Missouri Caves in History and Legend (Missouri Heritage Readers Series)

Missouri boasts more than six thousand caves in an unbelievable variety of sizes, lengths, and shapes. This grand tour sheds light on the historical significance of caves, corrects misinformation about them, and describes how people have used and abused them. Weaver tells how caves have enriched our knowledge of extinct animals and early Native Americans. Caves were used for burial sites and moonshine stills, as hideouts for Civil War soldiers and outlaws, and even as venues for underground dance parties in the late nineteenth century. Weaver also relates the history of Missouri's show caves and the resulting expansion in tourism. The book covers all counties with recorded caves and includes photos from the author's collection.