Marengo Cave: One of Indiana's Most Beautiful Caverns (GM-20)
Marengo Cave, in northeastern Crawford County, is considered by some people to be one of the most beautiful caves in the United States. In 1883 a group of children notices an opening near the bottom of a sinkhole in which they were playing. Venturing inside, they found themselves in a large, subterranean room now known as the Grand Entrance Hall. That original entry was later covered by a building, and since then visitors have entered the cave by an internal stairway.

Lacking the length, the lofty vaulted rooms, and the grand scenery of Wyandotte Cave, Marengo Cave excels in the abundance and beauty of its stalactites, stalagmites and other dripstone formations. Crystal Palace, Rock of Ages, and Pillared Palace are the names of some of the many features of this cave.

In 1896 State Geologist W.S. Blatchley said, "...no one who is at all in sympathy with nature can come forth from its corridors and passages without feeling fully repaid for his peep into one of her underground chemical workshops.... The varied character and wonderful beauty of the products possible can only be realized by those who have spent a few hours in a cavern like Marengo."

Our Hoosier State Beneath Us: Geomorphology