Mammoth Cave National Park
Floyd Collins
In 1925, Floyd Collins, one of the world's premier cavers, met a tragic and bizarre end in part of Mammoth Cave called, "Sand Cave." Collins, determined to find a "show" cave as a source of family income, was trapped on his way out of a dangerous unstable passage when a 27-pound rock fell on his foot. Just 120 feet from the entrance and 60 feet underground, Collins lay unable to move in the darkness.
Relatives eventually noticed that he was missing, and a quick check in Sand Cave confirmed the worst. The rescue effort that ensued quickly turned into a publicity carnival. It lasted for 18 days and captured the interest of the whole nation through the relatively new medium of radio.
Rescuers tried everything—digging and hacking at the passageway, sinking a new shaft, feeding Collins to keep up his energy, and sending down reporter Skeets Miller to chronicle the drama. At one point, rescuers even considered amputation. Nothing worked. Eventually, a passage just above Collins collapsed, cutting him off from aid. Fifteen days after being trapped, Floyd Collins died.
The authorities decided it was too dangerous to remove the body and left it in the cave. Eventually, his body was put in a glass-topped coffin in Crystal Cave where cavers from around the world paid their respects to him for many years. Then in the most dramatic and grotesque twist to the story, his body was stolen—and later found in a nearby field missing a leg. After this incident his body was placed in a chained casket. Eventually, the National Park Service absorbed Crystal Cave and closed it to the public. In 1989, Collins was properly buried in Mammoth Cave Baptist Church Cemetery on Flint Ridge.
Mammoth Cave In Depth
News from the Parks
12-year-old Seeks to Accomplish Lofty Parks Goal by the Age of 14
October 14, 2008 - 9:47am
More than 100,000 miles, two motorcars, 48 states and 270 national parks later, 12-year-old Chandler Johnson still hasn’t met her goal — a goal to visit every National Park by the time she is 14. “I enjoy going to the parks because I learn about the historical, cultural and environmental relevance they each have,” said Chandler. There are currently 391 National Park areas designated by the National Park Service. For the last six and a half years, Chandler has traveled around the country with her parents, Carmen and Jay Johnson, and participated in the Junior Ranger program.
October 14, 2008 - 9:47am
More than 100,000 miles, two motorcars, 48 states and 270 national parks later, 12-year-old Chandler Johnson still hasn’t met her goal — a goal to visit every National Park by the time she is 14. “I enjoy going to the parks because I learn about the historical, cultural and environmental relevance they each have,” said Chandler. There are currently 391 National Park areas designated by the National Park Service. For the last six and a half years, Chandler has traveled around the country with her parents, Carmen and Jay Johnson, and participated in the Junior Ranger program.
Climate warms, creatures head for the hills
October 14, 2008 - 9:44am
From California to Costa Rica, rising temperatures could be driving species to higher elevations Chipmunks, mice and other small mammals pretty much moved up in the world as Yosemite National Park’s climate warmed during the last century. As temperatures rose, these species tended to edge upward to higher and cooler ground, says Craig Moritz, director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology in Berkeley, Calif. The possibility that climate change is pushing around sensitive species has been worrying biologists, so Moritz and his colleagues found a way to test the idea over an unusually long time. They resurrected the museum’s trove of field notes and revisted sites of a mammal survey that started in 1914.
October 14, 2008 - 9:44am
From California to Costa Rica, rising temperatures could be driving species to higher elevations Chipmunks, mice and other small mammals pretty much moved up in the world as Yosemite National Park’s climate warmed during the last century. As temperatures rose, these species tended to edge upward to higher and cooler ground, says Craig Moritz, director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology in Berkeley, Calif. The possibility that climate change is pushing around sensitive species has been worrying biologists, so Moritz and his colleagues found a way to test the idea over an unusually long time. They resurrected the museum’s trove of field notes and revisted sites of a mammal survey that started in 1914.
Lassen Peak: a living laboratory of volcanic activity
October 13, 2008 - 3:54pm
The southernmost mountain in the Cascades was established as a national park in 1916. Today, Lassen is one of the best-kept secrets in the federal system. Its 10,457-foot namesake mountain dominates the western section of the park, while to the east, cinder cones rise above a lava plateau and small lakes dot the pine forests.
October 13, 2008 - 3:54pm
The southernmost mountain in the Cascades was established as a national park in 1916. Today, Lassen is one of the best-kept secrets in the federal system. Its 10,457-foot namesake mountain dominates the western section of the park, while to the east, cinder cones rise above a lava plateau and small lakes dot the pine forests.
Local Tourism Will Get Boost from Historic Site
October 9, 2008 - 3:47pm
The Auburn-Opelika area is expected to get a boost in tourism from the opening of a completely redesigned Tuskegee Airman National Historic Site, operated by the National Park Service just down I-85 from Auburn in the nearby city of Tuskegee.
October 9, 2008 - 3:47pm
The Auburn-Opelika area is expected to get a boost in tourism from the opening of a completely redesigned Tuskegee Airman National Historic Site, operated by the National Park Service just down I-85 from Auburn in the nearby city of Tuskegee.
Visitors Flock to Sandburg Home for Poetry, Goats and Hiking Trails
October 9, 2008 - 3:37pm
When the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site was established 40 years ago, the mission was to preserve legacy and literary works of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carl Sandburg. His modest home was kept intact with all the furnishings, magazines and newspapers in place when Sandburg died in 1967. National Park Service staff designed interpretive tours of the home, and public programs were given at the dairy goat farm that Sandburg's wife, Lilian, operated.
October 9, 2008 - 3:37pm
When the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site was established 40 years ago, the mission was to preserve legacy and literary works of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carl Sandburg. His modest home was kept intact with all the furnishings, magazines and newspapers in place when Sandburg died in 1967. National Park Service staff designed interpretive tours of the home, and public programs were given at the dairy goat farm that Sandburg's wife, Lilian, operated.
