Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world at 426 miles mapped, but its exact length remains unknown, even though it has been explored by humans for more than 5,000 years! Prehistoric Native Americans delved into 19 miles of the cave.
Stephen Bishop is one of the cave’s most famous explorers and made the first cave map in the 1840s, thanks in part to his incredible intellect and memory. He was said to remember every person who ever visited the Kentucky cave. Bishop was born as a slave and placed at the cave as a tour guide, learning extensively from scientists about geology. He is credited with many discoveries at Mammoth Cave, including Mammoth Dome and the Ruins of Karnak. Bishop went on to gain his freedom and worked as a paid cave guide.
A key discovery was made in 1972, when explorers linked Mammoth Cave and the Flint Ridge Cave, determining that they were connected. In 1983, other explorers linked the Roppel Cave and Joppa Ridge Cave System with Flint and Mammoth, another monumental discovery.
