the sad story of Floyd Collins – watercolor

There once was a man named William Floyd Collins. Floyd (as he was called) was an explorer who loved searching for caves by focusing on the many sinkholes in his area. He did find a cave on his father’s farm property and created an attraction site that gave paid tours. The name of his cave was Crystal Cave.

Unfortunately, the area was so remote that he had few visitors. Therefore, his cave attraction was not a lucrative business. That did not stop or hinder his desire to keep exploring though.

To be honest, this location is near Mammoth Cave and currently, Mammoth has more than 400 miles of tunnels previously mapped so far, with many still undiscovered. Could Collin’s cave have been part of that network?

There are many stairs leading to the entrance of Crystal Cave. Did Collins carve these and set them in place? I noticed mortar. Many were pieced together. I kept thinking about the hands that worked in this area.

This is the entrance to Crystal Cave, however, you cannot enter and are only met with a boarded-up door and unstable stairs.

The sad part of Collin’s story doesn’t end here. In January of 1925, just a few miles away, he was exploring another nearby cave called Sand Cave. Tragically, Collins was pinned by a falling boulder and could not move. Rescuers were in contact with him for several days, feeding him, and coming up with a plan to get him out. After about 4 days, the cave shifted and the entrance of the cave was obstructed. Rescuers were no longer able to reach him, but they started to drill in another location in hopes of getting to him on the other side. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, it was about 3 days too late, Collins was deceased.

You can listen to a podcast about him right here. The news of Collins made headlines all across the country bringing many to flock to the area. Some wanted to help, others wanted to make money by selling things on the side of the road. Strangely, Collin’s body went on display after his funeral and was even stolen but recovered.

Walking on his property, I couldn’t help thinking about his misfortune. I studied the outside structure of Crystal Cave, wondering how he chiseled and carved, and thought about his hard labor, sweating in the Kentucky heat. How excited he must have been to want to bring visitors. How driven he must have been with his unquenchable desire to explore more. All hikers share a bit of that desire…to discover new lands, sights, and treasures. I too share that desire.