In July 1952, 29 year old Jay Gurley and another spelunker traveled from Huntsville to explore a cave that the locals referred to as "Bat Cave". Upon arrival, they encountered the world's largest cave entrance; both explorers knew immediately that this place was special. The stalactites and stalagmites were some of the most impressive they had ever seen. The two men continued through the cave and encountered an area with the names of other explorers along with the dates of their visits. Dates back to the 1800's were scribbled on the walls, but Gurley and his friend were probably the first to see the cave with adequate light.

For the next two months, Gurley was consumed with the cave. He couldn't get its grandeur out of his mind. "It comes a man's time to do something special in the world," Gurley proclaimed, and with $400 he had borrowed for a down payment, he bought the cave from a farmer for the cost of the 160 acres of land above it. He began the hard work of making the cave more accessible. Hours upon hours were spent breaking boulders and hacking away brush from the cave entrance. After two years of hard labor, Gurley received help from William Grafton, an executive engineer at Redstone Arsenal who supported the project. Gurley was able to leave his job and move his family closer to the cave.

Shortly after a trail was cleared by the county, spring rains caused the cave's inner chamber to flood, destroying about 1,000 feet of the new trail. Gurley and Grafton mapped out a new trail in an area that wouldn't be as likely to flood. A tunnel through over 250 feet of solid rock was blasted. Next began the arduous task of moving mud and boulders from a canyon ledge to allow access to the back of the Cathedral Room. Lighting (40 miles of wiring and 80,000 watts) was installed in the developed area.

When the cave opened in July, 1959, visitors marveled at its many wonders: Stalagmite Mountain, Frozen Waterfall, Mystery River, Boulder Boulevard, the formations of the Stalagmite Forests. But the most impressive sight of all was Goliath, the largest known stalagmite in the world.

The Gurley's maintained the cave as a tourist attraction for many years, but various difficulties forced its closing. The State of Alabama bought the cave in 1987 with the intent to reopen the site as a state park. In 1993, a federal grant was awarded to fund the necessary work to assure the cave's reopening. Restoration work actually began in 1995. The Jay Gurley Bridge (across Mystery River) is currently being constructed. It will be much higher than the original bridge, in order to clear the river's flood level.

Unfortunately, Jay Gurley will not have opportunity to see the finished product. Mr. Gurley passed away in May of 1996.

In 1995, the nationwide public had an opportunity to see the great Alabama cave in all its glory. Cathedral Caverns provided the cave settings for the Disney Studios film "Tom & Huck".

News article on Park Ranger Danny Lewis

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