A National Natural Landmark: The Mark Twain Cave
History, ghost stories, and an eccentric doctor
It’s been a minute since I’ve ventured into a cave and I’ve been in a few. When my family moved to Missouri, I didn’t know how many caves were in the state. According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, there are about 7,500.
People are fascinated by caves. You don’t forget the dampness or the sight of trickling water dripping down a cave wall. You don’t forget the scent of wet rock either. The older I became, you could say I became more claustrophobic to walk inside another one.
The cave
There’s a cave near Hannibal, Missouri that’s gained a lot of popularity over the years. It’s a show cave, meaning there are guided tours conducted there for the public. The cave was discovered in 1819 by a hunter named Jack Simms and called Simms’ Cave.
It was later purchased by a doctor and named McDowell’s Cave and still later, the name changed to the Mark Twain Cave in 1880, and it still bears that name. Tours have been provided at the cave since 1886 making it the oldest show cave in Missouri.
