Reference no. 956 Discovery 1849 | Access Show cave Phone +1 866-762-2837 | |
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Similar Moaning Cavern, Black Chasm Cave, Mercer Caverns, Sierra Nevada, Natural Bridges Trailhead | ||
California caverns
California Cavern is a Limestone cave in the Sierra Nevada foothills, in Cave City, Calaveras County, California.
Contents
The series of interconnected caverns are one of the earliest officially recorded caves in the Mother Lode region of California. Although one of numerous caves in the Mother Lode region, California Caverns claims the distinction of having the most extensive system of caverns and passageways.
California caverns tight group
History
The cave was discovered by Captain Joseph Taylor in 1849 or 1850. He opened it for public tours, making it the first show cave in California. Taylor named it Mammoth Cave but by 1894 it was known as Cave City Cave. During some downtime while not prospecting for gold, local folklore affirms Captain Taylor found the entrance to the cave by accident while setting up target practice.
California Cavern was the first to be operated as a tourist attraction in the Sierras. Early visitors included Bret Harte, Mark Twain, and John Muir, who wrote about his visit in his 1894 book, The Mountains of California.
The caverns are registered as California Historical Landmark #956.