In this reprint of a classic piece of cave literature, the famed geologist, J Harlen Bretz, gives a detailed account of the formation and history of Missouri caves. Caves of Missouri contains over 450 surveyed caves, with in-depth geological and cultural histories, and 168 illustrations, including cross sections, maps, and photographs. This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Missouri's natural and cultural history.
Selected Text from the IntroductionThe caves of Missouri are many and varied. No one will ever know how many caves Missouri has, nor is it possible that everyone will ever agree on a definition of a cave. Is a rock shelter, broad along the hillside but shallow in penetration of the hill a cave? Is a natural bridge a cave? Is a hole that can barely be crawled into for only a few feet a cave? Is it a cave if one’s light shows an opening into which he cannot force his way? Is it a cave if a former cavity has become completely filled with mud or broken rock? Even if we should rule out such cavities in limestone or dolomite, the State still has hundreds of underground openings into which one may penetrate beyond the reach of daylight. In terms of human experience, we generally think of a cave as being a natural roofed cavity in rock which may be penetrated for an appreciable distance by a human.
Before this study was undertaken, the Missouri Geological Survey had already compiled a list which contained the names and locations of 210 caves distributed among 40 counties. This list, with much information about a number of the caves, was made during the spare time of Willard Farrar, the Survey’s cave enthusiast. Many of the caves were visited by him personally and printed sources were searched for information. Statements from his manuscript which appear in this publication are identified by his name in parentheses. The list has now grown to include 437 caves in 55 counties. In this work, 250 of these caves have some description and 133 were investigated by the writer.
By far the largest number of Missouri caves are located in the southern half of the State, which is generally referred to as the Ozark plateau or dome. Almost all of the State is underlain by limestone and dolomite formations in which ground water dissolves out caves. Thus, the area north of the Missouri River may well contain as large a proportion of caves as do the Ozarks, but the cover of glacial drift and the lack of deep stream valleys north of the river conspire to keep us ignorant of their existence.
Most of Missouri’s caves have had some attention from venturous individuals. Ask almost any old-timer in the Ozarks about wild caves in his region, and his answer usually will be, “When I was a boy, I explored back into—”. It has not been feasible for the Survey to collect information on all the small, distant, or difficult caves. The guiding principle of this study has been to examine those that promised good returns without undue expenditure of time. The returns most desired were something more than locations, dimensions, and descriptions. A reading from Nature’s record of the history of each cave has been sought. Only from that can we obtain an understanding of the changing geological conditions which have given us the caves of Missouri.
A point stressed in the history of almost every cave is that it is older than the latest broad uparching of the Ozark dome. That regional uplift was responsible for the subsequent stream erosion which has today exposed the cavities that were made before the latest doming occurred.

Caves of Missouri

History

Bretz, J Harlen

Americas

J. Missouri

Granite Climbs of Missouri is the most extensive rock climbing guidebook to Missouri's granite heartland-the St. Francois Mountains. Only an hour and a half south of St. Louis, the Silver Mines, Millstream Gardens, and Amidon offer some of the best boulder problems, highballs, and short traditional routes in Missouri. The book contains over 420 documented routes, and over 275 of these are easy to moderate in difficulty. Photos and maps help climbers locate routes with ease and speed. A glossary of climbing terms will help new climbers, and an appendix gives the stories behind some of the route names.The Amazon edition features black and white photographs.

Granite Climbs of Missouri: The Silver Mines, Millstream Gardens, and Amidon

Sports & Outdoors

Reidhead, Joe

Thurmond, Jim

Hiking & Camping

George Washington Sears, also known as Nessmuk, was a Romantic. He sought to witness the glory and the beauty of nature; to free himself from the vagaries of industrialized civilization. He expressed this philosophy through his pursuit of the minimalist ideal and its use in the outdoors. WOODCRAFT AND CAMPING is Nessmuk's practical and philosophical guide to camping, traveling, and survival in the woods. The book discusses the foundational skills needed to live in the woods: the art of camping, fishing, fire-making, cooking, shelter, tools, and canoeing. But Nessmuk does not just recite the skills needed, he also tells us about his experiences and conversations during his travels. He provides us with campfire poetry and lore. And he does all of this in a writing style that is eloquent, engrossing, and intrinsically positive.

Woodcraft and Camping: A Camping and Survival Guide

Sears, George Washington

In "Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties", Daniel Beard, an early leader of the Boy Scouts of America, teaches readers how to build a large variety of practical shelters using either a hatchet or an axe. There are over 50 different shelters described, including lean-tos, teepees, hogans, bark houses, a sod house, stilt houses, tree houses, one room log cabins, and large log houses. 332 illustrations that detail the construction of the shelters make this an excellent book for all ages.

Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties: An Illustrated Guide to Wilderness Shelters

Beard, D.C.

The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton’s fishing classic, is a celebration of the art and spirit of fishing. Through prose, verse, song, and folklore, Walton inspires readers to go into nature — to go to its meandering streams and rivers — and fish. Walton teaches us about a life filled with harmony between nature, man, and God; and a life spent in the company of friends and free from the hustle of the city.

The Compleat Angler: Classics in Fishing Series

WALTON, IZAAK

In My First Summer in the Sierra John Muir recounts his early travels in the Sierra while working as a shepherd. In the summer of 1869, Muir set out from California’s Central Valley with a flock of 2,050 sheep and made his way to the headwaters of the Merced and Tuolumne Rivers. As one of America’s great philosopher naturalists, Muir captures the spirit of the Sierra Nevada and brings the reader along as a witness to his great journey. He explores in great detail the mountains, meadows, waterfalls, flora, and fauna of the rich landscape that captured his heart. My First Summer in the Sierra is an excellent introduction to the writings of John Muir. This edition contains 30 illustrations."Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, inciting at once to work and rest ! Days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God. Nevermore, however weary, should one faint by the way who gains the blessings of one mountain day ; whatever his fate, long life, short life, stormy or calm, he is rich forever."

My First Summer in the Sierra: with Illustrations

MUIR, JOHN

In "Cave Explorations in Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama", Gerard Fowke, the famed American archaeologist and geologist, gives detailed accounts of the archaeological and geological histories of more than 180 caves throughout the American Midwest and South. Through in-depth descriptions and over 90 illustrations, Fowke provides readers with a look into the formation of these caves and the early people who inhabited them. This book is an excellent companion to "Caves of Missouri" by J. Harlen Bretz.

Cave Explorations: in Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama

Fowke, Gerard

In his classic essay on walking, Henry David Thoreau, the famous naturalist and philosopher, extols the virtues of immersing ourselves daily in nature. Thoreau treats the act of walking as a vehicle that transports us to the sacred space that is nature. The wildness of nature becomes a retreat from the noise of contemporary society and civilization—a place to rest our thoughts and regain balance between these two worlds.This edition contains nearly 40 new historical and biographical footnotes.

Walking: Annotated Edition

Thoreau, Henry David`

Religion & Spirituality

In The Ascent of Denali, Hudson Stuck recounts his successful expedition to climb Denali (officially Mount McKinley) for the first time. Though the small, independent expedition faced many challenges and setbacksÂ­-many of their supplies were destroyed in a fire, they climbed in moccasins, and they used locally made ice axes-the team reached the summit of Denali without any loss of life or significant injuries. In addition to documenting the journey, Stuck also provides readers with a history of the ascents attempted before the 1913 expedition. Also included are 34 photographs and illustrations, including Stuck's original map of the mountain. This J. Missouri edition contains 40 new historical and biographical footnotes. Also included is a glossary of some of the early named features on and around Denali.

The Ascent of Denali (Mount McKinley): Annotated Edition

Science & Math

Stuck, Hudson

Nature & Ecology

Travels in Alaska: Illustrated Edition

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