• Wind Cave National Park - Two Worlds

    Wind Cave

    National Park South Dakota

People

Wind Cave National Park has a colorful history. Many people have been involved in exploring and learning about the cave, protecting and understanding the wildlife, and creating a national park that welcomes all people. Below are a few of the influential voices of Wind Cave National Park.

Early Cave Explorers

Cave Exploration

Homesteaders

Civilian Conservation Corps

The history of the lands on which WCNP now sits form a diverse and deeply layered cultural tapestry. The Home of the Bison: An Ethnographic and Ethnohistorical Study of Traditional Cultural Affiliations to Wind Cave National Park provides readers with insight into how its lands and resources have dynamically changed in the course of a history with different waves of human occupation.

Did You Know?

A picture of Alvin McDonald in his caving hat.

Alvin McDonald was the first systematic explorer of Wind Cave.  He explored the cave from 1890 until his death in 1893. More...