The Cave Without a Name is a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

solutional

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

in the

Texas Hill Country The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Amer ...

region of

Central Texas Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas surrounding Austin and roughly bordered by San Saba to Bryan and San Marcos to Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a p ...

. It is a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

. The cave is located from downtown

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, and 10 miles northeast of Boerne off FM 474 and Kreutzberg Road. It has been commercially operated as a

show cave A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits. Definition A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...

and open for public tours since 1939. It is a member of the National Cave Association.

History

Although the cave has been open to the environment for many tens of thousands of years, as evidenced by numerous

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

animal finds discovered there, known human contact with the cave began only in the early 20th century, when a small ranch animal became trapped in the small external opening of the cave, known as a

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

. The cave went largely unnoticed again until the 1920s during the era of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

, when a small moonshine distillery was installed in the uppermost cavern. It again fell into obscurity until three local children went exploring beyond the location of the abandoned still the sinkhole in 1935. These children are believed to be the first who entered the main chambers of the cave. After the discovery, Jim Horn from San Antonio purchased the property to open it as a commercial venture. The show cave received its name after its official opening in 1939, as verified by a newspaper article that hangs in the cave's gift shop, in a state-wide contest held in 1940. A young boy suggested that the cave "was too beautiful to have a name", so he received the $50 cash prize award. The second owner of the Cave Without a Name, Eugene Ebell, renamed the cave "Century Caverns" in the late 1950s, but after several years of grief from the locals, Mr. Ebell changed the name back to Cave Without a Name. Cave Without a Name was declared a

by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government within the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of ...

in February 2009.

Description

Built in 1939, the stairwell into the cave has 126 steps descending to about below the surface. The cave maintains a constant temperature of . Within the cave are two main areas. The main set of chambers open to the public make up the show cave, extending just over a quarter of a mile. This part of the cave consists of six large, well-lit rooms full of

speleothems A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending on ...

, including

stalactites A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is solubl ...

stalagmites A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

helictites A helictite is a speleothem (cave-formed mineral) found in a limestone cave that changes its axis from the vertical at one or more stages during its growth. Helictites have a curving or angular form that looks as if they were grown in zero grav ...

, columns, and draperies. The second main area of the cave is an extensive set of caverns linked to the underground extension of the Guadalupe River. During a 1975 expedition of the Cave Without a Name, cavers mapped out over of caverns, making it the seventh-longest cave in Texas. Due to the great natural acoustics created by three large solution domes on the ceiling of the Throne Room, the cave is host to 12

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety an ...

yearly with a maximum attendance of 200 people. The music events vary from classical musicians, folk, Broadway, opera, and seasonal vocal groups. Unique features of the cave include the set of rimstone dams beneath the natural spring-fed pool, a special specimen of cave drapery our "Texas-sized cave bacon" thought to be the longest in Texas, stalagmites that resemble the

nativity scene In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christmas season, of art objects rep ...

, and a large leaning column known as the Leaning Tower of Boerne. In the winter months, the cave becomes home for the solitary Tricolored bat. These seasonal inhabitants do not interfere with the tours as they only use the cave for hibernation. Another resident of the cave is a rare blind Texas salamander known as the Kendall County salamander that may only be found in the Cave Without a Name and another area cave,

Cascade Caverns Cascade Caverns is a historically, geologically, and biologically important limestone solutional cave south of Boerne, Texas, United States, on 226 Cascade Caverns Road, in Kendall County. It has been commercially operated as a show cave and o ...

. In addition to cave tours, guests to Cave Without a Name may enjoy

hiking trails A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. T ...

, gem panning, use of picnic tables, and RV and tent camping. Some activities require an additional fee. The gift shop features a large selection of rocks, stones, and

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

for sale, including numerous amethyst cathedrals, jewelry, and more. Guests can choose from several sizes of uncut geodes and have them sliced open in the large geode saw onsite.

Accident

On April 30, 2007, Thomas Summers, III, died in a nearby, connected cave known as Dead Man's Cave. Thomas Summers was the manager of Cave Without a Name and the son of the third and current owner of the cave, Thomas Summers, II. Another park employee, Brent Holbert, and he had gone into Dead Man's Cave to investigate why water from recent rains was not draining from Cave Without a Name. They swam into Dead Man's Cave, where at times only two inches of breathing room remained. The two separated when Holbert decided not to go any further because of the danger, and told Summers, "let's get the hell out of here". Summers chose to go a few yards further, and after receiving no response from several shouts, he exited the cave to call for help. Thomas Summers' body was recovered by

cavers Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is ...

experienced in

cave diving Cave-diving is underwater diving in water-filled caves. It may be done as an extreme sport, a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific investigation, or for the search for and recovery of divers or, as in the 2018 Thai cave rescue, othe ...

a few hours later.

References

External links

Official Cave Without a Name website
{{authority control Caves of Texas Limestone caves Landforms of Kendall County, Texas National Natural Landmarks in Texas Show caves in the United States Texas Hill Country Tourist attractions in Kendall County, Texas