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Earliest known explorer carves name in Devil's Sinkhole
On this day in 1889, H. S. Barber, the earliest known explorer of the
Devil's Sinkhole, carved his name in the cave. Located southeast of
Rocksprings in Edwards County, the Devil's Sinkhole was named in 1876 by
the wives of Ammon Billings and other men who had discovered the
entrance after an encounter with Indians. The pit entrance is sixty feet
in diameter and expands downward into an oval room, 240 by 360 feet,
that is partly filled with fallen rock. The cave is 310 feet deep. Cave
explorers from all over the United States have been drawn to it because
of its impressive size and rumors of lost bat rooms. Guano has been
removed sporadically from the cave for use as fertilizer. The cave was
added to the National Registry of Natural Landmarks in the early 1970s.
It and the surrounding land are owned by the state of Texas.
- Links to Related Handbook of Texas Online Articles
- DEVIL'S SINKHOLE
- ROCKSPRINGS, TX
- EDWARDS COUNTY
- CAVES
- Links to other Web sites (will be opened in new browser window)
- Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area
- Other Texas Day by Day Articles for This Date
- League of Women Voters of Texas organized in San Antonio (1919)
- Presidents of U.S. and Mexico dedicate International Falcon Reservoir (1953)
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