Exploring Wisconsin's Underworld

What do you get when you combine water, wind, and rock over millions of years? PLUS Adventure wheelchair gifted to vet, tree stand warning for hunters, and fish die-offs

Author

Forrest Koslowski
August 31, 2022

Mornin' to anyone that set one of these wild Guinness World Records in Wisconsin. This is the Wiscampsin Weekly - the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here.

*Psst. If you haven't seen our latest merch on our website, give it a gander here.

This week's subterranean email:

  • Caving in Wisconsin 🔦 

  • Tree stand warning from the DNR ❌ 

  • All-terrain wheelchair gifted to US Army veteran 🇺🇸 

Exploring Wisconsin's Show Caves

To 'Scons hoping to read coverage of the Kwik Trip beer cave, we hear you, and we'll see you at Sheryl's later on for some bar dice.

Today we're diving into the underworld (literally), of the Wisconsin outdoors: caves.

Ranked 23rd in the nation for states with the most caves, Wisconsin boasts some of the neatest subterranean dwellings around.

Wisconsin Caves

  • Depending on which Sconnie you ask, number somewhere between 250-400+

  • Made of limestone or sandstone

  • Believed to be inhabited by a three-eyed mythical creature called a Cave Hodag

Limestone - the ever changing caves

If you polled a random gaggle of 'Scons to draw up their image of a cave, it likely would have hanging "spikes," damp, clammy walls, and bats flying about.

A spot on depiction! One of two cave types in Wisconsin, the limestone cave forms from groundwater seeping through the earth and dissolving the limestone rock within.

Shaped by running water over the course of millions of years, these caves are constantly evolving. And indeed, "spikes" do form.

Called stalactites (hanging from the ceiling) and stalagmites (sprouting up on the ground), these formations form by the dripping and hardening of calcite water.

Limestone caves win the popularity contest in Wisconsin as they are the most numerous, as well as longer/larger.

Sandstone - for shelter and rituals

The other type of cave is the sandstone cave. Sandstone caves form via wind and water erosion and tend to be cool and dry.

Much smaller than limestone caves, sandstone caves can be as simple as a hollowed out section of rock along a bluff or river.

But don't let that diminish your assessment - these caves were crucial to Native Americans, who would use these caves for shelter and summer vision quests.

Buffalo drawings found in these caves suggest that natives would roam into Iowa and southern Minnesota to hunt buffalo and return to the fertile Wisconsin river valleys for the winter.

Gettin erm, 'in' der

Since you nor I have the time to dig into all 400(?) caves in The Dairy Land State, we figure we'd cover the "show caves," or caves made accessible to the public.

Many a 'Scon remember loading up in school bus and taking a field trip to Cave of the Mounds, Wisconsin's premier show cave. It resides on Brigham farm, where in 1939 a crew of quarry workers discovered the cave accidentally while blasting rock.

Eagle Cave holds the record as Wisconsin's largest onyx cave and the first to be commercially owned and operated in Wisco. Onyx is a multiple-inch thick cover of hardened limestone that appears milky and glassy (like Uncle Tom's bad eye), and under the right conditions, grows 1 centimeter every 100 years.

For those who really want to escape the banal existence of life at earth's surface, consider visiting Crystal Caves, Wisconsin's longest cave system at 4,600 ft. No matter what the conditions are above, the cave is consistently dry and 50F. It earns its name from the crystals solidified in the limestone walls.

Ledge View offers two different cave systems to explore, Carolyn's Caverns and Montgomery Cave. A glacier long ago deposited much of the meltwater used to form these caves, and much of the sediment left behind still resides in its depths.

Another glacially impacted cave, Cherney Maribel Caves consists of a solid mass of rock called Niagara Dolomite. Currently, a cave called New Hope is being excavated of all the glacial sediment to restore its natural beauty.

Creatures of the cave

If the dark, bats, or possibility of getting lost in a cave with your brother Mark scares the livin' heck out of ya, you may want to skip this next section.

Rumored to be afoot in Wisconsin's caves is the mythical Cave Hodag. Possessing three eyes and five legs, this horned beast retreated into the caves long ago to escape civilization, and has been searched for by humans ever since.

To keep the spirit of the Hodag alive, the Wisconsin Speleological Society is hosting a three-day Hodag Hunt for all cavers and outdoor enthusiasts on September 9th. Participants can delight in festival full of cave exploration, food, games, camping, and more.

One lucky explorer will even take home the grand prize if they find the Cave Hodag replica statue, hidden in one of the Cherney Maribel Caves!

That about does it folks! If you're looking for an unparalleled adventure into the Earth, take a trip to the cave nearest you!

Now get out 'der!

This Week's Wiscampsin Weekly is brought to you by the most eco-friendly coffee cup in your cupboard.

Everyone, stop what you're doing and take a good, long look at your coffee cup.

Is it made with a 100% coffee bio-composite material?

Is it durable enough for the dishwasher, microwave, and the trail?

Is it BPA-free/non-toxic, or will it slowly kill you and everyone you love?

If you answered NO to any of the questions above, it's time you upgrade to our new recycled-coffee-beans coffee mug.

To beat a dead horse, it's made from 60% recycled coffee grounds, better for you + the environment, and durable as all get out. Buy one for you and your neighbors here.

Thanks for the support!

*As always, 1% of profits will go to the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks.

The "Holy Cripes" Moment of the Week❗️

If you've never visited Copper Falls State Park, can you even call yourself a 'Scon??? Check out this 4K footage of this beaut' of a place from a fellow Wiscampsonite and put it at the top of your bucket list!

Nuts and Seeds 🌰 

🦌 Don't you dare sit 'der!: The Wisconsin DNR wants you to avoid ash trees when placing your tree stands this fall. Most ash trees in southern Wisconsin, Door County, and Mississippi River counties are dead due to Emerald Ash Borers. Maybe Pops will finally let ya sit in his cozy box stand this year, eh?

🐟 Fish die-off: A common bacterial infection is spreading faster than that rash back in college in Fox River and bay of Green Bay fish. Columnaris causes white or yellow lesions and frequently infects fish in the spring and fall. So far, experts estimate that 99% of the dead fish are channel catfish. No wonder we weren't catching nothin'..

🇺🇸 Veteran surprised with all-terrain vehicle: A Madison veteran of the Gulf War just received a gift guaranteed to help him get out 'der. The Paralyzed Veterans of America and Property Loss Specialists surprised the US Army vet with an all-terrain Action Trackchair, which he can use for hunting, fishing, and exploring our natural places. Thank you vets!

A review from the Trail... The world needs your 2 cents, Sue!

Well, how'd we do this week?

Reply

or to participate.