n The Jewel Cave Adventure Herb and Jan Conn trace the early history of Jewel Cave, discovered around 1900, and describe exploration before 1959. They tell, with humor, of the day the little cave took possession of them, and with quiet excitement, of how that day in Jewel Cave led to nearly two decades of dedicated exploration and mapping. During their exploration, the cave grew to over 50 miles of complex, three-dimensional maze.
Jewel Cave, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, is the third largest cave system known in the world today, and a major tourist attraction administered by the National Park Service. But, in 1959, the entrance sign still proclaimed, “This is a small cave.” It was in that year that Herb and Jan Conn, were first invited to explore Jewel Cave. On their first day they learned to negotiate the intricate, crystal-lined underground passages, and they experienced the thrill of discovering places where no one had ever before set foot. It was a turning point in their lives, and in the history of Jewel Cave.
Sixteen excellent maps, including a giant folded map, guide the reader through the maze as the cave is extended mile by mile. This expanded third edition has many added photos: it now includes 16 pages of full color images, and over 150 black and white photos digitally remastered from transparencies and negatives.
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