Lost River - Karst Information Portal

The Old Town Spring Entrance to Marengo
Cave is owned and controlled by Marengo
Cave. It will be available at no charge for visits
during normal business hours during the
Convention. The cave is gated and locked so
we will make provisions to have a combination
lock on the gate with the combination available
to NSS cavers. For more details check with the
caving kiosk.
Clean up facilities at Marengo Cave can be
used after the trip. There is very limited parking
at the cave and cavers can park in the LOWER
parking lot at Marengo Cave to go to Old Town
Spring. Cavers should check in at the Marengo
Gift Shop when they arrive at the Cave.
History
Among the halfdozen
early names for
the town of Marengo
were “Springtown”
and “Big Spring.”
Long before the
railroad came to
this sleepy Indiana
town in the 1880s,
the first settlers were
attracted by the three
large springs. We now
know that the springs
drain various sections
of the Marengo Cave
System.
The spring farthest
to the east is known
as Ross Spring. It was
named for J. Ed Ross,
a school teacher who
lived in the brick
home in front of the
spring. The home has
been restored and still
guards the old spring
house. Ross Spring is
Old Town Spring Cave
Crawford County Caves
By Gordon Smith
the smallest of the three springs and it has not
been physically connected into Marengo Cave
although it drains the eastern section of the
cave.
The middle spring, known as Stewart
Spring, is the largest of the three and was used
up until recent years as the water supply for
the entire town. The spring entrance is part of
Marengo Cave Park and is easily found at the
far end of the campground along Whiskey
Run. Although no one has ever penetrated the
small constricted openings that the make up
the mouth of the spring, it almost immediately
opens into the large passage draining the main
portion of the cave.
Figure 1. Marion Fidlar map, 1934
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