Last week's weather made it a perfect time for a quick getaway and we headed to Onondaga Cave State Park in Leasburg, MO. Although most commonly known as The Show-Me State, Missouri is also known as The Cave State since there are more than 6,000 documented underground chambers. Touring this particular cave was interesting on a few different levels. Aside from appreciating the natural beauty of this wonder, learning its background allows one to combine the love of both science and history.
Seeing and learning about the different rock formations and the cave inhabitants is delightful. Aren't the formations amazing? To imagine that one inch of growth occurs each century is mind-boggling!
The trip was also steeped in history. Onondaga Cave was discovered late in the 1880s and became a state park about one hundred years later, in 1982. We learned about the people who were instrumental in its development, how the cave got its name and then there was one particular aspect which was exceptionally appealing to me. The cave has a connection to the World's Fair and I have always been intrigued by our exposition. My family moved to the St. Louis area when I was in grade school and as my parents began taking us to the attractions in this area, I began learning about the World's Fair which had once graced this city... and I was smitten. I ended up researching it and interviewing a local who had attended the fair for my high school term paper. More than a decade later, I joined the local St. Louis World's Fair Society of which I am still a member. So, the link that the cave has to the fair is most alluring to me.
Around the turn of the century, two locals formed a company with the intent to strike it rich by mining onyx from the cave. Sadly, this onyx was discovered to be too soft for building purposes and so the business endeavor was aborted. In an effort to recoup some of the losses, it was decided to use the cave as a tourist attraction and a relationship was formed with the St. Louis World's Fair. The year was 1904 and St. Louis was on the world's stage with industrial, scientific, technological and artistic achievements being showcased. One of the offerings at the exhibition was a day trip. Visitors could pay a fee to ride the train from St. Louis to Leasburg. From the train station there, guests were shuttled to the cave. We were allowed to see the old, original entrance (now shuttered) by which people used to enter and they came in by boat back then! Inside the cave, the old boat docks are a part of the tour. The two concrete strips in the front of the photo were the docks and straight ahead (in the center) you may be able to make-out a small opening. That was the area in which the boats entered the cave. A sunken boat remains in the water, but I couldn't capture it in a photo, given the very limited light.
In addition to Onondaga, Cathedral Cave is also within this state park. We didn't happen to tour it, but I am sure it has wonders of its own. Aside from cave tours, there are multiple hiking paths of varying lengths and we enjoyed taking advantage of some of those, too.
A few plants were beginning to turn fall colors.
Have you been to Onondaga Cave? Missouri's state park system is celebrating its centennial through the end of 2017. We purchased the passport in April and are having a good time getting our stamps while visiting parks throughout the state. Even if for a fast getaway, like we did, going to Onondaga is a worthwhile trip.
