Discovery by Humans

Early Explorers

Howe Caverns, which was discovered 20 years before the outbreak of the Civil War, has a history that follows America's transformation from a farm-based economy to an industrial nation. It was a time when great fortunes were made by leaders of the Industrial Revolution and a time when man was eager to exert his command over nature.

Prior to the arrival of the German Palatine Settlers in the Schoharie Valley in the early 1700s, the Indians knew what they called "Otsgaragee" or "Cave of the Great Galleries." In historical records, there is some disagreement as to this translation, which suggests the Indians explored deep into the cavern. A second translation is "Great Valley Cave," which may be more accurate, as many believe the Indians' superstitions may have kept them from exploring the cave.

The first white man to enter the cave did so in the early 1770s. Perhaps Johnathan Schmul, a peddler, had been calling on families in the mill town of Kobel's Kill (today, Cobleskill) when he sought refuge from an Indian attack by hiding at the entrance to the cave. Schmul later confided in a local pastor, Rev. John Peter Resig, "I found a cave when the Indians were after me. That's my home. But be mum about this. Should war break out, then flee to this cave and you will be safe." Schmul and Resig vanished quite suddenly from the historical records, as did the Indians of the Schoharie Valley, who fled the area with their Tory counterparts at the end of the American Revolution.

Enter Lester Howe

Little was known or remembered of Otsgaragee by the early 1800's when Lester Howe, his wife Lucinda, and their three infant children - Huldah Ann, Harriet Elgiva and Halsey John - settled in the valley east of Cobleskill. The location of the cave entrance had been lost to history, but there was talk of a mysterious "Blowing Rock" - a strange rocky ledge from which a cool breeze of air emanated on even the hottest days.

Howe and his family farm were located adjacent to the caverns' hidden entrance (the farmhouse foundation stood on Dug Road, just east of Boreali's Restaurant until I-88 was built). There is no doubt Howe was fascinated by stories of the strange local phenomenon "Blowing Rock." Reports of the day placed its location just north of the "Kobles Kill" and ten miles west of the Schoharie River - on or near his property.

There are several different accounts of the caverns' history, but the most often told (shortened for the touring public) is that Howe found the cave by accident on the 22nd of May, 1842. On many hot summer days he noticed his cows pastured in this same spot, not on his land, but land owned by neighbor and friend, Henry Wetsel. When Howe approached his herd, he began to notice the temperature getting cooler. His dairy herd had gathered near the cave's hidden entrance to feel the cool air coming from below, and Howe had indeed found the mysterious "Blowing Rock" and gave credit, in particular, to a cow named "Millicent" for helping with the discovery. Howe then entered the cave with his neighbor Henry Wetsel.

The Making of a Legend

Much to the concern of his wife, Howe, "with commendable curiosity," returned to his discovery day after day with Wetsel. There is no first-hand account of Howe's first explorations. He and Wetsel ventured a little farther into the cave on each trip and emerged wet, muddy, and exalted by the thrill of their discoveries. A piece of tin was hammered into a lamp to burn whale oil as their source of light. Eventually they explored nearly a mile and a half of underground passageways, all by the dim, flickering light of a small oil lamp. They also built a raft to cross the lake as we know it today.

Improvements in the cave began almost immediately, and Howe's announcements to the press compared his cave to Kentucky's great Mammoth. By the end of 1842, Howe and Wetsel had cleared the property near the entrance and cleared mud, clay and stone from the cave's stream passage to make it more easily traversed. Howe hit on an ingenious plan for utilizing the water. He first loosened the clay, gravel and broken rocks; then stopping the other outlets, he flooded the main channel and thus forced the stream to sweep out its own deposits.

Howe purchased the property from Wetsel in February 1843 for $100. The land records use the name "Howe's Cataract Cave" in the description of the transaction. At age 33, Lester Howe opened Howe's Cave as the country's third commercial cave venture. What became of Henry Wetsel is not part of the historical record, and Wetsel is rarely mentioned in any connection with Howe's Cave. Nearby, Wetsel Hollow Road still winds its way from his former property over the hill to the village of Schoharie.