My next goal on my research trip was to visit Longhorn Caverns in Burnet County.
What a great resource of story treasure it is. There is a very rich history of use in the caverns, from the Comanche using it as a place to hang and hold prisoners for ransom. Three Texas Rangers rescued a white girl prisoner from about 200 comanche, a wonderful story. It was a speakeasy in the 1920’s serving cedar berry type gin. It became a state park and attraction during the 30’s as one of Roosevelt’s projects for getting men work. In the 60’s it was set up as a fallout shelter and the home for LBJ in emergencies when he was at the ranch.
If my last name was Michener, I’d have to start the cavern’s story eons ago, when the underground river flowed through the rock and form the caverns. There is only 1 other cavern in the U. S. not created the drip through the rock method.
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Longhorn Cavern |
One of my favorite features of the Cavern is the face of Abe Lincoln in one of the rock formations. Unlike Mt. Rushmore, this sculpture was carved by the river. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get a photo of it to share with you.