Jewel Cave Historic Area: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Jewel Cave National Monument
Regions 3, 4, & 5 Park Cultural Landscapes Program. 1996. Jewel Cave Historic Area: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Jewel Cave National Monument. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 501075. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. NPS Midwest Regional Office, Omaha, Nebraska / CRIS-CL Database
The Jewel Cave Historic Area lies within the boundaries of Jewel Cave National Monument, located in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota. The historic area occupies approximately 10 acres of the northwest portion of the Monument. The area lies in a region of sloping terrain that is characterized by ponderosa pine and snowberry. Many of the mature spruce and pine trees are estimated to be over 260 years old. The Jewel Cave National Monument was created in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt. In the 1960s, the boundaries were revised after it became apparent that most of the cave was outside monument boundaries and inaccessible to visitors. While the size of the monument remained the same, only a small section of the original area overlapped with the existing monument. The proposed boundary for the Historic District falls within this area of boundary overlap; the Jewel Cave Historic Area is a specific developed portion within this Historic District outline. The period of significance for the Jewel Cave Historic Area landscape is 1937 to 1944, marking the years during which the Ranger Cabin, trail, and current cave entrance were developed. Its importance is associated with its construction value, which exemplifies techniques in rustic architecture. Additionally, the landscape is connected to patterns and events in history, specifically the projects of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the conservation efforts associated with the origins of the National Park Service. The landscape is defined by varying contributing features, including natural systems, structures, vegetation, and roads. The primary natural system and the reason for the above-ground historic resources is the cave itself, which is the second longest in the nation and is characterized by the movement of air through its chambers as outside pressure changes. The area also includes a spring, the Ranger Cabin, upper and lower trails for access to the cave entrance, a stone stairway, the Michaud archeological site, and former CCC-associated structures. The topography of the site assists in connecting and defining the features, with the cave entrance located at the base of a steep rock cliff that has influenced the construction of trails, steps, and retaining walls. Overall, the landscape retains a high level of integrity related to the natural system of the cave, spatial organization, land use, circulation, topography, vegetation in the overall district, and views. Integrity of vegetation within the historic core is moderate. The historic area continues to reflect the use of natural landscape elements in design planning, providing visitors with a view of park development as well as of the unique natural features of the cave and surrounding National Monument.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Regions 3, 4, & 5 Park Cultural Landscapes Program
- Date of Issue
- 1996-09-27
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- JECA , MWR
- Keywords
- 1930s: Era of Public Works, Black Hills, CAVE, Civilian Conservation Corps, Conservation of Natural resources, Custer, Designed Landscape, Hell Canyon, historic district, Jasper Fire, Landscape architecture, Michaud, Michaud Archeological Site, Mission 66, Origin and Development of the National Park Service, Ponderosa Pine, ranger cabin, rustic architecture, snowberry, South Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt, trail system, Vernacular Landscape, Works Progress Administration