The Jewel Cave Adventure by Herb and Jan Conn (Softcover)
$20.00
In stock
Shipping calculated in cart/checkout:Â Shipping rates for first items start at $7, calculated based on weight of total order.
The firsthand story of how Jewel Cave went from a sign that read “This is a small cave” to one of the longest caves in the world, told by Herb and Jan Conn, the husband-and-wife climbing team who mapped roughly 64 miles of it through the 1960s and 1970s. This is the softcover Revised Third Edition.
- Softcover, Revised Third Edition (June 2019), 204 pages, 7″ x 10″
- 16 pages of full color plus more than 150 black-and-white photos remastered from the Conns’ own negatives
- 16 maps, including a large foldout that shows the cave growing mile by mile
- Authors Herb and Jan Conn; published by the National Speleological Society
- 2020 Public Lands Alliance Publication of the Year, Honorable Mention
- Proceeds support Jewel Cave National Monument and other BHPFA partner parks and forests.
In stock
60-day returns · Ships from South Dakota via USPS
The Jewel Cave Adventure by Herb and Jan Conn (Softcover)
$20.00
In stock
Shipping calculated in cart/checkout:Â Shipping rates for first items start at $7, calculated based on weight of total order.
The firsthand story of how Jewel Cave went from a sign that read “This is a small cave” to one of the longest caves in the world, told by Herb and Jan Conn, the husband-and-wife climbing team who mapped roughly 64 miles of it through the 1960s and 1970s. This is the softcover Revised Third Edition.
- Softcover, Revised Third Edition (June 2019), 204 pages, 7″ x 10″
- 16 pages of full color plus more than 150 black-and-white photos remastered from the Conns’ own negatives
- 16 maps, including a large foldout that shows the cave growing mile by mile
- Authors Herb and Jan Conn; published by the National Speleological Society
- 2020 Public Lands Alliance Publication of the Year, Honorable Mention
- Proceeds support Jewel Cave National Monument and other BHPFA partner parks and forests.
In stock
60-day returns · Ships from South Dakota via USPS
Real USPS rates, no markup. The money we save funds trail crews and internships.
Join BHPFA for $30 a year -> get your code by email in seconds. -> Use it at checkout today. Show your card at hundreds of nonprofit park stores nationwide for 10% off.
Every item is selected or approved by rangers and staff. Your purchase keeps them on the front lines.
Real USPS rates, no markup. The money we save funds trail crews and internships.
Join BHPFA for $30 a year -> get your code by email in seconds. -> Use it at checkout today. Show your card at hundreds of nonprofit park stores nationwide for 10% off.
Every item is selected or approved by rangers and staff. Your purchase keeps them on the front lines.
Description
What it is
The Jewel Cave Adventure: 50 Miles of Discovery Under South Dakota is Herb and Jan Conn’s own account of exploring and mapping Jewel Cave. In 1959 the monument’s entrance sign still read “This is a small cave,” and fewer than two miles had been surveyed since the Michaud brothers found the opening in 1900. The Conns, a climbing couple living in the Black Hills, were invited to take a look. They kept coming back for nearly two decades. This is the softcover edition.
About the authors
Herb and Jan Conn were a married climbing team based in the Black Hills who did most of the early underground survey work at Jewel Cave, mapping roughly 64 miles of new passage. The book is written in the first person, with Herb Conn’s dry humor running through it, and reads as much like narrative as it does reference. Herb Conn died in 2017 and Jan Conn in 2019, which makes this edition the definitive record of their work.
About this edition
This is the Revised Third Edition, published in June 2019 by the National Speleological Society. It adds 16 pages of full color and more than 150 black-and-white photographs that were digitally remastered from the Conns’ original transparencies and negatives, so they print far better than the 1977 and 1981 editions, which are out of print. The 16 maps include a large foldout (pictured) that charts the three-dimensional maze as it was extended year by year.
Specifications
- Authors: Herb Conn and Jan Conn
- Publisher: National Speleological Society
- Edition: Revised Third Edition, June 2019
- Format: Softcover, perfect bound
- Pages: 204
- Dimensions: 7″ x 10″
- Weight: 19.5 oz
- ISBN: 978-1-68044-013-3
- Language: English
Who is this for
Anyone who has taken a Scenic Tour, Historic Lantern Tour, or Wild Caving Tour at Jewel Cave and wondered how those passages were ever found will get the answer here. It also makes a solid gift for a caver, a climber, a South Dakota geology fan, or anyone who likes a detailed firsthand account of a long-term physical project. The reading level is approachable; the Conns wrote plainly, not for specialists.
Jewel Cave today
When the book first appeared in 1977, the surveyed length was about 50 miles. The volunteer survey team the Conns started kept going. A 2014 breakthrough in the Splinter Section added more than 24 miles in one stretch, and in December 2018 a six-person team crossed the 200-mile mark in a single overnight push. As of 2026 the surveyed length is over 220 miles, ranking Jewel Cave the third-longest cave in the world. This book is the story of the first 50.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same book as the older editions?
The narrative is the same story by Herb and Jan Conn. This Revised Third Edition (June 2019) is expanded with 16 pages of full color, more than 150 remastered black-and-white photographs, and updated maps. The 1977 and 1981 editions are out of print and have fewer images.
What is the foldout map?
It is a large survey map of Jewel Cave National Monument in Custer County, South Dakota, bound into the book and pictured here unfolded. It traces the cave’s growth as the survey extended year by year.
Are the photos new or historical?
Both. The exploration runs from the 1900s through the late 1970s, and most photos come from the Conns’ personal archive of transparencies and negatives, all digitally remastered for this edition.
Does buying this support Jewel Cave?
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.
Every Purchase Makes a Difference
When you shop with Black Hills Parks & Forests Association, you are directly funding:
- Education programs — nature workshops, Junior Ranger activities, and homeschool adventures for kids across the Black Hills
- Trail maintenance — keeping hiking trails safe and accessible at Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, and the Black Hills National Forest
- Visitor services — park store operations, interpretive programs, and the staff who help millions of visitors each year
- Conservation — supporting the long-term health of public lands in the Black Hills and Nebraska
BHPFA is the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service in the Black Hills region. We have supported these public lands since 1946.
Additional information
| Weight | 19.5 oz |
|---|---|
| Brand | National Speleological Society |
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