Kickapoo Indian Caverns

Kickapoo Crystal Cavern - Goblin Cave

Useful Information

Location:	On State Highway 60, 24 km south-east of Prarie du Chein. ()
Open:	One day per year. [2024]
Fee:	Adults USD . [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	T=11 °C, L=426 m.
Guided tours:	D=90 min.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Kickapoo Indian Caverns, Scenic Highway 60, 54850 Rhein Hollow Rd, Wauzeka, WI 53826-8674, Tel: +1-608-875-7723.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1800s	first mentioned in miners reports.
1923	knwon as Goblin Cave.
1947	visitor center built.
04-JUL-1947	opened to the public.
1980s	renovation, new electric light.
2007	cave closed, reopening unclear.
2011	reopened.

Description

The cave is today known as Kickapoo Cavern, unfortunately there is another cave of that name in Texas, and so we left the listing unchanged, just to keep the two apart. The cave was purchased by Mississippi Valley Conservancy to protect the caves, bats and habitat. They researched the stuff which was told by the former, commercial owners and actually found a completely different story. Their intention is to save the cave and wildlife, not to earn money, which is definitely quite refreshing. Unfortunately, there is only one tour per year, so it is actually not a show cave any more. To make the whole story clearer, we decided to tell the story chronologically. For the current status, please scroll down.

The cave was discovered in the 1800s by miners, who were digging holes prospecting for valuable resources. Kickapoo Indian Cavern was a shelter for native Indians for centuries. The adjacent Native American Museum tells much about this long history. The usage of the cave by Kickapoo Indians for at least 500 years is asumed. But the earliest records of the cave date from the early 1800's, when it was mentioned in reports of prospecting lead miners.

The Kickapoo are a tribe of Algonquian stock, closely related to the Sauk and Foxes. The word Kickapoo is an Algoquin word meaning "moving about" or "flitting", so the Kickapoo are the "roamers", they were known for their roving and adventurous nature. However, it has nothing to do with the fact that they ceded all their lands in Illinois and Indiana between 1809 and 1819, removing first to Missouri, then to Kansas, and at last most of them moved to Mexico.

The cave had lately various probems with increasing costs, with decreasing numbers of visitors, and the problem to find good guides. So the owner closed the cave in 2007. As we hear it was reopened lately by the owner, an old lady. She, her husband and their daughter owned the cave since the 1980s and renovated it at this time. A visitor described her to us as cantankerous, opinionated, and rather garrulous. Obviously the best conditions for an enjoyable cave tour, highly recommended!