The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-01
STRANGE CAVE NEAR FLORENCE
May Have Been Dug by Mormons IL
Western Exodus.


Among the wonders o. Douglas eoun-
" which have an attraction alont: his
toric lines, there are probably none OF
more interest than the cave on the
John Tideman place, halfway over the
hill 10 the northwest o. PrieS' lake.
The cave il not one formed by nature
and for this reason IT. attracts more
than ordinary interest. Tbs story OF
it, origin as told by old residents of
Florence and It's vicinity is to the Ell
~ thai it was made and used by
horse thieveG in the early Sos. How
CVe.. when /. il remembered that there
were no horses TO steal in this par of
Nebraska, or in fact ins this part OF the
United States a. tina. early date, it
seems that this claim can not be SUBJ
stantiated with any degree OF certainty.
Tho cave Il situated at the mouth of
Q ravine about midway 10 the top OF
ridge which falls in rattle: sudden de-
eliyity just TO the north OF the Tideman
dwelling. ItG mouth facel the east,
where drifting into the hillside ia the
cavs'a mouth on level with the floor.
When p World-Herald man visited the
cave few days ago, Mr.. Tideman,
armed with {. lantern tool: him through
the cavern. and thus described it:
When / first became the owner of
this place in 1888. the caves entrance
was higher up the hill than 1t il now.
Flo: convenience in getting i'm and out
Gu. this entrance. The old entrance
lee downward. Neither ! nor any of
tho former owners OF the place know
anything OF its origin. II has always
been the belief of people living near
here that it waa originally built by
horse thieves. and was used by them
ad g place for concealing stolen horses.
But that story might have originated
from the fact that about forty years
ago two horse thieves were caught
near here, and were taken TO Omaha.
They were brought back here and were
hanged TO G. tree which il still standing
and Is known today az Hangman'a
tree.
Abou. year and half ago two Nor
mon missionaries came here and looked
at the cave. They seemed to be OF
the belief that it wad originally dug by
thu early Mormon settlers IN this
neighbOThooc. and that il was used as
{. place o. refuge by them.
The temperature ii normally about
- degree3 above zero in summer.
Hanging from its roof are fibrous
roots and spider webs, both o. which
are covered with drops o. condensed
moisture. which sparkle In tho Ian
terms light like diadems. The cave
ascenda TO the surface OF the ground
II is. claimed that this aperture was
used as means OF entrance when the
mouth o. the cave was closed The
writer Waa under the impression that
II had been originally intended al an
outlet for the smoke OF a fire when
thu cave had beer used as q dwelling
IN winter by the MormOns But either
explanation OF ita use Is mere conjec-
tur', and both theories may be wrong
The cave turns To the right at the
point where tire opening through the
root occurs, runs abou. twenty yards
toward the north and turning, winds
hacE close to the original entrance.
The roof and sides OF the cave are
continually falling. M. Tideman says
every heavy thunderstorm: brings down
g lot OF the loose material through
which the cave is cut
About g milo northeast OF the Tide
man cave. along tho bottom road,
north OF Prizes, lake, q small canyon
cuts into the bluffs. Tho canyon is one
o. the innumerable pTimeval valleys
which abound in tha neighborhood
The place is said to derive its name
from an attempt upon the part of
Brigham Young to find q vein OF cop
per supposed to lie somewhere under
the bluffs. Be this as it may today
there can be- found in tho canyon the
mouth o: & shaft which had been sunk
years ago.
People living in the neighborhood OF
Florenca and it1 northern environ
inentc, claim there IL some connection
between the parties who originally
made the cave and the shaft
The cave on tho Tideman farm is
decorated with tiny wax candles which
are standing in inches in the walls.
These candles gre used as a part of
the initiation into q so-called Greek
letter fraternity OF the Omaha High
school and the cave is tho place where
the initiation In held.