Skeleton Cave (Oregon)

Last updated
Skeleton Cave
Skeleton Cave near Bend, Oregon.jpg
Bat gate at the entrance of Skeleton Cave
Location Deschutes County, Oregon
Coordinates 43°57.016′N121°10.638′W / 43.950267°N 121.177300°W / 43.950267; -121.177300 Coordinates: 43°57.016′N121°10.638′W / 43.950267°N 121.177300°W / 43.950267; -121.177300 [1]
Length3,560 feet
Entrances1
DifficultyEasy
AccessMay 1st thru September 30th via private tour [2]

Skeleton Cave is a lava tube within Deschutes County, Oregon, of the United States. The cave is within Deschutes National Forest and is located on the northern flank of Newberry Volcano near the city of Bend. The cave is between 75,000 and 400,000 years old. [3]

Contents

Origin of the name

The cave was first documented by American settlers circa 1924, although a stick was found inside the cave with pencilled markings showing visitation from 1894. Perhaps on that same visit, an illegal moonshiner's still was found inside the cave. [4] [5] At one time the lava tube may have been referred to as Bone Cave [6] but it received its current moniker as Skeleton Cave from Phil Brogan who observed many assorted pieces of skeletons within. [5] One theory put forth by Dr. James W. Gidley, a scientist from the National Museum, claimed all the fossils fell into the cave from cracks in the ceiling created by earthquakes. Gidley believed this because he couldn't fathom why an animal would crawl all the way into the cave to die. [7] The skylight entrance to the cave served as a natural trap in which animals could not escape. Several newspaper accounts note fossils within. The most noteworthy remnants belonged to a horse from the Pleistocene that was later identified as Equus niobrarensis . [8] [9] A bear at least "one third larger than any living species" was also found in the cave. [9] Many other pieces of bone were found inside the cave.

A list of the known skeletal remains include:

History

The cave was surveyed by Walter J. Perry and Phil Brogan using a compass and pace method. They measured a length of 3,036 feet. Perry then later sketched the outline of the cave passage. [12] He noted a side passage at about 1,734 feet into the cave, which was later named the Bear Passage. [5] This same passage is where the majority of the skeletons and bone dust were found. [12] Perry would later be filmed in the cave by MGM and FOX News for a history film about the area. [16]

In a book published by Ronald Greeley of NASA, the cave was surveyed and his map produced a length of 3,300 feet. But it did not include the small portion south of the entrance. [17] In 1971, a complete survey by Jim Nieland discerned a more accurate length of 3,560 feet. Boyd Cave is a part of the same lava flow as Skeleton Cave and trends toward the Bear Passage, also known as the Tributary Tube. [18] [19]

In recent times, the cave, along with others nearby, was evaluated and an environmental impact assessment done. Skeleton Cave in particular had its parking lot relocated to minimize impact to the vegetation and cave resources. A seasonal closure was placed from October 15 to May 1 of every year for bat hibernation. [20] The cave was historically known to be a bat cave (harboring bats) and was possibly mapped by the Bend Commercial club. [6]

Today, Wanderlust Tours is the only company permitted to lead tours through Boyd Cave. [21]

Related Research Articles

Newberry National Volcanic Monument

Newberry National Volcanic Monument was designated on November 5, 1990, to protect the area around the Newberry Volcano in the U.S. state of Oregon. The monument was created within the boundaries of the Deschutes National Forest, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and includes 54,822 acres of lakes, lava flows, and geologic features in central Oregon.

Belknap Crater Shield volcano in the U.S. state of Oregon

Belknap Crater is a shield volcano in the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located in Linn County, it is associated with lava fields and numerous subfeatures including the Little Belknap and South Belknap volcanic cones. It lies north of McKenzie Pass and forms part of the Mount Washington Wilderness. Belknap is not forested and most of its lava flows are not vegetated, though there is some wildlife in the area around the volcano, as well as a number of tree molds formed by its eruptive activity.

Central Oregon Region in Oregon, United States

Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the Columbia River, eastward towards Burns, or south towards Klamath Falls. These three counties have a combined population of 200,431 as of the 2010 census, with Deschutes the largest of the three counties, having approximately four times the population of the other two counties combined. As of 2015, the most populous city in the region is Bend, with an estimated 87,014 residents. As defined by the three county definition, Central Oregon covers 7,833 square miles (20,290 km2) of land. Central Oregon has had 3 record tourism years beginning in 2012. Over 2.2 million people visited Central Oregon in 2012 and again in 2013.

Lava Butte

Lava Butte is a cinder cone in central Oregon, United States, just west of U.S. Route 97 between the towns of Bend, Oregon, and Sunriver, Oregon in Deschutes County. It is part of a system of small cinder cones on the northwest flank of Newberry Volcano, a massive shield volcano which rises to the southeast. The cinder cone is capped by a crater which extends about 60 feet (20 m) deep beneath its south rim, and 160 feet (50 m) deep from the 5,020-foot (1,530 m) summit on its north side. Lava Butte is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

Fort Rock Rock formation in Oregon, United States

Fort Rock is a tuff ring located on an ice age lake bed in north Lake County, Oregon, United States. The ring is about 4,460 feet (1,360 m) in diameter and stands about 200 feet (60 m) high above the surrounding plain. Its name is derived from the tall, straight sides that resemble the palisades of a fort. The region of Fort Rock-Christmas Lake Valley Basin contains about 40 such tuff rings and maars and is located in the Brothers Fault Zone of central Oregon's Great Basin. William Sullivan, an early settler in the area, named Fort Rock in 1873 while searching for lost cattle.

Deschutes National Forest National forest in the U.S. state of Oregon

The Deschutes National Forest is a United States National Forest located in parts of Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and Jefferson counties in central Oregon. It comprises 1.8 million acres (7,300 km2) along the east side of the Cascade Range. In 1908, the Deschutes National Forest was established from parts of the Blue Mountains, Cascade, and Fremont National Forests. In 1911, parts of the Deschutes National Forest were split off to form the Ochoco and Paulina National Forests, and parts of the Cascade and Oregon National Forests were added to the Deschutes. In 1915, the lands of the Paulina National Forest were rejoined to the Deschutes National Forest. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the forest was 348,100 acres (140,900 ha). Within the boundaries of the Deschutes National Forest is the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, containing cinder cones, lava flows, and lava tubes. The Deschutes National Forest as a whole contains in excess of 250 known caves. The forest also contains five wilderness areas, six National Wild and Scenic Rivers, the Oregon Cascade Recreation Area, and the Metolius Conservation Area. Forest headquarters are located in Bend, Oregon. There are local ranger district offices in Bend, Crescent, and Sisters.

Lava River Cave

The Lava River Cave near Bend, Oregon, is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which is managed by the United States Forest Service. At 5,211 feet (1,588 m) in length, the northwest section of the cave is the longest continuous lava tube in Oregon. While the cave's discovery in 1889 was officially credited to a pioneer hunter, the presence of obsidian flakes near the cave has led archaeologists to conclude that Native Americans knew about the cave long before settlers arrived in central Oregon.

<i>The Bulletin</i> (Bend) Newspaper published in Bend, Oregon

The Bulletin is the daily newspaper of Bend, Oregon, United States. The Bulletin is owned by EO Media Group, which prior to January 2013 was named the East Oregonian Publishing Company. Over the years, a number of well-known journalists have been associated with the newspaper.

Oregon Badlands Wilderness

The Oregon Badlands Wilderness is a 29,301-acre (11,858 ha) wilderness area located east of Bend in Deschutes and Crook counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The wilderness is managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of the National Landscape Conservation System and was created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on 30 March 2009.

Horse Lava Tube System A lava tube system located near Bend, Oregon

The Horse Lava Tube System is a series of lava tubes within Deschutes County, Oregon, of the United States. The system starts within the Deschutes National Forest on the northern flank of Newberry Volcano and heads north into and near the city of Bend. The system continues north to Redmond and includes the Redmond Caves. The flow diverts into the Redmond Dry Canyon, where the last known segment is known to exist; however, the basalt flow that created the system goes beyond to Crooked River Ranch and terminates just short of the Crooked River Gorge. The lava flow that created the Horse system is also referred to as the Horse Cave lobe and it filled the ancient channel of the Deschutes River which at that time flowed around the east side of Pilot Butte. The Horse Cave lobe is a part of the basalt of Lava Top Butte which also consists of the Arnold Lava Tube System, the Badlands rootless shield, and the Lava Top butte basalt. All have a geologic age around 80,000 years old.

New Redmond Hotel United States historic place

The New Redmond Hotel is a historic commercial hotel in Redmond, Oregon, United States. The hotel was built in 1928 after the original Redmond Hotel, was destroyed in a fire. It is a three-story Georgian-style brick masonry building located on 6th Street in downtown Redmond. It has been in continuous use as a commercial hotel since it first opened. Today, the New Redmond Hotel is a major landmark in downtown Redmond. Because of its importance to the history of Redmond, the New Redmond Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On August 1, 2019, Soul Community Planet announced that after a two-year, $7 million renovation, The New Hotel Redmond by SCP opened in the Fall of 2019. The 41,000 square-foot, 49-room hotel, was redeveloped in partnership with the city of Redmond. The Rooftop, a 1,500 square-foot rooftop social garden, was added, opened in August. The redevelopment was made possible through a public-private partnership between the city of Redmond and the developer – a partnership managed by Alpha Wave Investors and RevOZ Capital. The city of Redmond, through its Redmond Urban Renewal Agency, provided a $3.53 million investment in the project.

Arnold Lava Tube System

The Arnold Lava Tube System is series of lava tubes in Deschutes County, Oregon, in the United States. It is located several miles southeast of the city of Bend. The system starts in the Deschutes National Forest on the northern flank of Newberry Volcano, heads northeast onto BLM land before finally terminating on private property near Horse Ridge. The system acted as a conduit for the lavas from Lava Top Butte that later fed the Badlands rootless shield. The lava flow that created the Arnold system is also referred to as the basalt of Lava Top Butte and is related to the Horse Cave lobe which is a lava flow that created the Horse Lava Tube System. The lava flows of Lava Top Butte, the Badlands, the Horse system, and the Arnold system all have a geologic age around 80,000 years old.

Phil Brogan American journalist

Philip Francis Brogan was an Oregon journalist and author. He was a reporter, writer, and editor for the Bend Bulletin for 44 years, earning numerous awards for his work. He was also a well known historian, geologist, paleontologist, geographer, meteorologist, astronomer, and outdoorsman. He served as president of the Oregon Geographic Names Board for over twenty years. Brogan wrote East of the Cascades in 1964, an important source of information on the geology, geography, and history of Central Oregon. Phil Brogan Viewpoint near Lava Butte in Newberry National Volcanic Monument is named in his honor.

Oregon High Desert Grotto

The Oregon High Desert Grotto is an American caving club, known as a Grotto. It is affiliated with the National Speleological Society.

Redmond Caves Cave system in Oregon, USA

The Redmond Caves are a group of six lava tubes in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. The caves are located in the city of Redmond and are jointly managed by the city and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Five of the caves are in the Redmond Caves Park and have been known locally for many years. The caves are a part of the Horse Lava Tube System and are the farthest northern extent of the system. The lava flow that created both the Horse system and the Redmond Caves continued into the Redmond Dry Canyon and terminated near Crooked River Ranch. The caves have a geologic age of about 80,000 years.

Derrick Cave

Derrick Cave is a lava tube located in the remote northwest corner of Lake County, Oregon. The cave is approximately 1,200 feet (370 m) long. It is up to 80 feet (24 m) wide and 46 feet (14 m) high in places. It was named in honor of H.E. Derrick, a pioneer rancher with a homestead 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of the cave. The land around the cave is managed by the United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management. Derrick Cave is open to the public year-round; however, camping is no longer permitted in the cave.

Lava bear

The lava bear is a variety of American black bear found in the lava beds of south central Oregon. The animal was described as a very small bear with wooly light brown fur. The few lava bears that were killed or captured were a little larger than a badger. It was once thought to be a separate species. However, scientists who examined the specimens determined that the animals were stunted due to the harsh environment in which they lived. Today, it is acknowledged that lava bears never existed as a unique species.

Boyd Cave is a lava tube within Deschutes County, Oregon, of the United States. The cave is within Deschutes National Forest and is located on the northern flank of Newberry Volcano near the city of Bend.

Cline Buttes Mountains in central Oregon, US

The Cline Buttes are mountains with volcanic origins that form three dome-shaped peaks located in Deschutes County in central Oregon. They are some of the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range. Situated on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the buttes are flanked on the east and west sides by two separate sections of the Eagle Crest Resort. On the highest summit, there is a Federal Aviation Administration site with an aircraft navigation beacon. The mountains have several hiking trails as well as a number of popular mountain bike routes.

Equus niobrarensis is an extinct species of Equus, the genus that includes the horse. E. niobrarensis may be synonymous with Equus scotti. It was "stout-legged" and belonged to the "big horses" category as defined by M. C. Winans. The skull of the horse was noted as being broader than Equus caballus.

References

  1. ↑ Sullivan, William (March 2005). 100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades. Navillus Press. p. 93.
  2. ↑ "Public Cave Access Information". FS.USDA.Gov. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  3. ↑ Donnelly-Nolan, J. M.; Stovall, W. K.; Ramsey, D. W.; Ewert, J. W.; Jensen, R. A. (2011). Hendley II, J. W. (ed.). Newberry Volcano – Central Oregon's Sleeping Giant: USGS Fact Sheet 2011–3145 (PDF). United States Geological Survey.
  4. ↑ Unknown (1924-04-04), "Lava caves explored: Labyrinth believed to exist near Bend", The Oregonian , p. 17
  5. 1 2 3 Larson, Charlie & Jo (1987), Central Oregon Caves, pp. 36–38
  6. 1 2 3 Unknown (1925-01-09), "Charting of Lava Tunnels Labyrinth to be Started with Coming of Spring if Recommendations to Club Accepted", The Bulletin , p. 1, retrieved 2011-01-11
  7. 1 2 Unknown (1929-08-27), "Tale of Prehistoric Earthquakes Read in Cave by National Museum Scientist", Bend Bulletin , pp. 1–2, retrieved 2018-11-10
  8. 1 2 Unknown (1940-12-13), "Teeth Belonged to a Horse Named Equus Niobrarensis", Bend Bulletin , p. 1
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Unknown (1940-11-25), "Ancient Teeth Found in Cave", Bend Bulletin , p. 1, retrieved 2010-09-22
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Unknown (1928-06-06), "Bend Cavern Holds Relics from Pleistocene", Bend Bulletin , p. 1,6, retrieved 2010-09-22
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Freeman, Mike (1989-08-31), "Spelunkers embrace heart of darkness", The Bulletin , p. E1, retrieved 2010-09-22
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Unknown (1928-03-05), "Animals Held in Death Net of Lava Cave", Bend Bulletin , p. 1,5, retrieved 2010-09-22
  13. 1 2 3 4 Unknown (1928-06-28), "Cavern Holds Relics of Past", The Spokesman-Review, p. 6, retrieved 2014-11-29
  14. ↑ Unknown (1924-05-08), "Skull from Cavern named at Institute", Bend Bulletin, p. 1, retrieved 2011-07-06
  15. ↑ Unknown (1924-06-26), ""Pile of Bones" Mystery Explored by the Owner", Central Oregon Press, p. 1
  16. ↑ Unknown (1928-03-08), "Relics of Past Ages Filmed in Bend Cave", The Bulletin , p. 1, retrieved 2011-01-12
  17. ↑ Greeley, Ronald (1971). "Geology of Selected Lava Tubes in the Bend Area, Oregon, Bulletin 71 (Oregon State Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries)" (PDF). p. 47.
  18. ↑ Purcell, David (1977), Guide to the Lava Tube Caves of Central Oregon, p. 53
  19. ↑ "Spelunking in Deschutes County teases out the primordial". bendbulletin.com. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  20. ↑ Schloer Jr., Walter C. (2001-08-30). "Decision Notice And Finding of No Significant Impact For Road 18 Caves Project Environmental Assessment, Deschutes National Forest, Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District, Deschutes County, Oregon". The Bulletin . Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  21. ↑ Axon, Russ (2016). "The World Beneath Bend".
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