Marvel Cave
Large cave in Stone County, Missouri / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Marvel Cave is a privately owned cave located just west of Branson, Missouri, in Stone County. It is one of the main attractions of Silver Dollar City and is registered as a National Natural landmark.[1]
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (August 2008) |
Marvel Cave | |
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Marble Cave | |
Marvel Cave Cathedral Room | |
Location | Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, United States |
Coordinates | 36.6675°N 93.3397°W / 36.6675; -93.3397 |
Depth | 500 ft (152 m) |
Discovery | 16th century |
Entrances | 2 |
Access | Private (Tours on park operating days) |
Show cave opened | 1894 |
Show cave length | 60 minutes |
Lighting | Electric |
Features | Flowstone, Stalagmites, Stalactites, Waterfall |
Website | http://www.silverdollarcity.com/theme-park/attractions/rides/Marvel-Cave.aspx |
The first recorded expedition of the cave was in 1869, led by Henry T. Blow. Marvel Cave was originally called Marble Cave, after explorers in 1882 saw what they thought was marble on the cave's ceiling. This started the Marble Cave Mining Company, although later it was realized that there was never any marble in the cave. The Marble Cave Mining Company ceased all operations after only four and a half years. William Lynch purchased the cave in 1889, and soon after opened the cave to the public. In 1950, Hugo Herschend leased the cave for 99 years. The Herschends made renovations to the cave, and later opened the now popular theme park, Silver Dollar City, on the surface above the cave.[2] Marvel Cave is known for being one of the largest caves in Missouri, having one of the largest cave entry rooms (the Cathedral Room) of any cave in North America, and for being one of the longest running tourist attractions in the Ozarks.