The doctor conferred with his fellow doctors and schemed up a plan. The doctor visited the jailed man and made a deal with him. The man agreed to will over his dead body to the doctor in exchange for a quart of Kentucky’s finest bourbon. The following day the drunk man was hanged. There was an outcry from the straight-laced public for a proper Christian burial. After denying his plans and burying a coffin filled with rocks, the doctor and his colleges secretly took the man’s body to the cave for dissection as planned.

For several years following the incident, those who were privy to its knowledge dubbed the cave “Dead Man’s Cave.” Rumors spread and the residents of the area refused to enter the cave after nightfall as they were terrified of the cave’s ghosts.

*During the Civil War it was used as a campground for both Union and Confederate Armies.

The Confederates camped here first in the fall of 1861. The first reported mysterious incident involving Blue Hole occurred at this time. A wagon team was hauling supplies to the Confederates down the steep valley during a winter flood. The entire team of horses, loaded wagon, and driver disappeared beneath the swollen river, sinking quickly and without a trace, except for the driver’s hat which was found floating on the water after the accident.

Shortly after the Rebels moved out, the Union troops moved in. The Yankees did not leave without having their own disasterous encounter with Blue Hole. The tempting cool waters of the seemingly placid water beckoned them to cool off from the sun’s heat. Suddenly, one soldier let out a cry and waved his hands wildly then disappeared beneath the water. A second man came to his aid only to sink behind him and never resurfaced. A third man met the same fate. The men then realized a whirlpool existed beneath the calm surface that could suck them away into unknown depths of an unknown part of the cavern.

*Here’s a touch of Wild West History in the cave…In 1868 the infamous outlaw Jesse James and his gang, including bother Frank, used the cave as a hideout after robbing the Southern Deposit Bank in Russellville, KY, escaping with $60,000. It is rumored they hid out for at least a week in the cave. A physician reported treating one of the gang members inside the cave after being led there by Jesse James himself. Officers then guarded the cave believing they had the James brothers captured only to wait in false hopes. James and his gang apparently escaped through one of the many other cave openings about a mile away from the well-known entrance.

*After the last mill burned in 1915, the cave property was purchased by the Perkins family. They took advantage of the numerous Walnut trees and set up a walnut collection and processing operations.

*The Perkins family reinforced the stone mill dam and made a hydroelectric power plant to create lighting for an atmosphere suitable for dining, boating on the river, and even dancing, making this an amusement park of sorts open to tourists. Two large dance floors, a bridge, a stone bar, and a bandstand were built. It became a popular public gathering place. Cave tours were given also attracting school field trips.

*Somehow the cave traded in its spooky reputation for one of a romantic feel as the cave opened up as the world’s only underground nightclub in 1934. Such romantic encounters happened at the cave that some chose the cave as the site for their wedding. Walking the grounds and standing on the old dance floor, you can imagine young lovers dancing the night away and sneaking off together in the woods by the river.

The nightclub was in full-swing until the 1960’s when it was closed. The building of Interstate 65 diverted the traffic from US 31-W (the cave’s location) and it no longer pulled in the numerous visitors it once had.

*In the late 1970’s the cave and its surrounding area were posted a public health hazard after a local company spilled toxic chemicals into a sink hole a mile away. Shortly after the spill, the pollutant appeared at the cave.

*By the 1980’s the cave had luckily restored itself back to health and in 1985 the then owners of the cave property donated it to Western Kentucky University.

*Today the Lost River Cave is operated as Kentucky’s only underground boat tour and its valley a shady, green park with the beautiful and educational Lost Valley Trail leading by the cave, the river, and two other sinkholes.

Germaphobe and I walked the scenic trail and went into the cave’s entrance. We were amazed at the green that flourished in this area, even in the dead of winter. For anyone passing thorough the Bowling Green, KY area that loves history and geology, I would suggest a stop. Maybe you’ll have better luck and actually get a ticket to ride on the boat!


The Blue Hole and spring of the Lost River, allegedly 437 ft. deep in one spot.





Old power house and dam wall is seen at the mouth of the cave. The covered shelter also seen covers one of the two dance floors.






I took this shot while standing on the the dance floor at the mouth of the cave.







Here's the old nightclub entrance. Steep stairs wind down the bluff to the cave below. Adorned on the arch of the gate is "1934".