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All the United States Iowa Dubuque Crystal Lake Cave

Crystal Lake Cave

An underground wonderland in Iowa.

Dubuque, Iowa

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  Jana Taylor / CC BY-SA 3.0
Crystal Lake Cave   Christie F / CC BY-SA 2.0
  Jana Taylor / CC BY-SA 3.0
Crystal Lake Cave Sign   er1ca / Atlas Obscura User
Crystal Lake Cave Building Entrance   er1ca / Atlas Obscura User
Crystal Lake Cave   er1ca / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In 1868, while searching for ore-bearing stone in Iowa, miner James Rice came across an especially striking sight. An underground cavern filled with striking cave formations made up of crystals including argonite, travertine, satin stalagmite, stalactite, and calcareous spar. Below the cavern roof sits a small pool of crystal-clear water.

The underground wonder was known as Rice's Cave at first, then Linden's Cave when the property was transferred to Charles Linden. It became known as Crystal Lake in the 1930s, when Bernard Markus (Linden's son-in-law) took over operations. Today, it is one of the longest-operating show caves in the state of Iowa.

Related Tags

Crystals Geology Subterranean Sites Underground Caves

Know Before You Go

The cave is open to visitors between May and mid-October.

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3008437

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy, er1ca, carliethompsonwriting

  • Michelle Cassidy
  • er1ca
  • carliethompsonwriting

Published

December 20, 2022

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Sources
  • https://www.showcaves.com/english/usa/showcaves/CrystalLake.html
  • https://www.crystallakecave.com/history/
Crystal Lake Cave
6684 Crystal Lake Cave Rd
Dubuque, Iowa, 52003
United States
42.433855, -90.6211
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Nearby Places

Dubuque Shot Tower

Dubuque, Iowa

miles away

Fenelon Place Elevator

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Union Park

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Dubuque

Dubuque

Iowa

Places 4

Nearby Places

Dubuque Shot Tower

Dubuque, Iowa

miles away

Fenelon Place Elevator

Dubuque, Iowa

miles away

Union Park

Dubuque, Iowa

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Dubuque

Dubuque

Iowa

Places 4

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