Mammoth Cave Curiosities : A Guide to Rockphobia, Dating, Saber-toothed Cats, and Other Subterranean Marvels / Colleen Olson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Olson, Colleen O'Connor, 1966- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Curiosities and wonders--Kentucky--Mammoth Cave--Anecdotes.

Curiosities and wonders.

Mammoth Cave (Ky.)--Anecdotes.

Mammoth Cave (Ky.).

Mammoth Cave (Ky.)--History--Anecdotes.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (265 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Lexington, Kentucky : University Press of Kentucky, 2017.

Summary:

Sir Elton John, blind fish, the original Twinkie, President Ronald Reagan's Secret Service detail, and mummies don't usually come up in the same conversation -- unless you're at Mammoth Cave National Park Home to the earth's longest known cave system, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the oldest tourist attractions in North America. Although this remarkable place has been immortalized in works ranging from Herman Melville's Moby Dick to H. P. Lovecraft's "The Beast in the Cave," the realities of life at Mammoth Cave can be stranger than fiction. In this charming book, Colleen O'Connor Olson takes readers on a tour through a labyrinth of topics. She discusses scientific subjects such as the fossils of prehistoric animals and the secret lives of subterranean critters, and she provides essential information on dating in the cave (the age of rocks and artifacts, not courtship). Olson also explores Mammoth Cave's rich history, covering its use as the world's first tuberculosis sanatorium as well as its operation as a saltpeter mine during the War of 1812, and shares the inspirational story of the park's first female ranger. Throughout, Olson offers up humorous accounts of celebrity visits and astounding adventures and even includes a chapter dedicated to jokes told in the cave over the years. Whether you're visiting the national park, thinking about visiting, or just curious about a place recognized as one of the world's greatest natural wonders, don't miss this delightful guide to the wild and wonderful subterranean world of Mammoth Cave.

Contents:

The Mammoth Cave dating guide (not how to get a date with a Mammoth Cave guide)

Rockphobia: rockfall, earthquakes, and caves

Bones: what's left of exciting but dead animals in Mammoth Cave

Secret lives of cave critters revealed!

The gypsum twinkie connection: and other uses of cave minerals

Prairie park companion: Mammoth Cave National Park's prairie restoration

Prehistoric cavers

Saltpeter: an explosive subject

The cave cure: old and new ideas on the healing powers of caves

Exploring the world's longest cave

The cave wars

Want a 2:00 a.m. cave tour? Come to great onyx!

Cave Guide Coy Hanson: electric lights, the Mammoth Cave Railroad, and other stuff

Lost John: the discovery of a mummy

CCC Boy Fred k. Hanie Jr

Ronald Reagan's visit to Mammoth Cave

Rachel Wilson, a woman in the underground world of men

Nuclear-fallout shelters in Mammoth Cave

The literary mammoth

Celebrities underground

Colossal cave adventure: cave meets computer

Cave jokes: the lowest form of humor.

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-8131-6926-7

0-8131-6927-5

OCLC:

967939357