In 1880, Thomas and some friends descended and entered a chamber large enough for a man to up inside. The hole was about eight feet wide and twenty-five feet deep. Thomas owned the piece of property south of the Missouri Pacific Railroad track on which this cave stood. “One of these drainage pits was large enough to he seen quite clearly.
Once the was cleared away and the projecting fragments of stone debris were removed, a hole usually was found. Apparently, the accumulation of leaves, branches and litter indicated that rainwater washed into the depression and disappeared below. Sinkholes filled with debris and giving the appearance of large, shallow dents in otherwise level areas warranted investigation. One recommendation was to observe sinkholes. “In the 1880s, an instructional pamphlet offered tips on locating caves in the Ellendale area. Looking for the best way to dispose of waste, the residents turned to the region’s caves for a solution. Moreover, the area lacked a good sewage system. These early suburbanites were drawn to the area by the availability of rapid transit, but soon discovered that the River Des did not accommodate the increasing population’s demand for water. Nevertheless, this was a necessary service in the southwest part of the city, drainage and sewage disposal were severe problems, especially for early residents of Oak Hill, Cheltenham, Clifton Heights, Benton Ellendale. “The most unpleasant function for the caves was sewage disposal. Since I have a great interest in the history of this area I want to cite their treatment of these natural caves: However, there is a short section at the end of the book that deals with caves used for drainage, and here they speak about the Dogtown area where I live. The Democratic party held its 1916 convention there, and the Republics were there in 1928.Īs I mentioned at the outset, the bulk of the book concerns the brewery caves. Here Enrico Caruso sang, Johnny Weismueller swam and Bill Tilden played tennis. Perhaps the most popular of all the caves was the Coliseum Cave, and the Coliseum building built over it at the corner of Washington and Jefferson.
It had nightly operatic music, a skating rink and parts of the cave were used to raise mushrooms! It became quite popular in the latter part of the 19th century. Uhrig’s Cave, very close to today’s Union Station also had an underground beer garden. It ran like crazy from me, but I’m quite sure I was much more frightened by it than it by me! Helene’s Cloud Forest, a mountain area of Costa Rica, a few years ago and I frightened a peccary on this little dirt trail I was following. I remember walking alone in a remote area of the St. It is the northern most location peccary remains have ever been discovered in North America. There is a long chapter on the Cherokee Cave which was opened to the public in the 1950s and 60s as a tourist attraction and had been an underground beer garden in the late 19th century.Įarly on some rare peccary bones (a pig-like animal) were found in this cave. One carried hot water, another cold water and the third carried draft beer! Now that’s some luxury, though I would prefer a pipe carrying a decent cabernet sauvignon! I was especially delighted to read that the Lemps’ personal home had three large pipes coming into it from the cave. One of the primary caves they discuss was the huge Lemp Cave over the top of that brewery. Happily for me this last section included some stories of caves in my own Dogtown neighborhood. Louis brewery caves, other smaller caves and caves used for other purposes than storing beer. The primary focus is on brewery caves, primarily of the southeast part of the city, but they include some north St. This volume, written in 1964, catalogues a 30 year period of this interest and exploration. Hubert and Charlotte Rother were interested in and explorers of St.
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