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.
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
The view from North Dakota's Killdeer Mountain is a majestic one.
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.
Among these hills is one of North Dakota's only natural caves, and supposedly its largest: the Medicine Hole.
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.
1864 is when the famous legend of the Medicine Hole took place.
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?
Legend has it that the fleeing group went down into the Medicine Hole and escaped at an unknown exit to the cave.
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!
Leah moved to North Dakota when she was 12 years old and has traveled from the Red River Valley to the badlands and many places in between. She loves small-town life and currently enjoys living on a small farm in the ND prairie. She's always had a passion for writing and has participated in novel writing challenges such as NaNoWriMo multiple times. Her favorite part about this job is recognizing small businesses that deserve a boost and seeing the positive affect her articles can have on their traffic, especially in rural areas that might have otherwise gone overlooked.
Love North Dakota?
Thank you! You'll receive your first newsletter soon!
