Signs on barns and buildings along the historic U.S. Route 66 and throughout the Midwest tout Meramec Caverns as the region's must-see attraction, making it impossible to miss when in the area. Somewhere in the Ozark Mountains, close to Stanton, Missouri, are the Meramec Caverns, one of the most entertaining and endearing roadside attractions in the state.
The Meramec Caverns are the most well-known cave in Missouri, drawing in upwards of 150,000 visitors annually, thanks mainly to the fifty or so billboards advertising the site as a tourist destination along Interstate 44. The limestone cave, discovered in 1722, was opened to the public in the mid-1930s by Lester B. Dill, and here's why it's worth visiting today.
Insight Into The Origins Of The Caverns
The Meramec Caverns have been around for 400 million years, forming gradually from limestone deposits. Europeans didn't explore the caves used for centuries as a haven by indigenous people until a French minor came across the first cave in 1722. Meramec Caverns was an Underground Railroad station, reportedly imprisoning thousands of fugitive enslaved people.
In the eighteenth century, saltpeter was mined from the cave to make gunpowder. It's believed that future notorious outlaw Jesse James was among the Confederate insurgents who discovered and destroyed the Union Army's saltpeter facility in the caves during the Civil War. According to local tradition, James, his brother, and accomplice Frank allegedly utilized the caves as a hiding place in the 1870s. Yet there is little proof from the past to back up this custom. A sheriff following the James family supposedly waited outside the cave for Jesse and his gang to emerge, but the outlaws had found an alternate exit.
Lester B. Dill, who also designed the bumper sticker to advertise the caverns, first discovered the expanded cave system in 1933, disclosing the present 4.6 miles (7.4 km), and opened it to the public as a tourist attraction in 1935. The owners of Meramec Caverns, Missouri, rented out a billboard in the caves in 1960 and claimed it to be the first and only underground billboard in the world. Tom Sawyer, a musical film, was shot in and around Meramec Caverns in the middle of that year's summer.
Things To See And Do In The Caves
Meramec Caverns is a fantastic place to see, and the fact that it is so openly infused with legend further adds to the experience. Despite Meramec's relatively modest size, it boasts some of the most sculptural and delicate natural forms of any cave in the world. Among the countless formations in the so-called "upper levels" was the Stage Curtain, as it has become popularly known. The approximately 70-foot-tall 'curtain' was a stunning sight, and the space it stood in became the focal point of Lester Dill's man cave; therefore, the 'Theatre Room' was born. This room currently presents the light and sound show "Greatest Show on Earth."
The Jesse James Hideout, a cave formed when a severe drought in Missouri in 1941 reduced the flow of rivers and streams and the water table, is another of the cavern's fascinations. Since the water level had dropped, air could freely pass between the cave's lowest and highest points, creating a pleasant breeze. Because of the information provided by his cave guides, Lester Dill decided to cross the boundary and explore the new cave system on the other side. The cave was named "Jesse James Hideout" when Dill discovered relics linked to the notorious outlaw Jesse James.
There is a "Wine Room" on the fifth level of Meramec Caverns. Inside is the Wine Table, a unique cave feature with an onyx table top three feet tall and rests on three natural legs. This construction, made of aragonite material, was built almost entirely submerged. Grape-looking clusters, known as botryoids, embellish the Wine Room and Table. The cave claims that the Wine Space got its name not from the grape clusters that used to grace the ceiling but from the "whining" of tourists who found out that they had to climb a long, winding staircase to get there (a total of 58 steps).
Many curious tourists flock to the cavern's Mirror Room to peer into the pool of water just around 1.5 feet (0.46 meters) deep. By reflecting the cavern's ceiling onto the calm surface of the water, several lights can give the impression that the water is considerably deeper than it is, sometimes by as much as 50 feet (15 meters). The Ballroom, located in the cavern system, was first utilized in 1890 and has since been the site of many square dances and other community gatherings. Now, the Lester Family Band plays there a few times a year as one of the Meramec Cavern's first tour stops.
- Meramec Cavern Tour Prices: The cavern tour costs $26.00 per adult, $14.00 per child ages 5 to 11, and children under four are admitted free of charge. There are season pass rates available. Season passes for adults are $35.00. Season passes for youngsters aged 5 to 11 cost $19.00.There is group pricing available for parties of 15 or more. Visit the tour page for details.
- Getting there: Meramec Cavern is located in Stanton, Missouri, about 60 miles west of St. Louis, off Interstate 44, Exit 230.