Jewel Cave Adventure: Fifty Miles of Discovery in South Dakota

In The Jewel Cave Adventure Herb and Jan Conn trace the early history of Jewel Cave (discovered around 1900) and describe exploration before 1959. Then they tell with humor of the day the little cave took possession of them, and with quiet excitement of how that day in Jewel Cave led to nearly two decades of dedicated exploration and mapping--accomplished by Herb and Jan and with small groups of friends--during which the cave grew to over 50 miles of the most intricate three-dimensional networks of underground passages in the world. Fifteen excellent maps--including a giant folded map--guide the reader through the maze as the cave is extended mile by mile.

Herb and Jan are originals. They built their stone house against a rock wall, and made their living by playing the guitar, lecturing, and swinging on a rope to clean off the faces on Mount Rushmore. Their humor is as wild as their adventures. Herb and Jan will introduce you to the marvels of a world underground few people could imagine.

The Jewel Cave Adventure is also the story of Herb and Jan Conn. Unassumingly, they describe the rigors and joys of two lives dedicated to an unconventional goal.