The new construction at the entrance is to protect the cave. A living cave open to tours is an unusual opportunity for visitors  and must be protected from external elements. This huge kettle outside the entrance was used by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War to make gunpowder from the saltpeter found in the cave.

     The large rotunda was carved by water rushing through the cave. The first layer of smoke stains have been dated to 300 B.C. using the Carbon 14 process and were made by prehistoric inhabitants of the cave. 

     This formation, called the "Liberty Bell" for obvious reasons, is colored by iron oxide and hematite.  When hematite gets old, it turns black and is sometimes used as a semi-precious stone in jewelry. 

   The Garden of the Gods area contains stalactites and stalagmites of every type known in the world. This is one of the most colorful cavern scenes in North America.

     These drapes are made by water flowing down the sides of a stalactite instead of evenly down all sides of the formation. They are extremely fast growing -- about three times faster than ordinary stalactites. These are also called elephant ears or tobacco leaves. 

     This formation is sometimes called "a worm's eye view of a carrot patch." They start out as two or three small stalactite formations growing together and gradually fuse into one large formation. The color comes from the mineral in the water.

   The statue of Christ was carved of Carrera white marble in Carrera, Italy, from a sketch furnished by world famous artist, George Fisher. This statue was placed in the Cathedral Room.

     The soda straw formation has a small hole on the underside. It forms when water comes through clay, collecting chemicals. When it comes through a tiny hole in the ceiling, it spreads out and evaporates, leaving a circle of minerals on the ceiling. Gravity pulls the drip into a long shape and the center stays hollow.

     One of the rarest of all cave formations, boxwork forms when a crack appears in a clay-covered ledge. Water and minerals seep in and harden. When the clay is washed away, the formation is left. 

     This room is the highest point in the cave. The crack in the columns was caused during the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812. The columns are probably over 4 million years old and were formed when stalactites and stalagmites met.

   The cathedral chimes, part of the cathedral room, make beautiful music when struck with a padded stick.

At each turn of this world famous cavern, there is a different view giving emphasis to the idea of "many caves in one."

     The lowest point in the tour, this room is 95 feet below the surface, under the blacksmith's red barn up above in Mountain Village 1890. The room is 600 feet from the entrance.