Jewel Cave lies some fourteen miles west of Custer on U.S. 16, almost at the Wyoming-South Dakota border. It is a small cave, with only two tours marked out in it, one a mile long and the other two miles. It is noted for its wealth of colorful crystalline deposits, totally unlike the delicate filigree work to be found in Wind Cave.
The cave was discovered by two prospectors, who proceeded to develop their property for commercial gain. In 1934 they sold the cave and such of its environs as they owned to the Newcastle, Wyoming, Lions Club and the Custer Chamber of Commerce. These two organizations sought to popularize it further as a lure to tourists who would have to travel through their towns to reach the scene. In 1938 the federal government took it over and made a national monument of it.
Not far from Jewel Cave is the famous Ice Cave. This cavern gets its name from the current of cold air which blows from its mouth, cold and clammy on even the hottest of summer days. The Ice Cave is not officially open to the public, and has not even been totally explored. Forest rangers and Park Service employees have charted some of it and have searched out certain channels in the strange formation, and from their meager reports it would seem that if Ice Cave is ever fully opened it will vie with New Mexico’s Carlsbad in beauty and grandeur.
For the curious tourist the only possibility at the moment is to take the lovely off-route trip to the cave’s entrance, a natural arch twenty feet high and seventy-five feet wide.
In addition to Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, and Ice Cave, there are a number of other caverns of varying interest and underground beauty which have been opened and exploited by private individuals. In many cases these are but indifferently arranged for public inspection, but can be tracked down by the visitor by means of the garish signs which too often manage to clutter the otherwise unblemished scenery.
Just Scenery
The foregoing are only a very few of the scenic wonders of the Black Hills. Detailed information on the various other scenic features is easily to be had at any of the hotels and tourist courts in the Hills, and brochures covering practically every landmark are available gratis, thanks to the enthusiasm of the local chambers of commerce, the Black Hills and Badlands Association, and the state of South Dakota. The area is crisscrossed with good roads, and no matter which route one takes to his eventual destination, every mile will be marked by breath-taking views and natural wonders.
The region, except at the summits of the peaks, lies at an average altitude of some five thousand feet. Cool nights are thus guaranteed, regardless of the temperatures by day. The highest mean temperature ranges, during the six months between April and November, from 60 to 85 degrees. Light outing clothes are suggested for day wear, and light wraps are always in order after dark.
The rainfall during this same six-month period, averaged over fifty years, amounts to three inches per month; what small showers do occur take place most usually in an hour or so of the early afternoon, and refresh rather than hinder the tourist.
The hillsides are covered with a mass of shrub and tree growth, and an earnest searcher can find specimens of no less than fifty-two varieties. Yellow pine, spruce, cedar, ash, aspen, alder, dogwood, and cottonwood are most in evidence.