The One North Dakota Cave That’s Filled With Ancient Mysteries

North Dakota doesn’t have many natural caves, but what few caves we do have are full of mystery and fascination. One of the most notorious of these caves has a mystery that we still haven’t figured out more than a century later – and probably never will. Discover what makes this spot in the prairie so unusual and has kept people guessing for years.

Please note: while this cave used to be accessible, it is now on private property. You can no longer visit the cave, but can speculate respectfully from a distance.

J. Stephen Conn/Flickr

The Killdeer Mountain are located in western North Dakota near, of course, the town of Killdeer. They rise from the prairie with rugged outcrops and large hills from seemingly nowhere. Over a century ago, this land was still in dispute and was the site of the Battle of Killdeer Mountain.

kelley/Flickr

The cave isn't actually formed in the same way most caves are. Instead, it was formed by slope failures - parts of the mountain and hills collapsing in ways that created open chambers. The Medicine Hole is a 70-foot-deep crack in the earth with multiple caverns that have been filled with mystery and lore for many years.

State Historical Society of North Dakota

In 1864, General Alfred Sully and his troops had a famous battle against the Sioux, who at the time were camped out at the foothills of the mountain. It was over 6,000 Sioux warriors against about 2,200 of Sully's soldiers. Because the soldiers were armed with artillery, the Sioux were quickly overrun and left with nothing to do but flee. When they fled, many split in different directions, but apparently some went up the jagged hills of the Killdeer Mountain and disappeared. But where?

State Historical Society of North Dakota

Speculation says that they were able to disappear into the cavern and find their way out somewhere else, as they were found by Sully's troops later. Where they were able to do so is still a mystery. People who have been to the cave have reported that wind and air can be felt coming up through the Medicine Hole, giving reason to believe there is indeed another opening into the cave. As for the rest of the story and how they did it, we may never know.

What do you think happened? Is it all just folklore or is there reasonable evidence that a great escape did happen through the Medicine Hole? This isn’t the only fascinating underground place North Dakota has, there is another from more recent history that you can actually visit. Check it out right here!