Nickajack Cave

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nickajack Cave is one of the most historically interesting caves in Tennessee. It is located in Marion County, approximately 20 miles west of Chattanooga.

[edit] Overview

The book "Caves Of Tennessee" by Thomas C. Barr, Jr. (1961) give the following description of Nickajack Cave:

"Nickajack Cave is one of the most famous caverns in Tennessee. It was used as a shelter by Indians and river pirates, was mined for saltpeter, was shelled by Federal troops during the Civil War, and has had a rather unsuccessful commercial history. Many tales of its tremendous length, especially of the "lost" upper level now supposedly blocked by a rockslide, have arisen; these are probably unfounded. Nevertheless, the cave is a most impressive one, and the huge mouth is probably the largest cave entrance in the eastern United States. It is 140 feet wide and 50 feet high, and it is possible to drive automobiles a short distance into the cave. The stream is dammed up at the entrance to create a fishing lake."

"A short distance from the mouth the cave is nearly 200 feet wide, with a floor of dry, mud-covered areas, broken rocks, and the large cave stream flowing below. In a short distance the pasage narrows to about 60 feet wide and 20 feet high and extends south-southwest for 2,100 feet to a large room 300 feet long, 90 feet high, and 125 feet wide. There are many broken rocks on either side of this room, and the stream flows through the middle. Beyond the breakdown the cave forks. One branch is 325 feet long and trends southwest. It has several side branches, mostly crawls, and a cutoff back to the stream channel."

"The other fork, actually a continuation of the main cave though above the stream level, extends southeast through the breakdown, following the stream for 50 yards into a dry, sandy passage 30 feet wide and 8 feet high. This large avenue runs for 850 feet to the Bat Room, which is a low breakdown chamber 30 feet wide and 90 feet long. Beyond the Bat Room a crawlway 8 feet wide, 16 inches high, and 210 feet long leads to the final room of the cave, a chamber 35 feet high, 40 feet wide, and 100 feet long. Many attractive formations are developed in this room, including several large draperies and a huge flowstone formation--"Mr. Big"--which is 60 feet high and 75 feet in diameter."

"The total length of the main cave is thus only about 3,500 feet. A network of small passages, southeast of the main passage, is accessible by two or three openings 300 yards from the mouth of the cave. About 1,500 feet of pasages were explored in this section."

"Nickajack Cave extends beneath Jackson County, Alabama, and probably also Dade County, Georgia. The extensive breakdown a half mile from the mouth coincides with Barton Hollow, which crosses the cave in Alabama."

Country music singer/songwriter Gary Allan wrote a song on his Tough All Over album, entitled "Nickajack Cave." It tells of the late Johnny Cash's trip to the cave, finding the Lord, ergo becoming His servant as "The Man in Black."

Today Nickajack Cave is a National Wildlife Refuge and houses a large colony of endangered bats. Visitors may take Highway 156 west from Exit 161 of Interstate Highway 24 for 5 miles to the entrance to the Maple View Recreation Area and Nickajack Cave Wildlife Refuge. From the parking area, it is a 0.2 mile hike on a well-marked trail to the cave entrance. An observation deck allows visitors to view the cave entrance and to observe the bat flights, in season.

[edit] Nickajack Dam

In 1964, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began construction of a new dam about one mile downstream from Nickajack Cave. By 1967 this dam (Nickajack Dam) was complete and the lake (Nickajack Lake) backed up into the mouth of Nickajack Cave, leaving only the top half of the entrance visible. Despite this, the cave entrance can still be seen from nearby State Route 156.