Wind Cave National Park: The First 100 Years

Wind Cave is one of the longest and most complex caves in the world. Complete with more than 100 miles of surveyed cavern passageways below ground and 28,295 acres of diverse ecology above, Wind Cave National Park is an American treasure with an impressive history. The first recorded discovery of Wind Cave occurred in 1881 when brothers Jesse and Tom Bingham followed the sounds of the whistling wind and came upon the cave. In 1903, the cave and surrounding area became Wind Cave National Park, the seventh national park in the nation and the first created with a cave as its focal point. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp near the park headquarters. The CCC built roads and buildings, landscaped and made improvements to better accommodate tours inside the cave.