The Journal of Spelean History Volume 39, No. 1, Issue 127 January – June 2005 The Journal of Spelean History Official Publication American Spelean History Association History Section National Speleological Society Volume 39, No. 1, Issue 127 January-June 2005 The Association Back Issues The American Spelean History Association (ASHA) is an Internal Organization of the JSH began publication in 1968 and copies of all National Speleological Society and exists for the back issues are available, although many early study, dissemination, and interpretation of issues are reprints. The cost is $2 per copy for 1- spelean history, and related purposes. All 2 copies, $1.50 per copy for 3-6 copies, or $1 per persons who are interested in these goals are copy for 7 or more copies. Add $0.50 postage cordially invited to become members. Dues are for one copy or $1 for two or more copies $2 per issue of the Journal of Spelean History. ordered at once. Order back issues from the Dues can be paid for up to 20 issues ($40). Treasurer. Checks should be made payable to “ASHA” and mailed to the treasurer. Officers The Journal President: Dean Snyder, 3213 Fairland Drive, Schnecksville, PA 18078 The Journal of Spelean History (JSH) is the Association’s publication and is mailed to all members. JSH includes articles covering a wide Vice-President: Carolyn E. Cronk, 1595 variety of topics relating to man’s use of caves, Blueberry Hills Road, Monument, CO including historical cave explorations, saltpeter 80132 and other mineral extraction, and show cave development. All members are strongly encouraged to contribute material and to Secretary-Treasurer: Bob Hoke, 6304 comment on published material. ASHA assumes Kaybro Street, Laurel, MD 20707 no responsibility for statements made by contributors. Trustees: Larry E. Matthews, Marion O. Smith, Gary K. Soule, Jack Speece Authors are strongly encouraged to submit electronic copies in Microsoft Word, with minimal formatting, by email. Images should Editor: Greg Brick, 1001 Front Avenue, be saved as jpg. Photos and illustrations will Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55103 be returned upon request. ASHA cannot [email protected] publish copyrighted material without permission. Contributors are themselves responsible for determining whether material Printing: Bob Hoke is copyrighted and securing the appropriate permissions. 2 JSH v. 39, no. 1 (January-June 2005) Editor’s note: To avoid delays, contributors are strongly urged to submit electronic copies in Microsoft Word, with minimal formatting, and with images saved as jpg, via email. Priority is given to new material, not previously published. If you are sending lengthy clippings or reprints, please word-process them yourself and mail a copy of the original (for proofing). Send submissions to Greg Brick, [email protected] Visit the new ASHA website at www.cavehistory.org Contents Spelean Post Offices of the United States Part Two: Idaho through Montana Thomas Lera……………………………....4 “A Chaos of Darkness and Rocks”: Harriet Martineau’s 1834 Visit to Mammoth Cave Steve Horstmeyer………………………………………………………………………...18 On White Fish and Black Men: Did Stephen Bishop Really Discover the Blind Cave Fish of Mammoth Cave? Aldemaro Romero and Jonathan S. Woodward………………………………………….23 A Minnesota Show Cave Advertisement from 1852 Greg A. Brick………………………………………………………………………….....33 Cave Clippings……...…………………….……….……..…….………………….……34 Front Cover: Harriet Martineau in 1833. See Steve Horstmeyer’s article in this issue. JSH v. 39, no. 1 (January-June 2005) 3 Spelean Post Offices of the United States Part Two: Idaho through Montana By Thomas Lera This is Part Two of a series on the spelean post offices of the United States, alphabetically arranged. Part One, covering the states from Alabama through Hawaii, was published in the last issue (No. 126). The remainder, covering Nebraska through Wyoming, together with additional notes, will be published in future issues. IDAHO SPELEAN-RELATED POST OFFICES CITY / TOWN / ZIP DATE OF OPERATION COUNTY Lost River 1885 – 1912 Butte Niter 1904 – 1918 Caribou Niter, Idaho Four-bar Cancel ILLINOIS SPELEAN POST OFFICES CITY / TOWN / ZIP DATE OF OPERATION COUNTY Cave 6/27/1847 – 3/26/1879 Franklin Cave-in-Rock 62919 10/24/1849 – OPEN Hardin Cave Valley 2/7/1893 – 7/20/1894 Jackson Rock and Cave 3/13/1832 – 10/24/1849 Hardin ILLINOIS SPELEAN-RELATED POST OFFICES CITY / TOWN / ZIP DATE OF OPERATION COUNTY Limestone 1848 – 1871 Kankakee Lost Creek 1874 – 1884 Clinton Cave-in-Rock (previously known as Rock and Cave, Big Cave, Ford’s Ferry, and Robbins Ferry) is located in Hardin County on the north bank of the Ohio River in southeastern Illinois and has a population of 450. Much history is associated with the village, mainly revolving around the “cave" from which the town got its name. Charlevoix's History of New France, published in 1744, contains the first documented mention of the cave. A map was drawn from data obtained by Martin Chartier who had come from France in 1729 to visit the area. He called it “le caverne dans le roc,” which 4 JSH v. 39, no. 1 (January-June 2005) was once the hangout for river pirates and counterfeiters, and is now part of the Cave-in- Rock State Park. Soloman Perkins, the first permanent settler, had lived in Cave-in-Rock, on his 320 acre farm prior to March 3, 1807, when he was granted permission to remain on the site of the new town. Around 1807, Phillip Coon and his family settled on the edge of Cave-in-Rock where the "Hessville community" was located. During the 1813 May Term of the Gallatin County Court of Common Pleas, a man named Lewis Barker was given permission to have a road surveyed from his ferry to the U.S. Saline Works. In 1814 he bought the section of land where Cave-in-Rock is now located. As the result of a petition signed by inhabitants of Rock and Cave Township, Barker and Coon were appointed to plan a new road to the U. S. Saline Works that would connect with Barker's Ferry at the Rock Cave with the Kaskaskia Road. The highway that ran through Crittenden and Hardin counties, Kentucky, became known as Ford's Ferry Road. In early days it was the main highway across this section of the country for pioneer settlers traveling from Kentucky and regions to the east. A plat of Cave-in-Rock was recorded in 1839 but the village was not incorporated until 1901. Early records often refer to the town as Rock-in-Cave, but sometime in the 1830's the name began appearing as Cave-in-Rock. The village was located in Pope County until 1839 when Hardin County was annexed from the counties of Pope and Gallatin. Records before 1839 can still be found in the county court houses of Pope and Gallatin, although most records were destroyed when the original courthouse burned in 1884. Until the late 1870's, the main street of Cave-in-Rock was Water Street, which ran in front of the businesses facing the Ohio River. However, when the town burned in 1884 the businesses were rebuilt facing away from the river and Water Street became Main Street. Now known as Thompsonville, the town of Cave was also a stop on the Illinois Central Railroad. The Thompsonville Post Office is still open. Cave, Illinois Manuscript Cancel and Cave In Rock CDS with Target Killers. JSH v. 39, no. 1 (January-June 2005) 5 INDIANA SPELEAN POST OFFICES CITY / TOWN / ZIP DATE OF OPERATION COUNTY Alum Cave 1/22/1884 – 1905 Clay / Sullivan Cave Spring 6/19/1854 – 8/15/1862 Decatur King’s Cave 8/28/1870 – 7/10/1873 Harrison Spring Cave 7/18/1866 – 9/12/1866 Owen INDIANA SPELEAN-RELATED POST OFFICES CITY / TOWN / ZIP DATE OF OPERATION COUNTY Limestone 1841 Lawrence Lost River 1837 – 1878 Orange Lost River 1879 – 1896 Martin Sinks 1882 – 1905 Harrison Sinking Creek 1826 – 1828 Washington Sinking Spring 1837 – 1852 Lawrence Indiana town name information is limited, however this author can say that most of them derived their names from nearby natural features, such as cave spring or point, a limestone cove, or even man-made features like cave mills. While detailed information on all of the post offices and postmasters can be found in The Postal History of Indiana by J. David Baker, Volumes I and II published by Leonard H. Hartmann, Philatelic Bibliopole, Louisville, Kentucky, a brief synopsis follows. Alum Cave Post Office was established in Clay County on January 22, 1884, with Milton C. Dell as its first postmaster. The county boundaries eventually changed and Alum Cave is now located in Sullivan County. Cave Spring in Decatur County was established June 19, 1854, with Edward A. Jocelyn as postmaster. William H. Pfrimmer was the first postmaster of King’s Cave in Harrison County when it was established, August 29, 1870. Owen County’s Spring Cave Post Office was established July 15, 1866, and closed September 12, 1866, with James F. Nicholas as its only postmaster. Alum Cave Circle Date Stamp. 6 JSH v. 39, no. 1 (January-June 2005) IOWA SPELEAN-RELATED POST OFFICES CITY / TOWN / ZIP DATE OF OPERATION COUNTY Limestone 1854 – 1860 Des Moines Lost Creek 1896 – 1907 Mahaska KANSAS SPELEAN POST OFFICES CITY / TOWN / ZIP DATE OF OPERATION COUNTY Cave 1901 - 1914 Greene Cave Spring 1874 - 1878 Butler Cave Springs 1882 - 1903 Elk KANSAS SPELEAN-RELATED POST OFFICES CITY / TOWN / ZIP DATE OF OPERATION COUNTY Limestone 1864 – 1872 Washington Lost Creek 1873 – 1877 Linn Lost Spring 1861 – 1864 Marion Cave Springs, Kansas Manuscript Cancel and Cave, KS Four-bar Cancel KENTUCKY SPELEAN POST OFFICES CITY / TOWN / ZIP DATE OF OPERATION COUNTY Cave City 42127 1860 – OPEN Barren Cave City Station # 1 Unknown Barren Cave Hill 1879 -1926 Warren Cave Point 1892 - 1893 Franklin Cave Ridge 1916 - 1950 Metcalfe Cave Spring 6/29/1848 - 5/1/1851 Scott Cave Spring(s) 1880 - 1946 Logan Cave Springs Station 1869 - 1880 Logan Caverna 5/4/1869 - 12/22/1879 Hart Caverock 1908 - 1910 Knox Caverun 1902 - 1913 Bath Caves 1857 - 1905 Carter Horse Cave 42749 3/1/1860 - OPEN Hart Mammoth Cave 42259 1842 - OPEN Edmonson Peter Cave 1878 - 1892 Martin Proctors Cave 1894 - 1906 Edmonson Russell Cave 1879 - 1900 Fayette Twin Cave 1900 - 1901 Meade Wind Cave 40494 1902 - 1996 Jackson JSH v.