INTRODUCTION 1 HOW OREGON CAVES WERE FORMED 3 The Raw Material—Rock 3 Underground Erosion 7 Decoration 14 The Cave’s Age 24 Other Cave Features 25 LIFE IN THE CAVES 27 Plant Life 29 THE FUTURE 30 HUMAN HISTORY 30 CONSERVATION AND PRESERVATION 31 GLOSSARY OF CAVE TERMS 34 SUGGESTED READINGS 36 RULES & REGULATIONS 37 ADMINISTRATION 37 [Illustration: Paradise Lost] INTRODUCTION Three tired men unsaddled their horses where the mountain stream disappeared into the ground. They had fought their way 15 miles over wild, rugged mountains since leaving Williams Valley at dawn. Yet rest was far from their minds. Hurriedly they stuck tallow candles into lanterns made from tin cans, untied a lariat from a saddle, then walked down the valley. They stopped where the stream, now larger, reappeared from a shadowy crevice under a cliff. “This must be it,” said one of them eagerly, “just like Davidson said.” And with mixed feelings of excitement, fear, and the overwhelming grip of adventure, they followed flickering candlelight into the dark opening. Tales of persons lost for days in other caves were fresh in their minds, so they uncoiled a ball of string as they went. Later they could follow it back out.