Moaning Cavern, Show cave in Calaveras County, California, US
Moaning Cavern is a show cave in Calaveras County, California, that leads visitors through a 165-foot limestone shaft into its main chamber. The system consists of winding passages and several smaller rooms with mineral deposits along the walls.
Gold prospectors reached the cave in the 1850s and found human remains from prehistoric times. The site opened to visitors in the early 1900s when engineers installed the spiral staircase.
The name comes from sounds the wind once made passing through the opening before stairs were installed. Today couples visit the main chamber for marriage proposals, with the natural echo amplifying their words.
The temperature stays at 61 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius) year-round, so a light jacket helps even in summer. The descent follows fixed steps, and visitors should watch for wet surfaces and low ceiling sections.
The spiral staircase was built from metal parts of a decommissioned warship that found its final use far beneath the ground. Archaeologists discovered bones over 12,000 years old, among the earliest human finds in North America.
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