Nickajack Cave
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Nickajack Cave is a large, partially-flooded cave in Marion County, Tennessee. It was partially flooded by the Tennessee Valley Authority's Nickajack Lake, created by the erection of Nickajack Dam in 1967. It houses a large colony of Gray Bats, an endangered species. The cave took its name from the Chickamauga town of Nickajack, located between its mouth and the Tennessee River. The town was destroyed in 1794 by the Nickajack Expedition.
Nickajack Cave was mined for saltpeter by James Orr beginning in 1800. At this time, the cave was on land owned by the Cherokee Indians and this operation was conducted with their permission. This mining continued through the War of 1812. The cave was again mined for saltpeter during the Civil War, this time by the Confederate Nitre Bureau. Page 85 of the February 6, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly shows a drawing of the cave entrance and some of the saltpeter mining and refining equipment located outside the cave. Page 285 of the January 23, 1864 issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper shows a drawing of the area inside the mouth of the cave, including the leaching vats and a tower that would have supported a water tank. Robert Cravens, a Chattanooga businessman, operated Nickajack Cave and his own cave, Lookout Mountain Cave at the beginning of the Civil War. Soon after the war started, the operation at Nickajack Cave was taken over by the Confederate government. Sometime in late 1863 or very early 1864, this area was occupied by Federal troops and mining ceased. Nickajack Cave was one of the largest saltpeter caves operated by the Confederate Nitre Bureau during the Civil War and, as such, was a highly strategic site, since saltpeter was the main ingredient of gunpowder. The loss of Nickajack Cave was a serious blow to the Confederacy.
Musician Johnny Cash visited the cave in 1968 and had a spiritual experience there that caused him to stop his habit of drug abuse. Johnny Cash entered the cave high on drugs and alcohol, with the intent of committing suicide. He went as far as he could, until his light gave out, then lay down and passed out. When he awoke, he had a change of heart and followed a breeze and the faint light in the distance, until he reached the entrance and safety.[citation needed]
Today, Nickajack Cave is a Wildlife Refuge, operated by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The cave is home to a bat colony that is estimated to number over 100,000 bats. The cave is a maternity roost where pregnant female gray bats come each spring to give birth and raise their young. There is an observation deck adjacent to the mouth, where visitors can watch the bats leave at dusk to go feed.
