Zane Shawnee Caverns
Encyclopedia
The Zane Shawnee Caverns is a cave
system in Jefferson Township
, Logan County
, Ohio
, United States
. The caverns are a show cave
, presently owned by the United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation
. These caverns are located near the Ohio Caverns
; both cave systems were formed by the same glacial
process which deposited moraine
upon nearby Campbell Hill.
, as it provided a portage
between the Great Miami River
and the rivers feeding into Lake Erie
(particularly the Maumee River
). However, the caverns were not known to modernity until it was discovered in 1892, when John Dunlap rescued a boy and a dog from a sinkhole. The caverns were named the Zane Caverns, after the nearby village of Zanesfield
.
The caverns were operated as a show cave throughout most of the 20th century. In 1996, the Shawnee Nation, URB
purchased the caverns and surrounding land, and renamed the site as the Zane Shawnee Caverns. The URB continues to operate the caverns as a show cave, and have also founded the Shawnee Woodland Native American Museum, a Native American museum
, on the site. This museum is among the few Native American museums owned and operated by a Native American tribe, and displays exhibits about George Drouillard
, a mixed-blood Shawnee guide, chief hunter and interpreter for the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
Also on the caverns site is "Southwind Park", a camping and retreat area which hosts URB events. A small permanent settlement has also been erected at the site.
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
system in Jefferson Township
Jefferson Township, Logan County, Ohio
Jefferson Township is one of the seventeen townships of Logan County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,946 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
, Logan County
Logan County, Ohio
Logan County is a county in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,858. The county seat is Bellefontaine. The county is named for Benjamin Logan, who fought Native Americans in the area....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The caverns are a show cave
Show cave
Show caves — also called tourist caves, public caves, and in the United States, commercial caves — are caves that are managed by a government or commercial organization and made accessible to the general public, usually for an entrance fee...
, presently owned by the United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation
United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation
The United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation is a band of people claiming Native American ancestry who hold that they are descended from the Shawnee from before the Shawnee's removal from the U.S. state of Ohio...
. These caverns are located near the Ohio Caverns
Ohio Caverns
Ohio Caverns is a show cave located from Dayton, Ohio near West Liberty, in Salem Township, Champaign County, Ohio in the United States. A popular tourist destination and member of the National Caving Association, it is the largest of all the cave systems in Ohio and contains many crystal...
; both cave systems were formed by the same glacial
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
process which deposited moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
upon nearby Campbell Hill.
History and site features
The land adjacent to Zane Shawnee Caverns was used as a thoroughfare for the ShawneeShawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
, as it provided a portage
Portage
Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...
between the Great Miami River
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States...
and the rivers feeding into Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
(particularly the Maumee River
Maumee River
The Maumee River is a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana in the United States. It is formed at Fort Wayne, Indiana by the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers, and meanders northeastwardly for through an agricultural region of glacial moraines before flowing into the...
). However, the caverns were not known to modernity until it was discovered in 1892, when John Dunlap rescued a boy and a dog from a sinkhole. The caverns were named the Zane Caverns, after the nearby village of Zanesfield
Zanesfield, Ohio
Zanesfield is a village in Logan County, Ohio, United States of America. The population was 220 at the 2000 census. It is the smallest incorporated village in Logan County.-History:...
.
The caverns were operated as a show cave throughout most of the 20th century. In 1996, the Shawnee Nation, URB
United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation
The United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation is a band of people claiming Native American ancestry who hold that they are descended from the Shawnee from before the Shawnee's removal from the U.S. state of Ohio...
purchased the caverns and surrounding land, and renamed the site as the Zane Shawnee Caverns. The URB continues to operate the caverns as a show cave, and have also founded the Shawnee Woodland Native American Museum, a Native American museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, on the site. This museum is among the few Native American museums owned and operated by a Native American tribe, and displays exhibits about George Drouillard
George Drouillard
George Drouillard was a civilian interpreter for the Lewis and Clark's Voyage of Discovery.-Biography:George Drouillard was born in 1773 at the Detroit River region, son of Pierre Drouillard and a Shawnee woman of the Flat Head sept named Asoundechris...
, a mixed-blood Shawnee guide, chief hunter and interpreter for the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
Also on the caverns site is "Southwind Park", a camping and retreat area which hosts URB events. A small permanent settlement has also been erected at the site.