Lost River - Karst Information Portal

and is located 0.5 miles north. The other is about
1,300 feet southeast of Tolliver Swallowhole in
the wooded area due east of the parking area.
This feature appears to be a collapsed and
alluviated former main swallowhole. Other
apparent former (or current) swallowholes
(and other features) can be located in the field
or on topographic maps. Those with greater
interest should read Malott’s articles.
North of Tolliver Swallowhole, the dry
bed meanders for 10 miles in a broad loop
prior to turning westward. Only a few small
swallowholes exist, but storm water rises begin
to develop such as the Mather Storm Water
Rises (Figure 48D). The Cul-de-Sac sinks are
currently almost abandoned, but formerly
directed water to the Mather Rises.
Travel from Tolliver Swallowhole to
Wesley Chapel Gulf
Proceed north on County Road 200W
about 0.25 miles to intersection with County
Road 600N (Orangeville Road, Figure 47).
Turn left (west). Note that there is a slight rise in
Lost River Field Trip
the elevation which is part of a long toeslope of
the upland outlier to the south beneath which
is the apparent path of the underground Lost
River. Watch for the historic Wesley Chapel on the
south side of the road after 1.5 miles. Turn left
(south) onto County Road 350W. Proceed 0.3
miles. Turn left (east) into the lane marked with
a USDA Forest Service Sign. Go to the loop.
Stop 8: Wesley Chapel (Elrod) Gulf
(National Natural Landmark) and The
Lost River Cave System
Wesley Chapel (Elrod) Gulf is perhaps
the most interesting of the Lost River features
(Figures 47, 52, 53, 54, and 55). The feature was
originally named after the Elrod Family, a long
ago owner, but the proximity of Wesley Chapel
has led to a de facto name change. One of the
gulf-related caves is named Elrod Cave. The
term “gulf ” was defined by Malott (1932, pp
287–288), as a collapse sinkhole that has steep
walls and characteristically has an alluviated
floor. There are many such features in Indiana
(and elsewhere), not all actually called gulfs.
Figure 52. The alluvial floor of Wesley Chapel Gulf. Photo by Rea and Strunk, 1992.
161