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| Interesting rock formations fill Eagle Cave, Wisconsin. |
The tour at the commercially-operated cave heads through 3000 feet of passageways on four different levels.
To reach the cave, from Richland Center take County Hwy. Q west out of town. Go left/south on County Hwy. E then left/west onto Eagle Cave Road. At Cavern Lane, turn right/west and park in the lot at the road’s end. Walk to the gift shop for tour tickets.
Two hunters discovered the cave in 1849 when a bear chased them during winter. As the entrance was easy to find, once news about the cave spread, it became a popular destination. Almost a century later, in 1937, it became Wisconsin’s first commercially owned and operated cave.
Several large rooms and formations can be seen on the tour. Always be sure to look up, though, as you’re likely to see onyx.
Onyx forms when a liquid solution of limestone rehardens as it dries out. It looks a lot like milky glass and can be several inches thick as it clings to the ceilings and formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, and ribbons.
Like others in the region, the cave formed when hard shells were deposited at the bottom of a sea floor. As covered by more shells and sediment, the layers over millions of years hardened into limestone. Natural acids in the groundwater dissolved the limestone, creating passages and rooms. A testament to the power of acidic groundwater are the cave’s several large limestone blocks – some as massive as 50 x 10 x 12 feet – that have fallen from the ceiling. The acidic water created fractures that weakened the underlying blocks’ connection to the ceiling, gravity did the rest.
The cave is a constant 52 degrees, so a sweatshirt or jacket is needed
Tours are offered Memorial Day to Labor Day from Thursdays through Saturdays. An entrance fee is charged. The operator also offers an in-cave camping program that is popular among youth groups.
