Carlsbad Caverns, A Magical World Underground
June 2021
Luck and Learning at Carlsbad Caverns
We learned that in 1923, the site was designated a National Monument, and by 1930, it officially became a National Park to preserve its extraordinary limestone formations and its importance as a habitat for Brazilian free-tailed bats. In 1995, it was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the most significant geological spectacles on Earth.
We were also fascinated by Jim White, the young cowboy credited with discovering the caverns in the late 1800s. He spent years exploring the darkness with nothing but a homemade wire ladder and a kerosene lamp, though many people didn’t believe his stories of a “magnificent underworld” at first.
Descending into Carlsbad’s Cathedral of Stone
Once it was finally time for us to head inside, we descended 800 feet into the earth. Over the route of 2.5 miles, we slowly walked through a unique landscape filled with stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, and voids formed by sulfuric acid. We stood in the Big Room, the largest cave chamber in North America, and were surrounded by breathtaking “organic sculptures.”
