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President William Howard Taft established the 210-acre Shoshone Caverns National Monument at the behest of the residents of Cody, Wyoming in 1909, just three years after the Antiquities Act became law.
Taft called the caverns “Magnificently decorated with sparkling crystals and beautiful stalactites, containing impenetrable pits of unknown depths... of great scientific interest and value to the people of the United States,” at the time. Much of the caverns have been mapped and explored, including a large room that's 300 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 40 feet high. However, the full extent of the caverns is unknown. That's partially because Congress abolished the national monument in 1954, leading to decades of mismanagement.
Residents of Cody thought the caves would attract more tourism in private hands, so they lobbied Congress for control over the land. Congress transferred it to the town of Cody, which leased it to private citizens, who opened it as Spirit Mountain Caverns in 1957. The new owners altered the caverns, including flattening portions of them and installing an arch at the main entrance. But the caves didn't draw the kind of crowds they were hoping for, so they abandoned their lease in the 1960s.
Now, the caverns are back under federal ownership. But, lacking a monument designation, there hasn't been an effort to increase public interest in them or study them for their scientific potential. In fact, the Bureau of Land Management blocked off the entrance to the caverns to keep people from wandering in and getting hurt. To access them today, you need a permit.
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We used to drive around and see horses... Now we can drive around and see wildlife.”
