Description
What it is
This magnet reproduces a WPA-style national park poster restored and reissued by Ranger Doug’s Enterprises. Doug Leen is a former National Park Service ranger who began tracking down surviving WPA park posters in 1971 and, in 1992, started restoring and reproducing the designs, first as silk-screen prints and more recently as printed merchandise like this magnet line.
About the Jewel Cave design
The “Discovery in the darkness, guided cave tours by lantern light” artwork commemorates the 1908 establishment of Jewel Cave National Monument by presidential proclamation of Theodore Roosevelt. At the time, less than a mile of passage had been explored. The cave had been discovered in 1900 by brothers Frank and Albert Michaud, who noticed wind rushing from a small opening in the rock.
About the monument
As of 2026, surveyors have mapped more than 220 miles of passage, making Jewel Cave the third-longest cave in the world after Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and Sistema Sac Actun in Mexico. The name comes from the calcite crystals lining the walls, dogtooth spar (sharp and pointed) and nailhead spar (flat and blunt). The cave also holds boxwork, cave popcorn, flowstone, and a calcite formation known as “cave bacon.”
Specifications
- Dimensions: 2.5″ x 3.5″, portrait orientation
- Weight: 1.5 oz
- Construction: button magnet, mylar face over a metal back
- Country of origin: United States (printed at Purebuttons, Ohio)
Who picks this up
It is a small, specific souvenir for someone leaving a Jewel Cave tour, and a find for collectors who recognize the WPA park-poster designs. The Jewel Cave image is harder to come by than the better-known western-park posters.
Frequently asked questions
What size is the magnet?
2.5 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall.
How strong is it?
A button magnet this size holds well on a refrigerator door, filing cabinet, or steel locker. It is not rated for industrial use.
Does buying this support the monument?
BHPFA is the official nonprofit partner of Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Scotts Bluff National Monument, and Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, as well as the Black Hills National Forest and Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands. Proceeds from every purchase support education programs, conservation projects, and visitor services at these sites.
