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rts - Entertainment - Events - and what’s going on
The Scene
THE WEEKLY ANCHOR
THE WEEKLY ANCHOR
PAGE 10 MONDAY DECEMBER 23, 2019
THE WEEKLY ANCHOR MONDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2019 PAGE 13
MONDAY JANUARY 6, 2020 PAGE 11
Historical 1959 article: Discovering the caves of Cadomin
(Editor's Note: This now historical article was given to us by Mildred Setzer in Evansburg, and first appeared in 1959 in a magazine called the WEEKEND. It was
written by their staff writer Stephen Franklin with photos by Harry Rowed. Although views on wildlife and habitat conservation have dramatically changed over
the years, the article provides an interesting glimpse back to what may have been the first publically documented exploration of Cadomin cave. )
(Published in 1959) - The caves of Cadomin, windy ridge above the cave mouth by a helicopter. crevices lead off in every direction. These are the
Alta., have been keeping their own dark company Along on the expedition were three of the original real challenges of the avid spelunker, and those
for centuries, thrust haphazardly into the eastern party -leader Pecover, insurance man Arnie Holmes who have the stomach for it belly their way through
slope of the Rockies, silent save for the screech of and school teacher Leif Stolee — mountain- and lower themselves gingerly down the ragged
bats and the drip of seeping water. Until they climbing teacher Fran Losie and veteran guide potholes.
drifted away, leaving Cadomin a virtual ghost Tony Messner of Jasper, geology professor Dr. Ron No full exploration of the Cadomin caves has yet
town, the coal miners of the area knew of the caves' Burwash and his wife, and Lands and Forests' Bill been undertaken. There may be other vast caverns
existence - but they had enough of life underground MacDonald. there. No underground stream or river has been
on the shift. Once you are down the rope lowered over the heard or seen, although a narrow waterfall spills
Why climb a mountain to probe nature's caverns rim of the snow at the entrance, the cave mouth dfown the mountain 200 yards from the cave
when they must go each day into caverns made by itself is anything but impressive —a horizontal slit mouth.
man? There were tales of a berserk miner fleeing filled with rubble. Inside, the cave slants toward the How the caves were formed, if not by water, is
there - and perhaps dying there - after he had shot innards of the mountain and opens immediately something of a mystery. But one explanation is that
three people. But so far as is known, no man ever into a white-walled cavern large enough to hold all they came into being as an accidental pocket in the
ventured more than a brief glance inside the the loot of the Forty Thieves. Bats cling to the roof great upheaval which created the young Rockies.
uninviting cave mouth until this year. 20 feet above and the tumbled rock underfoot are The people of the valley say there are other caves
It was then that a party of Edmonton men, roped coated in green mold. The main passageway leads in the limestone escarpment which towers above
together against the unpredictable darkness and down and down, 20 feet wide and still as high, Cadomin. The mouths can be seen, but they are far
winding our while twine behind them, explored turns a corner and then narrows. The cave is aloof more inaccessible than the Cadomin caves.
deep inside the vaulted limestone caves. University and eerie. The air is cool and fresh, but the cave One day, perhaps, the Alberta government will
of Alberta law student Jack Pecover and his group smells nevertheless of time. undertake the task of smoothing the floor of the
of eight outdoorsmen-gone-underground returned There is no sign that a bear ever made his lair Cadomin caves, shifting the tons of primeval mud
to the city determined to keep the secret of their here of that a primitive Indian scratched a and installing coloured lights, and the silence of the
newfound Ali Baba-land. But their experience on pictograph in the grey limestone walls. Underfoot, caves will echo to sightseers' voices. -
their first foray into the sport of spelunking were between the tumbled rocks, is a deep layer of caked
too vivid to keep them completely mum. clay pocked with bats' graves. The mud is Editor's note for further reading: According to
Alberta's Land and Forests Minister, Norman unexpected. Geologist Burwash is surprised to find the Alberta Speleological Society, although Cadomin
Willmore, heard about the caves and ordered a it and hard put to explain it. Perhaps it is glacial silt cave was once one of the most visited caves in
Crown reservation put on the land around their and has lain there untrodden since the last Ice Age. Alberta, it has been closed by Provincial Government
mouth to prevent commercial exploitation. The The going is rough. There are pitfalls on either Ministerial Order since 2010 to protect the bat
caves were in his own bailiwick at the head of the side of the narrow trail of white twine and huge population. No one knows who discovered Cadomin
hard-pressed Coal Branch valley, which runs chunks of rock which have crashed down at some Cave, but it had probably been known to local
southwest from Edson to the mountains. If they time past from the roof. The caves are dry in most Indigenous people for centuries. It is thought to have
been visited by prospectors early in the 1900s. The
were as extensive and intriguing as they sounded, places, but wherever water has seeped and dripping first known survey of the cave was performed in 1959
Willmore foresaw a new tourist attraction in continuously, stalactites hang from the roof, by WL Biggs and RS Taylor, who produced a fairly
western Canada which would pump life into the stalagmites rear up a few inches from the floor and accurate map. When the Alberta Speleological Society
almost deserted mining towns of the valley. the walls are fluted and glazed like peanut brittle. was formed in 1968, Cadomin Cave had already been
A logging trail from the racing waters of the There are drip-stone faces to the walls where the heavily vandalized. The Society commenced a
Whitehouse Creek to a fold in the mountains could dim light of the miners' lamps picks out muted thorough exploration, resurvey and documentation of
be opened up and a chair lift could overcome the colors. the cave's extent, while at the same time organizing
last stretch to the 6,500-foot level where the cave More than a quarter-of-a-mile inside the caves several cleanup trips to collect litter and remove
mouth is blocked from view, even in summer, by a there is a sudden huge cavern which Jack Pecover spray-painted graffiti. Virtually no cave formations
slanting doorway of hard snow. and his friends christened the Mess Hall. There are remain due to carelessness and vandalism; all is
To take a second look at the Cadomin caves, ledges at either end of its 250-foot length and it is brown and muddy. However its large passages
WEEKEND organized another spelunking here that to all intents the main caves end. From the continue to house an important bat hibernaculum,
expedition equipped with miners' lamps from the cavern, funnels and potholes and claustrophobic which is hoped to remain healthy.
last operating mine at Mercoal and airlifted to a
rts - Entertainment - Events - and what’s going on
The Scene
THE WEEKLY ANCHOR
THE WEEKLY ANCHOR
PAGE 10 MONDAY DECEMBER 23, 2019
THE WEEKLY ANCHOR MONDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2019 PAGE 13
MONDAY JANUARY 6, 2020 PAGE 11
Historical 1959 article: Discovering the caves of Cadomin
(Editor's Note: This now historical article was given to us by Mildred Setzer in Evansburg, and first appeared in 1959 in a magazine called the WEEKEND. It was
written by their staff writer Stephen Franklin with photos by Harry Rowed. Although views on wildlife and habitat conservation have dramatically changed over
the years, the article provides an interesting glimpse back to what may have been the first publically documented exploration of Cadomin cave. )
(Published in 1959) - The caves of Cadomin, windy ridge above the cave mouth by a helicopter. crevices lead off in every direction. These are the
Alta., have been keeping their own dark company Along on the expedition were three of the original real challenges of the avid spelunker, and those
for centuries, thrust haphazardly into the eastern party -leader Pecover, insurance man Arnie Holmes who have the stomach for it belly their way through
slope of the Rockies, silent save for the screech of and school teacher Leif Stolee — mountain- and lower themselves gingerly down the ragged
bats and the drip of seeping water. Until they climbing teacher Fran Losie and veteran guide potholes.
drifted away, leaving Cadomin a virtual ghost Tony Messner of Jasper, geology professor Dr. Ron No full exploration of the Cadomin caves has yet
town, the coal miners of the area knew of the caves' Burwash and his wife, and Lands and Forests' Bill been undertaken. There may be other vast caverns
existence - but they had enough of life underground MacDonald. there. No underground stream or river has been
on the shift. Once you are down the rope lowered over the heard or seen, although a narrow waterfall spills
Why climb a mountain to probe nature's caverns rim of the snow at the entrance, the cave mouth dfown the mountain 200 yards from the cave
when they must go each day into caverns made by itself is anything but impressive —a horizontal slit mouth.
man? There were tales of a berserk miner fleeing filled with rubble. Inside, the cave slants toward the How the caves were formed, if not by water, is
there - and perhaps dying there - after he had shot innards of the mountain and opens immediately something of a mystery. But one explanation is that
three people. But so far as is known, no man ever into a white-walled cavern large enough to hold all they came into being as an accidental pocket in the
ventured more than a brief glance inside the the loot of the Forty Thieves. Bats cling to the roof great upheaval which created the young Rockies.
uninviting cave mouth until this year. 20 feet above and the tumbled rock underfoot are The people of the valley say there are other caves
It was then that a party of Edmonton men, roped coated in green mold. The main passageway leads in the limestone escarpment which towers above
together against the unpredictable darkness and down and down, 20 feet wide and still as high, Cadomin. The mouths can be seen, but they are far
winding our while twine behind them, explored turns a corner and then narrows. The cave is aloof more inaccessible than the Cadomin caves.
deep inside the vaulted limestone caves. University and eerie. The air is cool and fresh, but the cave One day, perhaps, the Alberta government will
of Alberta law student Jack Pecover and his group smells nevertheless of time. undertake the task of smoothing the floor of the
of eight outdoorsmen-gone-underground returned There is no sign that a bear ever made his lair Cadomin caves, shifting the tons of primeval mud
to the city determined to keep the secret of their here of that a primitive Indian scratched a and installing coloured lights, and the silence of the
newfound Ali Baba-land. But their experience on pictograph in the grey limestone walls. Underfoot, caves will echo to sightseers' voices. -
their first foray into the sport of spelunking were between the tumbled rocks, is a deep layer of caked
too vivid to keep them completely mum. clay pocked with bats' graves. The mud is Editor's note for further reading: According to
Alberta's Land and Forests Minister, Norman unexpected. Geologist Burwash is surprised to find the Alberta Speleological Society, although Cadomin
Willmore, heard about the caves and ordered a it and hard put to explain it. Perhaps it is glacial silt cave was once one of the most visited caves in
Crown reservation put on the land around their and has lain there untrodden since the last Ice Age. Alberta, it has been closed by Provincial Government
mouth to prevent commercial exploitation. The The going is rough. There are pitfalls on either Ministerial Order since 2010 to protect the bat
caves were in his own bailiwick at the head of the side of the narrow trail of white twine and huge population. No one knows who discovered Cadomin
hard-pressed Coal Branch valley, which runs chunks of rock which have crashed down at some Cave, but it had probably been known to local
southwest from Edson to the mountains. If they time past from the roof. The caves are dry in most Indigenous people for centuries. It is thought to have
been visited by prospectors early in the 1900s. The
were as extensive and intriguing as they sounded, places, but wherever water has seeped and dripping first known survey of the cave was performed in 1959
Willmore foresaw a new tourist attraction in continuously, stalactites hang from the roof, by WL Biggs and RS Taylor, who produced a fairly
western Canada which would pump life into the stalagmites rear up a few inches from the floor and accurate map. When the Alberta Speleological Society
almost deserted mining towns of the valley. the walls are fluted and glazed like peanut brittle. was formed in 1968, Cadomin Cave had already been
A logging trail from the racing waters of the There are drip-stone faces to the walls where the heavily vandalized. The Society commenced a
Whitehouse Creek to a fold in the mountains could dim light of the miners' lamps picks out muted thorough exploration, resurvey and documentation of
be opened up and a chair lift could overcome the colors. the cave's extent, while at the same time organizing
last stretch to the 6,500-foot level where the cave More than a quarter-of-a-mile inside the caves several cleanup trips to collect litter and remove
mouth is blocked from view, even in summer, by a there is a sudden huge cavern which Jack Pecover spray-painted graffiti. Virtually no cave formations
slanting doorway of hard snow. and his friends christened the Mess Hall. There are remain due to carelessness and vandalism; all is
To take a second look at the Cadomin caves, ledges at either end of its 250-foot length and it is brown and muddy. However its large passages
WEEKEND organized another spelunking here that to all intents the main caves end. From the continue to house an important bat hibernaculum,
expedition equipped with miners' lamps from the cavern, funnels and potholes and claustrophobic which is hoped to remain healthy.
last operating mine at Mercoal and airlifted to a
