Beneath the gently rolling hills of Winneshiek County, Iowa, lies the state's premier cave- Coldwater.The only natural entrance, Coldwater Spring, resurges from the base of a massive limestone bluff in the Coldwater Creek Conservation Area. Access to the cave is through a man made entrance shaft beneath an aluminum walled building 2 1/2 miles due north of the spring. The 47' F water makes a full wetsuit imperative for all trips into the cave.

Formed along gently dipping beds of the Galena Limestone (Ordovician), Coldwater Cave includes a base level trunk passage that serves as a master drainage for the area. This 3.5 mile long passage sumps at both the upstream and downstream ends.

Another 7 miles of east and northeast trending tributaries and small side passages feed the main stream. However, most water in the cave originates beyond the upstream sumps; the source of these headwaters is currently under study. Downstream of the shaft entrance, a major side passage breaches a drainage divide and leads to a north south trending conduit that nearly parallels the main stream.

Many sinkholes dot the area above and adjacent to the cave and though some take water during the wet season, none led directly into the main stream passage. Rather, surface drainage appears to be transported through cracks and crevices to an extensive upper level. Water is channeled to side passages via numerous fissure domes that occur throughout the cave.

Survey and exploration trips are organized and coordinated for the third weekend of every month under the auspices of the Coldwater Project an endeavor initiated in 1976 by Rock River Speleological Society (RRSS). This concerted effort by cooperating groups of cavers have resulted in over 10.5 miles of survey. Although the project has worked 11 years in the system, there is still potential for new discoveries the latest made in the summer of 1987.

In December of 1987 Coldwater Cave was designated a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. This status is accorded to geologic and ecologic features considered to be of national significance.

Discovery and Early Exploration 1967-1970

Coldwater Cave was discovered in September, 1967, by Iowa Grotto members Steve Barnett and Dave Jagnow while they surveyed the area for cave potential. The large volume of water issuing from Coldwater Spring caught their attention and rumors of the past existence of enterable cave passage in the bluff further piqued their interest. Local story had it that a farmer set up a still in a cavern behind the cliff face during prohibition. Later the entrance overhang was blasted down to prevent it from collapsing on livestock. This raised the water level and prevented access to the cave.

On September 17, 1967, Steve Barnett attempted to dive the 47 degree F spring. Reaching under the cliff feet first, he unsuccessfully searched for air space. Next, equipped with a face mask and underwater flashlight, he pushed the sump becoming slightly disoriented and numbed by the cold water. This caused him to head into the cave instead of out and he emerged in a big air filled room (the First or Still Room). The room sumped at the upstream end, but he could see a large diameter passage continuing underwater. He reoriented himself and retraced the route back through the spring entrance. Encouraged by the discovery, Jagnow and Barnett planned to return, equipped with SCUBA gear, to push the underwater lead.

During the next three trips, they explored a series of breakdown rooms, sumps, and circuitous underwater passages laying handlines along the way. On the third trip, after traversing over 1500 ft beyond the spring entrance, they emerged in passage with enough ceiling height to allow them to stand and remove diving gear. Their shouts returned a strong echo and they knew there was a big cave in the darkness before them. The duo waded and swam for over a half mile in 10 x 20 ft stream gallery, noting several major side passages along the way. However, to meet their time deadline, they were forced to exit what was obviously a major new cave.

As they turned back in going cave passage, plans for the next push trip occupied their minds. Tom Egert of Little Egypt Student Grotto joined Jagnow and Barnett on the next expedition to Coldwater Cave. On April 27, 1969 the cavers spent 21 hours exploring 3.5 miles of mainstream passage and part of a major upstream side passage (Waterfall Passage). Stream depth varied from shallow running water to swimming depth. Many active draperies, flowstone cascades and stalactites in various colors decorated the ceilings and east walls of the stream gallery (indicating groundwater seepage from the southwest). They observed that breakdown areas occurred in sections where major joints intersected and noted that solutionally enlarged joints formed many domes throughout the cave.

Approximately 2 3/4 miles from the spring entrance, the passage trend took a turn to the northwest. Ceiling height dropped to less than 5 ft and the stream was floored with a layer of thick sticky mud. Two side passages fed the main stream in this area of the cave (Pete's Pipe and the Waterfall Passage). Barnett explored 3100+ ft of stoopway/crawlway in the latter. This passage terminated in a 30 ft. fissure dome containing a small upper level lead near the top. P>On June 6 8, 1968, Barnett and Jagnow completed a 52 hour survey trip, mapping from the spring entrance to an upstream sump; a total of 3 1/2 miles. Subsequently, the cavers concentrated their energies in the downstream sections of Coldwater, exploring many of the side passages and photographing the cave. They also worked the surface in hopes of finding a dry entrance.

In early December of 1969, Barnett and Larry Fattig entered a side passage located near the spring entrance. Equipped with their diving gear, 120 ft of goldline, a shovel, and a 50 meter steel tape, they crawled for several hundred feet to a dome. Barnett free climbed and measured the dome at 150 ft. Then, after donning SCUBA gear, they dove a 100 ft sump into the passage extension. Beyond the sump, they found another large dome with walls that went up and out of sight on three sides. On the fourth side, approximately 20 ft up the wall, they could see a large passage. Their attempts to scale the wall proved futile without technical equipment and they were forced to abandon this still unexplored lead.

Barnett and Jagnow presented their find to the Iowa State Conservation Commission in December of 1969. With photographs and a map, they hoped to generate support for preservation of the cave. Shortly thereafter, The Des Moines Register published an article by Otto Knauth entitled "How Iowans Risk Lives to Find Huge Cave." Replete with color photographs by Jagnow, the article constituted the first public notice of the cave's existence.

In the meantime, Iowa Grotto members designed a gate for the spring entrance. It was built by the Iowa Conservation Commission and installed by the Iowa Grotto in May of 1970. At that time Dave Jagnow and Al Swenson made one last photo trip to the Gallery (a beautiful section of the stream passage dominated by massive white flowstone.

Iowa Geologic Survey's "Coldwater Study" 1971- 1974

Because of the unique nature of Coldwater Cave and the potential for commercialization, the Iowa Legislature appropriated money for study and documentation. Based on a resistivity survey and Barnett and Jagnow's map, the state was able to locate the cave with respect to the surface and used this information to contact landowners in an effort to lease acreage above it. On June 4, 1971, Ken Flatland, a local dairy farmer, entered into a lease agreement with the State of Iowa to permit exploratory drilling and construction of a shed and access road. These "improvements" would facilitate evaluation of the cave for state acquisition as a recreational or preserve site.

Drilling commenced and procedure called for a camera to be lowered down hole when a void was encountered. This was done in order to ensure that speleothems would not be damaged by construction of a large diameter shaft. The first two attempts found a 6 in and 4.5 ft void respectively. The third try penetrated 78 ft of rock before emerging in the mainstream passage. The hole was enlarged and lined with 30 inch diameter steel casing. A 94 ft aluminum ladder was bolted to the casing, and a wooden platform built at the base of the shaft above the stream. In addition, a building was erected over the shaft and the site was enclosed with a cyclone fence.

In January of 1973, Steve Barnett and Loren McVey led members of the Iowa Geological Survey on a tour of the cave. The following day the group accompanied a number of reporters on a press trip, which included exploration of the Snake Passage (located about 400 ft upstream from the shaft entrance). This was the last trip in the cave by Iowa Grotto members until the state's lease expired in January of 1975. For the next two years the Iowa Geological Survey conducted and supervised various projects and studies. A group of Eagle Scouts was commissioned to do a theodolite survey of a loop encompassing the entrance shaft to the Well Pipe Passage and back. A water well pipe in the Well Pipe Passage would allow for a surface tie in, and the scouts' survey closed to within 1.5 ft in two miles.

Hydrologic parameters were monitored to study pollution levels and detailed records were kept on atmospheric C0₂ and 0₂ variations. The atmospheric results showed that C0₂ concentrations exceeded safety standards set by the Bureau of Mines and Standards, and 0₂ concentrations were less than the minimum. The hydrologic studies indicated that the source of pollution was from farm wastes which made the water unsafe for human consumption.

Faunal and floral studies conducted by Kenneth Christiansen of Grinnell College aimed at establishing a pre human contact ecological baseline. The studies indicated that the cave has speleobiologic merit because all human activity within it was completely documented. Holmes A. Semken of the University of Iowa cataloged and identified vertebrate remains concluding that most of the bones were from animals that presently inhabit the area with the exception of the redback vole. No strong boreal components to the biota were present, indicating that the cave sediments are more recent than Wisconsinian in age.

Research on speleothems, isotopic dates, and climatic interpretations were conducted by Henry Schwarcz and Russell Harmon of McMaster University. U/Th isotopic ratios, supported by isotope climatic profiles, showed the cave to be relatively young (200,000 years).

A group of consultants (Jack Burch, Roy Davis. and Jack Herschend) investigated the purchase of the cave for commercialization. The results of the various research projects and recommendations on acquisition were published in a five page IGS publication entitled Report on Coldwater Cave. The report summarized three options on possible action to take: buy and develop, buy and don't develop, don't buy. Strangely enough the IGS made no recommendations and failed to commit to anything specific. Although the cave generated tremendous enthusiasm, it seemed that the state could not justify a large expenditure of money for commercial development at that time. In January of 1975 the lease expired and the cave, plus improvements, reverted to the landowners.

Caver Access and the Coldwater Project 1975 - 1982

Word of Coldwater's status traveled fast in the local caver grapevine. Neil Saylor of the Minnesota Speleological Survey (MSS) took a fervent interest in Jagnow and Barnett's caving exploits. With information he garnered from past trip reports, the IGS Coldwater Study, and his extensive surface checking, he saw three areas of exploration potential.

Saylor observed from his field checking excursions that he was unable to follow the route of the water in the many sinkholes that drained land directly above the cave. The existence of numerous domes that feed water into mainstream Coldwater via unpushed upper leads caused him to postulate the existence of an extensive upper level. A sinkhole plain east of Coldwater drains a large surface area under which there was no known cave. That, coupled with Barnett's report of crossing a drainage divide in an eastern downstream side passage, raised the possibility in Saylor's mind of a parallel extension to the main stream. Finally, the fact that most of the water in Coldwater originates beyond the terminal upstream sump was indicative of more passage upstream and beyond.

In early 1975, Saylor approached the landowner about the possibility of cavers continuing to explore and map Coldwater Cave, emphasizing that the cave still had potential. Ken Flatland was amenable to the idea and granted the MSS access to the cave.

During that year Saylor led MSS cavers in a dual quest: pursuit of the speculated upper level and penetration of the upstream sump. They made several attempts to reach the upper lead in the Waterfall Dome, but were unsuccessful in negotiating the climb. Ron Spong, taking advantage of low water levels, braved the upstream siphon surfacing in a large breakdown room. He traversed the room and encountered another sump. Since he was alone, he felt it prudent to terminate his exploration.

After several unsuccessful and frustrating upstream trips, MSS cavers elected to concentrate their efforts in the eastern side passages downstream from the shaft. They explored the Monument Passage and mapped and connected the Well Pipe and Cascade Creek Passages. With white faced trepidation they reported on how suddenly the water rises in the Cascade Creek Passage in response to rain. They also noted that the Monument Passage, the only downstream passage that doesn't feed the mainstream, appears to direct water away to some unknown destination.

Other cavers also became interested and were allowed access to Coldwater Cave during 1975. Saylor played the classic suck in, casually dropping hints about upper levels, parallel systems, and upstream borehole. This tactic inspired Iowa Grotto members to do several reconnaissance trips to the cave, and in November, Rock River Speleological Society (RRSS) became interested in starting a grotto survey project. With Ken Flatland's blessing and Neil Saylor's direction, the group opted to work the upstream section of the cave.

RRSS resurveyed sections of the mainstream from the shaft to the upstream sump and pushed and mapped the Snake Passage. Accompanied by cavers from Iowa Grotto, Wisconsin Speleological Society and Windy City Grotto, they surveyed the Waterfall and Pete's Pipe Passages discovering that the two connected.

On some trips people noticed that they shared symptoms of indigestion, headache, and breathlessness. At times carbide lamps burned "funny," and a few trips were cut short because the participants felt bad physically. Doc Lewis concluded that they probably suffered from the high C0₂/low 0₂ levels and prescribed downstream trips or surface reconnaissance for those weekends when the high levels were suspected.

In the spring of 1976, an upstream exploratory crew discovered a dome 150 ft from the Waterfall Dome containing what appeared to be a walking height upper lead. Could this be Neil Saylor's upper level? In anticipation, it was named Gateway Dome. Rock River cavers designed and built a climbing pole, and in July of that year dragged it nearly 11/2 miles upstream to push to dome. To everyone's disappointment the passage ended in unstable breakdown after a few feet. Several more unsuccessful assaults were launched on the Waterfall Dome and finally, in 1978, WSS cavers completed the climb, reporting a small crawlway blocked by breakdown.

During the fall of 1976, RRSS members Tom Backer, Pete DeVries, Duke Hopper, Dave Smith, and R.C. Schroeder made two trips beyond the first upstream sump, emerging in the breakdown room that Spong of the MSS had described. They surveyed through a low air section, popped out in a second big room and mapped to another low air lead (The Tuna Sea). Schroeder cautiously inched his way in a 3.5 inch air space water crawl to a cross joint beyond which the passage appeared to sump. Total surveyed distance was 1100 ft.

The marginal air space encountered in the upstream sump along with fluctuations in water level dependent on surface weather conditions made passing the upstream sump a dangerous proposition. Because upstream potential seemed so probable, cavers looked to the grim little tributaries feeding the Waterfall Passage. They speculated, based on the Waterfall Pipe Passage link, that a connection was possible between the Waterfall Passage and upstream beyond the Tuna Sea. A core group of RRSS cavers (Bruce Coulter, Pat Kambesis, Brad Olson and Mark Rohn) spent over a year conducting a systematic survey of the west trending crawlways off the Waterfall Passage. They mapped hundreds of feet of low, muddy passage, but found no bypass.

Their last hope lay in the Obstruction Passage, another sleazeway supreme that blew lots of air but where exploration was stymied by a 4 foot long flowstone blockade. There was a narrow space between the ceiling and the obstruction which looked almost impossible for human penetration. Numerous attempts and various methods were made to enlarge the window over the blockade. Finally, small cavers, willing to remove their wetsuit tips, squeezed through the "window" to the other side: bigger cavers, agreeable to being bodily pushed/pulled, were stuffed through the hole. The several trips that ensued found nearly 1000 ft of flat out belly crawl (with no end in sight) and a wind that chilled them to the bone. One last major push was attempted by Pat Kambesis and Philip Moss in the summer of 1980. They noted the absence of air movement and suffered mild effects of high C0₂ levels. Perhaps the entrance to the connection route beyond the Tuna Sea had silted shut during the spring floods.

Cavers continued to push leads in the upstream domes with little success. Passages at the top were either too small for human entry or were filled with breakdown. In early 1979, RRSS made a final attempt on the upstream sump, enlisting the help of a group of newly certified cave divers. The divers, expecting Florida water conditions and worn out by the long trek to the upstream lead, never made it to the Tuna Sea.

With interest and enthusiasm in upstream Coldwater at low ebb, the project gradually shifted focus downstream. Coldwater project members resurveyed the main passage from the entrance shaft to the downstream sump. Upstream cleanup surveys alternated with downstream reconnaissance trips to the Cascade Creek, Well Pipe, and Monument Passages. Mapping commenced in smaller downstream leads and several domes near the entrance shaft received concentrated climbing pole attention. The upstream sumps took low priority to the continued search for the evasive upper level.

As of 1980, there were 7 miles of surveyed passage in Coldwater Cave with additional known cave that wasn't on the map. In an effort to increase survey footage, they concentrated on finishing off incomplete areas and rechecking old leads.

Of particular interest was the Cascade Creek Passage where MSS cavers had surveyed 3/4 of a mile and left some unchecked leads. The passage was intriguing in that, during the winter, water flowing from it seemed to run a little colder than the rest of the main stream. Water levels responded quickly during floods and air flow was good. Subsequently, what started as a cleanup survey turned into one of the most significant discoveries in Coldwater Cave, fulfilling another Neil Saylor prediction and adding nearly 2 miles of passage to the map.

Over a number of trips, Gary Engh, Barry Shuman, Cbuck Rex, John Moses, Glenn Glasser and others explored and remapped the Cascade Passage. They discovered bats in a cross joint off the main stream Cascade a first in Coldwater Cave, and perhaps an indication of another entrance in that area. A sleazy side passage before the bat cross joint was dubbed the Pig Trough, it later proved to be an important area in this section of cave. As the survey progressed in Pig Trough, cavers breached a drainage divide which broke into a parallel drainage system named Wanda's Walkway. A downstream push found sumped passage via a tangle of breakdown and deep water. The upstream route yielded a series of domes and crawls which led to a junction room (the Roundhouse) measuring 40 ft long, 25 ft wide, and 7 ft high. Five passages lead out of the room like spokes from a hub.

Cavers pushed a north trending lead out of the Roundhouse to Mud Canyon, 600 ft of mushy meandering mudbank passage. As the group progressed upstream, mud became less of a problem and passage decoration appeared, then increased in density. Squeezing through a near choke of formations and traversing another 300 ft, they discovered a large 80 to 90 ft high dome room. A waterfall poured out from a walking height lead 10 ft up the wall.

Using some webbing, Gary Engh lassoed the lip and negotiated the tenuous climb. Upon reaching the top he could see virgin passage. He could also see that the webbing was marginally supported by a jumble of big, unstable breakdown. Gary felt that the dangerous nature of the breakdown, coupled with the insufficient webbing rig, made further progress too risky at that point. In spite of the promising lead, the long, strenuous trip required to reach this remote area proved to be a near endurance barrier for many cavers and interest temporarily waned.

Like many long term caving endeavors, the Coldwater Project went through a period of stagnation. Several good cavers left the area and interest and motivation went into remission. In spite of this, people continued to meet and go caving on the third weekend every month.

Continued Exploration in Wanda's Walkway and the Upstream Sumps

Another trait of long-term caving projects is that a little new blood is all that is needed to spark enthusiasm and renew activity. New cavers to the project began working bring interest back with the help of some of the remaining "old timers."

Mapping trips to the many small, miserable side passages slowly increased total survey footage. Digging projects were initiated in Sand Canyon and Monument Passage. New leads were noted and old ones were scrutinized with new enthusiasm. In December of 1986 Dave and Sue Ecklund led a survey trip into Guardian Fangs Passage, bringing the total surveyed footage to 10 miles; a goal accomplished by the cumulative hard work of many cavers over the past 19 years.

Gary Engh, Larry Welch, and Bryan Bain returned to Wanda's Walkway in the spring of 1987, equipped with a collapsible grappling hook and tossed it into the upper level waterfall lead, which was subsequently called Grappling Falls. Logistical problems postponed the ascent to a later trip on which Bain was successful in reaching the upper lead and bypassing the unstable breakdown. Big virgin passage led away from the top of the waterfall and over massive breakdown for several hundred feet to the source of the water; a 4 ft wide by 2 ft high slot that moved plenty of air an excellent indication of more cave passage and a push left for another trip.

Iowa Grotto cavers tried their luck at the Spong Siphon, making two unsuccessful attempts in late 1985. Mike Nelson, undeterred by the results of the previous trips, grew fascinated and then obsessed with what lay beyond the upstream sumps. The low air space so characteristic of the area intimidated most cavers and usually "wetted down" their interest after a first trip. Nelson, who seems to thrive on ear crawls and intimate nose to ceiling contact, has been the driving force in current upstream exploration.

At about the same time that interest was renewed in the upstream sumps, Betty Wheeler, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, began conducting a series of dye traces. Rhodamine dye, which was introduced on the surface upstream from the Tuna Sea, rapidly found a way into the cave and inspired another round of Tuna Sea fever.

The low water levels of January 1986 allowed Nelson to nose his way through Spong Siphon to the first cross joint in the Tuna Sea and beyond R.C. Schroeder's farthest point of penetration. He traversed approximately 300 ft of 3 6 in air space through a series of cross joints and rooms to "Beyond the Tuna Sea" After another 300 ft of virgin passage, he turned back. Excited and doubly determined, he returned to the surface to instigate plans for a full scale exploration and survey trip.

Two weeks later, he returned to the site with a group of seven Iowa Grotto cavers. They pushed and mapped nearly 1000 feet of passage to Scandawhovian Sumps and noted a pyramid-shaped side passage that also sumped. Spring rains reinstated the normally high water levels and it was 11 months before the water dropped enough to allow further exploration.

In early 1987, Nelson launched another trip upstream where he did a belayed free dive reconnaissance of the Scandawhovian Sumps, finding going passage beyond them. However, the big breakthrough came in June of 1987. Nelson, accompanied by Minnesota cave diver Larry Laine, set out to push the Scandawhovian Sumps. They negotiated 50 ft of low air/no air passage, donning SCUBA gear in a cross joint and proceeded to another sump (Three Dive Sump). As the name implies it took three attempts before they emerged in new territory. The route forked farther upstream and they chose the north trending lead.

A tight horizontal squeeze opened to a small room, then a hands and knees water crawl, and finally stoop walking passage. Laine waited here while Nelson continued to explore. Passage dimensions enlarged to walking size and he found two large rooms, a breakdown area, and some promising leads. Realizing that they were overdue on the surface, the two retraced their steps, pacing off 3000 ft of new passage.

A return trip in July included Mike Nelson, Dave and Sue Ecklund, Bill Nelson, and Doug Schmeucker. The group mapped 450 ft in the south fork to the "End Again Sump. " Mike probed the sump with his feet and found air on the other side. However, a dive was not attempted at that time. Several promising dive leads and a side passage lead still remain to be explored and mapped on future trips.

In summing up the upstream explorations, Mike says, "Though this area will be inaccessible to the faint of heart or those with any phobias about water, promising leads still exist in this, Iowa's biggest and still growing cave."

Epilogue After 20 years, Coldwater Cave continues to give just enough to keep cavers coming back for more. Wanda's Walkway carries a significant amount of water and has entered a major ridge. The lead beyond Grappling Falls awaits cavers with the endurance and determination to make the trip. The large downstream dome with the big upper level lead discovered by Steve Barnett and Larry Fattig during an early exploration trip has never been revisited. The upstream sumps offer virgin passage to those who enjoy the proverbial ear crawl. In this area on the surface, the cave has almost penetrated a ridge that extends into Minnesota and toward a large sinkhole complex southwest of the town of Harmony. Mike Nelson reports that beyond one of the upstream sumps, passage trends south, a real enigma for this area of the cave where everything else seems to be heading north. In December of 1986, cavers used a specially modified cable ladder with a hooking pole to gain access into an upper level fissure passage; the quest for the upper level continues. The promise of an upper level, an intriguing parallel drainage system and a major extension beyond the upstream sump continue to motivate cavers today as in the past. However, the most important factor that has been instrumental to the work being done by the Coldwater Project is the excellent relationship between the landowners and the cavers. Ken and Wanda Flatland understand the significance of their cave, appreciate its beauty, and are aware and willing to preserve it. They realize that the cave should be protected, but do not see the need to restrict access from responsible people. Their enthusiasm toward the cave matches that of the cavers involved, and it is with this encouragement and support that the Coldwater Project continues.

pppppppp Cartography: Atkinson & Kambesis 1988

Acknowledgments

In addition to those cavers mentioned in the article, the authors would also like to thank the following people for their contributions to this article, the Coldwater Cave Project, or both: The Flatland Family, Mike Bounk, Lowell Burkhead, Stacey Cyphert, Dave "Chainsaw" Devries, Pete DeVries, Dave and Sue Ecklund, Dave Jagnow, Jim Klager, Mike Lace, Dr. Warren Lewis, Mike Nelson, Jeff Plache, Frank Rose, Paul Scobie and Larry Welch. So many other cavers have been involved over the years that, unfortunately, numerous names were omitted. This does not mean that these people are insignificant or forgotten. We salute all Coldwater cavers who have struggled into wetsuits since the discovery, 20 years ago.