Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1921-05-13
SHOSHONE ICE CAVE

derS as does tnat portion OF the great
Snake River Valley which lies near and
is tributary to the city of Shoshone,
Idaho.
Many Of these great natural wonders
are comparatively unknown to the citi-
zens of Idaho, Notwithstanding the fact
that they can easily be reached by short
automobile drives over the excellent
highways of this county.
One of the most remarkable Of these
wonders is the Shoshone Ice Cave
which is located about eighteen (1S)
miles north Of Shoshone on the state
highway running from Shoshone to
HALEY (the Zimmerman Hill route)
and about a mile and half in south
erly direction from a point on said
highway where the great beds of broken
lavo came down so close to Big Wood
River that it leaves only an opening a
wide enough for a good automobile
road. On reaching these lava fields it
Is necessary 10 abandon the automobile
and make the balance Of the trip on
foot.
The country imediatelpsurrounding
the ice cave is one Of Idaho's Natural
Parks filled with countless fantastic
formation and wierd scenery. 1t con
tains a wonderful crater Of an extinct
volcano surrounded with great masses
of black lava and volcanic ash, broken
and scattered about from its titanic
explosion. In other places appear great
cayerns hundreds of feet across and OF
varying depths; some Of them never
having been sounded. 1t is section OF
country similar TO the Valley Of the
Neon" recetly described in the Sunday
Statesman.
The entrance to the cave Is marked
by monument constructed Of a pile
OF rock some four or five feet inheight.
There is only one other rock monu--
ment in the immediate vicinity mad it
is about one-fourth of a mile further
north and marks the entrance to cave
which tradition says is a famous rob-
bers cave where there is still buried
Eighty Thousand Dollars in gold dus..
The entrance to the ice cave is about
thirty feet below the level Of the sur
rounding country but can be reached
by an easy descent. The first chamber
Of the cave is in reality simply an al
cove formed by overhanging rock and
about thirty TO forty feet in width by
fifteen TO twenty feet in depth. The
ice which forms the floor Of the first
chamber can easily be seen while
standing outside in a bright sunshine
of a hot summer day. At the right
hand side of this chamber there is
tunnel some six feet in width ami four
or five feet in heighth which extends
back about fifteen feet further. At
point there is an abrupt drop OF about
eighteen feet. The descent can be
made by means Of a rope or of alddder. /
The descent is made over a solid mass
Of ice and on reaching the bottom you
find yourself in one of the most beauti- !
full portions of the entire cavern. Large 1
icicles hang from the ceiling and the
side walls arc covered with thick lay
ers of frost CRYSTALS massed in a most
beautiful and fantastic form. From /
here on to the end OF the caves the
remains almost stationary
the year round. Part of the year the
thermometer reaches a trifle above the
freezing point and a part Of the year a =
trifle below the freezing point. From 4
this point one takes a toboggan slide i
down a slick icy incline for about 20
feet and arrives at the largest chamber
II the cave. 1t is approximately thirty /
feet wide and about one hundred feet /
ong The beautiful arched ceiling
covered here and there with ice crystals !
Is probably fifteen feet in height. The
floor is level and covered with ice.
From April on to July there is usually
more or less water on the floor in this
particular chamber and during that
period of the year it is necessary to
wade through water varying from three
10 four inches up to a foot in depth in
)rder to reach the next chamber. The
lext and last chamber is about three
'eet higher in elevation than the main
chamber and runs almost at right an
yles to the main chamber. 1t also has
. floor of ice and more less ice crys-
ais the walls and ceiling. At the
ear end ( this chamber further prog
-ess is stopped by solid wall OF crys
al clear ice which completely fills the
.hanber and is Of unknown thickness.
rhe face of this wall of ice is about
wentyfive feet wide and about fifteen
eet in height.
A detailed description of the beauties
f this cave could only be written by
oct. 1t is one of natures wonders and
hould be visited by every citizen Of
daho. II this cave was located in the I
,astern states and was advertised as J
MY that section Of the country knows
ow to advertise, crowds would flock {
lere every day and pay fabulous prices
II the privilege of inspecting it.
we have often heard II said that in
1is cave ice accumulates in the sum
lertime and melts in the winter. To !
certain extent this is correct but in =
sality the total mass of ice begins to
ecrease in June and continues to
ecrease very slowly until about
ecember. Then the process is rever =
"A and the freezing for the next six d
onths. C
Many theories have been advanced G.
10 the cause of the ice in these cI
.ves but geologists who have made p
study of this question seem to De
lanimous in their opinion that there al
no chemical action which would ST
count for the ice. Their theory is 81
at during the winter while the at 3
osphere is at very low tempera- nj
re the cold air from the outside d'
tiles down into the caves and pushes as
e warm air out through cracks and tr
evices in the side walls and roofs Of st