Wind Cave National Park - Cave Exploration - 1959 NSS Wind Cave Expedition (U.S. National Park Service)

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	Wind Cave National Park Cave Exploration - 1959 NSS Wind Cave Expedition

Cave Exploring Gets Organized

Click picture to link to the expedition's report.

The National Speleological Society conducted an official expedition to Wind Cave in 1959. It was led by Robert F. Brown. Although the trip was intended to be of a preliminary nature and lasted only 10 days, more surveying and scientific research was conducted during these 10 days then all other previous times.

1959 Wind Cave Expedition

Drawing of a Wind Cave Cross-section Done by the 1959 Wind Cave Expedition.

Approximately 3 miles of cave were mapped. A good portion of this was the resurvey of tour routes, but it also included a large section of the northwest part of the cave including the surveys of places such as: the Attic, Plummer’s Pit, the Bishop Fowler’s Loop, and Brown Canyon.

During the expedition and with additional months of laboratory work, enough information was collected and analyzed to permit a complete study of the cave’s mineralogy, a reconnaissance of the cave’s fauna, and a preliminary account of the cave’s geology.

Scientist in Training

Expedition member Stewart Peck won the High School National Science Fair for his work on the biology of Wind Cave done during the 1959 NSS Expedition.

Stewart Peck

Peck with his science project at the National Science Fair in 1959.

Dr. Stewart Peck

Dr. Peck today, professor of biology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

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			Did You Know? With more than 129 miles (208 kilometers) of explored passages, Wind Cave is the 4th longest cave in the world. The cave is still being explored.

Last Updated: May 03, 2007 at 15:33 EST