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Cosmic cavern4/5/2023 In the 1880s, the Ewell family homesteaded above the cave and mined “cave onyx”. The present owners of the cave, Randy and Anita Langhover, have said that the early explorers have found the first chamber of the cave and an underground lake that was 200 ft below the opening. It is now the largest privately owned show cave in Arkansas which houses the largest underground lake in the Ozarks. They named the cave after themselves – Moore’s Cave, and it came to be known by various names as years passed by, such as Bear Cave, Joe Johnson Cave, Mystic Cave, and, today, Cosmic Cavern. However, they did not find any lead that they were hoping to find but stumbled upon a cave. If you are keen to know the history of Cosmic Cavern, then you need to go back to 4th September 1845 when John Moore and his two sons were looking for lead in the Ozark Mountains, north of the place where Berryville stands now. So, from here, we can ascertain how enormous the cosmic cavern could be. Most of the cave tour is conducted on level ground. How Big is Cosmic Cavern?Įxact measurement of the cosmic cavern is not available, but the regular cave tour covers approximately 1/3rd of a mile. It is a ‘living’ cave as it is still forming through deposited minerals by the flowing waters. Flowing water ate away the softer rock limestone to leave an empty pocket. It was created by natural erosion over thousands of years. As with other Arkansas caves, Cosmic Cavern is a living Karst cave. The cave was discovered in 1845, but it was not projected as a show cave until 1927. "But we're about as far from that as you can get.Like the other caves in Arkansas, Cosmic Cavern is made from limestone. "A lot of people have come because we're listed as an outdoor attraction," Langhover says with a laugh. The wild tours, which happen after the cave closes and last about 2.5 hours, require significantly more mobility. There are about 60 stairs down and about 30 back up, but the rest is bridges and ramps. The regular tour, which takes visitors about one third of a mile in 75 minutes, is easy enough for seniors and families, Langhover promises. We had one day with almost 300 people! And the wild tours, which we only do three nights a week, are booked up!" But he's amazed to report that even keeping the cave tours at half-capacity, "this is our busiest year in 23 years. Most recently, Langhover has had to figure out how to handle reopening and dealing with social distancing and safety protocols in the time of covid-19. Immediately opened, it made Cosmic Cavern the first to offer wild cave tours in Arkansas. In 1993, he followed air flow and the sound of a waterfall through a three-inch hole to discover the back of the cave. But then it rewards him in unexpected ways. Everything continues to "grow" as the drips continue, but very s-l-o-w-l-y - less than an inch in 100 years.ĭuring periods of heavy rainfall, the cavern tends to flood heavily, requiring that pampering Langhover spoke about. As water rich in minerals constantly drips down from the top of the cave, the minerals harden to form stalactites - which hang from the ceiling - and stalagmites on the floor, along with ghosts, curly fries, clumps of worms, all actually speleothems, commonly known as cave formations or features. Over time, water washes over the rock, and the acid in it eats away the limestone to form hollow underground spaces. Like other caves in Arkansas, Cosmic Cavern is made of limestone. "It always needs pampering," he says, speaking as though the cave were a living thing - which it is. What he didn't know, he says now, was "you don't own a cave. He says it was a job, it came with a place to live, and he could see a future in it. That didn't pan out, he says, so he got a job at Onyx Cave in Eureka Springs, then took over Cosmic Cavern when its owner couldn't keep it open. Langhover grew up on Table Rock Lake and always wanted to work at Silver Dollar City in Branson. It's had many names since then - Bear Cave, Maple Springs Cave, Joe Johnson Cave at Sycamore Hollow, Majestic Cave, Mystic Cave and Mystery Cave - before becoming Cosmic Cavern. Soon, other people came to "Moore's Cave" - not for lead but to mine the gemstone onyx near the cave's entrance. The cave was first discovered by a miner named John Moore while he and his sons were searching for lead, and they found the first of two mysterious underground lakes. He has owned it only since 1980 - not long in a life measured in thousands of years. It's hard to wrap your head around the fact the tour cave was discovered on Sept. It wasn't really a surprise to Langhover. The one he recently got to mark the cave's anniversary came saying "Happy 75th!" When you order a birthday cake for a 175th celebration, don't expect it to turn out quite right, says Randy Langhover, the owner of Cosmic Cavern in Berryville.
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