Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-04-25
MORRISON CAVE
ONE OF NATIONS
GREAT WONDERS
DESIGNATED AS STATE PARK IN
1911 BUT ONLY RECENTLY
COME INTO IT'S OWN

east of whitehall 40 years ago nc
investigated, and thus was discOv-
cred one Of the nations natural
wonders-MOrrisOn cave.
Morrison cave, a state park sine
1911 has only come into its own" Il
the last few years. improvements OF
the interior of the cave and to tn
area Immediately surrounding 1t hav'
made this work OF nature another o
the vests beauty spots and added
weight to Montana's claim as vaca'
ton playground.
BIOLOGISTS and other experts on cave
formations have marVeled at MORRISON
and labeled it one of the most beauti-
full and stupendous caves, though mol
the largest, in the world. Park author1-
ties have characterized the cavern, be-
cause of its weird formations and fan
tastic beauty. as rival OF two better
known caves-Mammoth cave in Ken
lucky and the Carlsbad caverns IN
New Mexico.
The Montana cave was officially
dedicated as a state park only last June.
Although Morrison cave has been
known as an underground attraction
since Morrison's discovery in 1902. 1t
has only gained national, or for that
matter statewide. attention in the last
six or seven years. Development OF the
state park by the civilian conservation
corps and the national park service
has at last brought about this belated
notice
Major attractions Of the cave itself
are It's displays of stalactites, stalag-
mites, flowstones, helectites and clus-
terites which fill the many rooms
Principal among these rooms are Ca
thedral, Bridal Chamber, Fairy Castle,
Big Spring, Brownies Battlefield and
Paradise. The formations within the
cavern include the natural door, seven
dvarfs, the altar, the fountain, the fall
en- idol and Empire State, formation
resembling the famous New York city
building.
Mountain Peaks Look Down
Outside the cave lie lush valleys and
majestic mountain peaks. Picnic
grounds are available on the park
grounds and a lodge and concession
building stands below the cave en-
trance.
At present only half the caves known
area is open to the public and in
cluded in the hourly guided tours con-
Quoted during the tourist season. But
in this portion OF the cave, work by
the CCC and the park service has
made a trip through the cavern COM
Portable as well as enjoyable.
Trails, steps, bridges and ladders
have been constructed to give the tour
list an easy trip through the grotto, but
at the same time these improvements
were made in such way as to main
tain as much of the caves natural
beauty as possible ALI passages and
rooms are now well-lighted. One Of the
greatest improvements within the cave
is a 538-foot long tunnel constructed
by the CCC. 1t was a nine-month job
cutting the tunnel through solid lime
stone, but as a result visitors are able
to leave the cavern by a separate .
route than they entered and it saves
the effort Of long climb back up TO !
the entrance.
The phenomena within the cave were
formed by water dripping through the I
limestone mountain. In seeping through \
The ground the water becomes charged :
with carbonic acid from decaying vege-
tation and dissolves the limestone Of Il
which the ceiling and walls of the 1
cave are composed. Slowly seeping :
water has formed the stalactites on the :
telling and the more rapidly dripping o
water formed the stalagmites on the s
floor. In many places the stalactites E
and stalagmites have grown together
md formed columns from floor to cell a
ng. Cascades of flowstone crystals and j
a coined word for grape +
ike displays, are found profusely in
he cave 7
The cave itself is a result of violent
lpheavals which fractured or faulted N
The layer of limestone which was then
subjected to water erosion. Great a.
ooulders in the cave offer evidence of O.
earth disturbances after the cave had =
been formed. 81
Morrison Spent Thousands E
Even before the improvements of e
recent years were made, Dan Morrison
'pent thousands of dollars developing 81
he cavern. =
When he discovered the small open o.
ng to the cave, Morrison and his Fl
brother, George, started exploring the :
Interior. The first look into the cave u
vas taken by two ex-seamen Morrison q,
Employed and lowered, by means of
'opes and rope ladders, about 300 feet. =
The cavern was explored this far and Fc
he walls and side chambers exam
ned by candlelight. The two men de- an
cribed the beauty Of the cave so Wv 20
Oily that Morrison and a party of M
biologists descended for look about. -
That look was enough to launch ~
Morrison on a development program an
which continued as long as the onetime an
,roSpector and mining company Off M Az
ial had control Of the area. Twenty HI
wo flights of heavy wooden stairs were
by Morrison at a cost of be-
ween five and ten thousand dollars. Pc
The materials for these stairs we're
,rought from the railroad below on 30
he backs Of men. Up the steep. rough cC
ath the planks and boards were car !
led and after being lowered into the pri
ave the carpentry work was done nm -
erground by men suspended in sings " W
this way over 1000 feet of stairway H
as built. Many Of the small entrances $
ere enlarged during these early de- 81
elopments. ~,
urned Over to Government ,
After developing the cave Morrison rec
1Dlipd for T1atnflt ht,t fl,o