Oregon Caves have been known since a day in 1874 when Elijah J. Davidson
went hunting in the Siskiyou Mountains. The story goes that, after
killing a deer, he followed his dog to a large hole in the mountain.
Here he heard sounds of fighting coming from within. Being undecided as
to what to do, he stood waiting—then his dog gave vent to a weird howl,
as if in great pain. Hesitating no longer, Davidson rushed into the
opening. He soon found the chase difficult to pursue without a light,
whereupon he resorted to a few matches that he had in his shot-pouch.
Striking match after match, he expected that he would soon be at the
scene of the struggle.
Before arriving there, however, his supply of matches gave out, leaving
him in the dark. Davidson finally found his way back to a running stream
of water, and following it, came to the mouth of the cave. Soon after,
the dog came splashing down the creek, unhurt. As it was well on in the
evening, Davidson decided to go back to camp and return the next day.
Before leaving, however, he placed near the entrance to the cave the
buck he had recently killed. He anticipated that a bear would come out
for food, eat all it could and then lie down by the remaining part.
Returning early the next morning, Davidson found a monstrous black bear
lying near the carcass of the deer.
Davidson told others of his discovery, and the cave soon became an
attraction for the adventuresome, portions of it being explored and
opened. Early interest in commercializing the cave were thwarted by its
remote location, far from roads and populous communities.
In 1907, Joaquin Miller, the “Poet of the Sierra,” and Chandler B.
Watson, author of _Prehistoric Siskiyou Island_ and the _Marble Halls of
Oregon_, visited the cave. They were highly impressed and promoted the
cave as the “Marble Halls of Oregon.” Public attention was aroused and
the cave was established as Oregon Caves National Monument on July 12,
1909. (See illustration on page 32).
Appreciable public use was not attained until 1922, when an automobile
road was completed to the caves. The next year, 1923, the Forest Service
granted a concession to the Oregon Caves Company, which has provided
public accommodations and cave guide service since then.
In 1933, the Monument was transferred to the National Park System.
Concurrently, the completion of the 512-foot exit tunnel that same year
greatly improved cave tour circulation. The public use pattern,
relatively unchanged for the next three decades, was established after
the opening of the concessioner’s chateau building in 1934. The chateau
is noted for its charming architecture, complementing the steep,
forested setting.