Little known wonders under our feet at Wind Cave Tunnel

If someone told me that a labyrinth of twisting and turning caverns and tunnels were under the grasslands of southeast South Dakota, I would never have believed them. But alas, I have seen them for myself! If not for the curiosity of 16-year old Alvin McDonald, we might not know the wonders that lie beneath the surface at Wind Cave National Park. Above, the antelope, prairie dogs and buffalo roam, while below, millions of year's worth of limestone and gypsum have created a beautiful network of explored and unexplored natural wonders. The boxwork and frostwork formations are evidenced in many ceilings and walls. Wind Cave has more than 130 miles of surveyed passageways and is said to be the fourth longest in the world. In his short life - he died at 21 from complications of typhoid - Alvin called Wind Cave his home and explored most every day with his headlamp and balls of string to measure up to 10 miles of this secret destination hundreds of feet below earth's surface.