Olentangy Indian Caverns - Delaware, Ohio
Posted by: 
Mr. 0
N 40° 11.539 W 083° 03.768
17T E 324408 N 4451143
A publicly accessible limestone cavern outside of Delaware, Ohio.
Waymark Code: WM20AN
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 08/13/2007
Views: 217
History shows these caverns were used by the
Wyandot Indians as recently as the early 1800's. The caves provided shelter from the elements and enemies. Many artifacts including arrowheads and other stone implements were found in the caverns after they were rediscovered in the mid 1800's. There is also evidence in the form of carbon deposits on the ceiling in one room where food was prepared, that is still visible today.
The cave's rediscovery happened in 1821 when J.M. Adams camped nearby. He awoke in the morning to find one of his oxen had disappeared. He eventually found it dead at the bottom of the cave. He carved his name and date in the stone near the entrance, however his name has been covered by mineral deposits. Legend has it that the cave did and always will belong to the Native Americans, and Adams' name was erased by their spirit.
One story of the caverns also claims that Chief Leatherlips was killed at the entrance to the cave. Leatherlips was instrumental in signing the Treaty of Greenville, which essentially gave much of the Native American lands in present day Ohio to the European Settlers. This caused much conflict between the Native Americans and the settlers. Eventually the Shawnee tribe, lead by , condemned Leatherlips to death for "witchcraft." Several Wyandots tracked Leatherlips down. Leatherlips donned his best attire, and accepted his sentence of death by tomahawk. Other stories put the place of his execution nearer to the Scioto River in present day Dublin, Ohio.
The public areas of the cave cover several parts and levels of it, reaching as deep as 105' below the surface. Another level as deep as 600' was found, but it was blocked over time by rocks and mud. In this level, researchers found a massive underground river that flows out into the Olentangy River. There is also a large lake which was populated by small blind fish. It is assumed the fish still live there, as no one has visited since its discovery.
There are also many other areas of the cave that are still unexplored. Due to present day restrictions, these areas may never be uncovered or explored. One such area near the "Council Rock," is rumored to hold a burial ground of sorts.
Some small stalactites are found throughout the caverns. They also claim that there is one bat that lives in there, but it rarely bothers anyone.