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Show CoF OLD WEST . . . Shaggy buffaloes provide a reminder of EVest for visitors at Wind Cave National park in South Dakota, Uree par-s embracing the nation's mysterious cave systems! IFOR TRAVELERS jeries of Underground rid Beckon Adventurous WNU Features. eshave fascinated man from the dawn of antiquity to sent day. Stories of them abound in history, folklore vthology, yet these mysterious underground worlds ikon the adventurous and the weird scenes to be dis- there fire imaginations. ee great cave systems in the United States have been shed as national parks Mammoth cave in Kentucky, caverns in New Mexico and Wind cave in South' ) tan. The descent from the natural entrance to the 750 foot level is made via the Green Lake Room, the King's Palace, the Queen's Chamber and the Papoose Room. After lunch in the underground cafeteria caf-eteria comes the main event, a tour 1 of the "Big Room." This tremendous tremen-dous chamber is about 4,000 feet long, 500 feet wide and 300 feet from floor to ceiling. In this room many city skyscrapers would seem small. Here one sees the Temple of the Sun and the pagoda-like stalagmite, called "Rock of Ages." The trie takes about seven hours. WIND CAVE near the Black Hills in South Dakota, a national park since 1903, is much smaller in extent ex-tent than either Mammoth cave or ' Carlsbad caverns, but it has un- usual formations known as "box work" found in no other caves in the United States. The tour of Wind cave requires from one to two hours nd the return to the surface is ' made by elevator. An additional interesting feature of Wind Cave National park is a large buffalo herd which may be seen from the park road. MAMMOTH CAVE, Carlsbad caverns cav-erns and Wind cave are accessible by paved highways, and all have bus or taxi connections with one or more railroads. There are no overnight over-night facilities at Carlsbad caverns, but there are tourist camps near the park entrance and hotels in Carlsbad, N. M. A free campsite is provided in Wind Cave National park, but the nearest hotels or cabins cab-ins will be found In Hot Springs. S. D. At Mammoth Cave National park hotels, cottages and park transportation are furnished. Here also National Park service has free campsites and picnic areas. All three caves are illuminated by modern electric systems; however, in the historic section of Mammoth cave parties still are guided by the traditional lanterns and flickering pine torches. There are no elevators in Mammoth cave and visitors in poor physical condition should not descend to the level of Echo river as the climb to the surface is steep. All trips in the cave are conducted by National Park service guides and rangers. In 1946 these three national ,re visited by more than lillion people. iotb cave has been world lor more than a century. It is believed to - I have been ial ParkS discovered in 1799 by a pio-ilth pio-ilth neer named Series Hnucnul wn0 followed a - wounded 0 the cave entrance. A few ;er salt petre taken from was used in the manufac-pmpowder manufac-pmpowder for American 1 the War of 1812, and not sr that the great passage-idomed passage-idomed chambers of Mam- became an international ir travelers. There are gal-fve gal-fve distinct levels in Mam-re Mam-re and during the course of rground trip, the visitor de-SO de-SO feet to the lowest level t Echo river winds its tor-y tor-y in eternal darkness. Echo probably the most distinc-interesting distinc-interesting feature of the la short trip is made on it it-bottomed boat. Strange Ish live in the river. are now more than 150 explored passageways in :h cave and the visitor is I choice of several tours ry in length from 2 to 7 'A In the all-day trip one has the Snowball Dining Room, below the surface. An indi-I indi-I what one may expect to fen by the names of some tmations in the cave: Bot-Plt, Bot-Plt, Fat Man's Misery, I Karnak, Frozen Niagara, Jenny Lind's Armchair a Washington's Statue, under private ownership, ' cave became a national 1M1 largely through the. :and generosity of the peo-I peo-I State of Kentucky, who Personal contributions pibte purchase of the cave and its donation to the government. . 'BAD CAVERNS was pro-i pro-i national monument in 8;ven national park status Probably its earliest ex's ex-'s Jim White, a cowboy, !r!i it in 1901. Seeing a Wng column issuing from ! "a mountain, White inves- I found a natural opening : H which led him down to I ms- The dark, smokelike ' PNved to ! alive, a mov- ot bats 'mm down in the A the caves. This spec-Kght spec-Kght of bats, may be seen rnoon at dusk during the Wtns of tin- year, frvent into Carlsbad ! from ti. natural en's en-'s an unforgettable ex-e ex-e From a point well be-' be-' surface one may look ,0Sh the semi-gloom to Pni"ess procession of tagging downward P boulders and gro- '" formations. The ''"""Is one of descrip-7 descrip-7 Dante s "inferno." ? e available for 7 do not wish to defend de-fend on foot. a m Car,sbad caverns l scale. The rooms are (1e stalactites and stalag-arger stalag-arger than in any other IN ft 0f the sta,ag-IjJ0 sta,ag-IjJ0 'nape and size of M I dorrinant colors are varying shades of SCENE FROM 'INFERNO' . . . Like a scene from Dante's "Inferno," "In-ferno," giant stalagmites and grotesque rock formations abound In Carlsbad caverns in New Mexico. |