Where is mcdougals cave

My mother in law was the first female to tour the pristine new discovery. She was 26 years old. Many stories over the years have been told about the early years. Still today someone will come to me and mention how they would play in Mark Twain Cave. From the s to late s Granddad and Uncle Arch would let kids from town play in the cave but could not interfere with any paying customers.

At first, it was Granddad, Uncle Arch and a few other men who lived down here in Cave Hollow who were the tour guides. Granddad passed away in and Uncle Arch who was working here too k the reins. Uncle Arch and Aunt Tillie had no children so every child in Hannibal was their child. He too , would l et th em play and be a Tom Sawyer or a Huckleberry Finn as long as they did not interfere with tourists. By my husband , hi s brother and cousin were old enough to help out at the cave. My husband Jim would tell that Uncle Arch would let him at the age of 14 drive the pick-up to the dairy for ice cream and to get soda and potato chips from small producers here in Hannibal.

After Uncle Arch passed away in His grandson, Bob Bogart and wife Joan managed the cave for the remaining elderly aunts. By the early s other buildings were built to include a Rock Shop, small restaurant, and a much larger building that was built to be a mini-mall. By the end of the s Bob had passed away. I have always said that it seems like when you retire from your first job now it is time to start another career at the cave.

That was what happened to Bob Bogart , he was winding down a career as an engineer at th e cement plant. Jim had just retired from practicing medicine for 35 years. Robert Coleberd, st ill president of his oil field data firm in California. Now in this millennia Jim has passed away and thus it leaves Robert my brother in law and me. We continue to make great improvem e nts to the property. It i s very beautiful down here in Cave Hollow.

The la s t and most notable addition i s a winery. It was put in the building that was to be a mini-mall. Also, we age cheese in the cave and was first distributed along the east coast and now working its way through the Midwest. What is next? Mark Twain Cave i s the o lde st show-cave in Missouri. It will carry on in the same historic tradition for generations to come.

So in a trickle-down effect that i s how you own a cave! What is less well known is the story of the cave itself. Discovered in the winter of or by Jack Simms, the cave became notorious during the 's, after its purchase by Dr. Joseph Nash McDowell. In , McDowell put a wooden door on the cave, and locked it. This behavior aroused local curiosity, and it soon came to light that the doctor, in addition to his apparent ability as a surgeon, was quite interested in experiments and research on cadavers.

This extended to methods of preservation, and one of his most macabre experiments involved suspending a copper and glass flask containing the body of his 14 year old daughter in the cave. Once the locals found out, such a commotion was raised that the body was removed a year or so later.

McDowell aligned himself with the Southern cause during the Civil War, and stockpiled guns and ammunition at his medical college in St. This gave rise to rumors of a munitions "stash" in his cave, although this was never proven.

We are located approximately one mile south of Hannibal on scenic Highway Your first stop will be at our main Gift Shop where you will purchase your tickets, souvenirs, books and gather any information you may need and begin your tour.

Our experienced guides will escort you on a 60 minute tour of the cave where the walkways are smooth and there are no steps. The cave is not wheelchair accessible due to its natural state. Cameron Cave is a 1 hour and 30 minute flashlight tour open from April through October. A professional guide will navigate the maze-like layout of the cave with you, as you explore and experience a cave preserved in its natural state just as it was discovered in