Hell Canyon Overlook by the Historic Entrance

Image of Jan Conn Exploring Jewel Cave National Monument

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Custer, SD

Significance:

A part of Jewel Cave National Monument

Designation:

National Monument

Amenities

3 listed

Audio Description, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information

An Age of Exploration 

On September 12, 1962, U.S. President John F. Kennedy addressed Rice University on the importance of exploration, orating to the crowded Rice University Stadium that “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things too, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.“ While JFK was highlighting celestial discovery, his impactful words were instrumental in inspiring an entire generation into the unknown, including into cave systems such as Jewel Cave National Monument.

Herb and Jan Conn

In 1946, 16 years prior to JFK’s original charge for discovery, former U.S. Department of Navy electrical engineer Herb Conn, and his spouse, Jan Conn, left Washington, D.C. intending to settle in the mountainous Colorado. However, after working an assortment of odd jobs from 1946 through 1949, including at resorts, factories, a furniture manufacturer, and a venetian blind company, the couple was persuaded to settle four miles outside of Custer, South Dakota.

Here, purchasing 20 acres of land, the Conns pursued their passion, rock climbing, originally discovered on the cliffs of the Potomac. While in the borderlands between the West and the Midwest, Jan Conn became the first female to ever climb Devils Tower without the use of the stake ladder.
Three years prior to JFK’s impactful speech, in 1959, geologist and caver Dwight Deal invited Herb and Jan Conn to come into Jewel Cave with him. The tandem replied that they would try “once.” The skeptical Conns previously were exposed to caving in West Virginia; however, the couple fell in love with Jewel Cave and repeatedly came back.

From 1959 through 1979, Herb and Jan mapped approximately 62.36 miles of Jewel Cave National Monument. In their critical work, the Conns discovered many of the main passages seen by visitors today. This includes the Scenic Tour Route in 1961. However, the Conns did more than just discover the Scenic Tour Route; they also recommended the region to the National Park Service for a new tour. Going above and beyond, Herb Conn also designed the lighting system that is currently utilized throughout the Scenic Tour today, as well as assisted in constructing of the Scenic Tour cave trails.

What inspired the Conns to further their caving trips in Jewel Cave was the challenge of the unknown, just as JFK outlined in his Rice University speech. Of particular interest to the Conns was the process of surveying as well as measuring complex passageways deep underground, where very few people have ever been.

• An Age of Exploration

  
  

  Learn about early cave explorers Herb and Jan Conn and their time in the area.

  Date created:

  09/16/2025

  Audio Transcript

  On September 12, 1962, U.S. President John F. Kennedy addressed Rice University on the importance of exploration, orating to the crowded Rice University Stadium that “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things too, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win . “ While JFK was highlighting celestial discovery, his impactful words were instrumental in inspiring an entire generation into the unknown, including into cave systems such as Jewel Cave National Monument.

  
  In 1946, 16 years prior to JFK’s original charge for discovery, former U.S. Department of Navy electrical engineer Herb Conn, and his spouse, Jan Conn, left Washington, D.C. intending to settle in the mountainous Colorado. However, after working an assortment of odd jobs from 1946 through 1949, including at resorts, factories, a furniture manufacturer, and a venetian blind company, the couple was persuaded to settle four miles outside of Custer, South Dakota.

  Here, purchasing 20 acres of land, the Conns pursued their passion, rock climbing, originally discovered on the cliffs of the Potomac. While in the borderlands between the West and the Midwest, Jan Conn became the first female to ever climb Devils Tower without the use of the stake ladder.

  
  Three years prior to JFK’s impactful speech, in 1959, geologist and caver Dwight Deal invited Herb and Jan Conn to come into Jewel Cave with him. The tandem replied that they would try “once.” The skeptical Conns previously were exposed to caving in West Virginia; however, the couple fell in love with Jewel Cave and repeatedly came back.

  
  From 1959 through 1979, Herb and Jan mapped approximately 62.36 miles of Jewel Cave National Monument. In their critical work, the Conns discovered many of the main passages seen by visitors today. This includes the Scenic Tour Route in 1961. However, the Conns did more than just discover the Scenic Tour Route; they also recommended the region to the National Park Service for a new tour. Going above and beyond, Herb Conn also designed the lighting system that is currently utilized throughout the Scenic Tour today, as well as assisted in constructing of the Scenic Tour cave trails.

  What inspired the Conns to further their caving trips in Jewel Cave was the challenge of the unknown, just as JFK outlined in his Rice University speech. Of particular interest to the Conns was the process of surveying as well as measuring complex passageways deep underground, where very few people have ever been.