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The 1920s Man Who Captivated The Nation After Being Trapped In A Cave For 17 Days And Dying
Kentucky Caver William Floyd Collins hoped to become rich from making a cave a well known landmark. Instead, it killed him.
In 1925, Kentucky cave explorer William Floyd Collins made national headlines and drew crowds of thousands of people. Unfortunately, it was for morbid and curious reasons, as he became hopelessly trapped in an underground chamber where he spent 17 days unable to be rescued before ultimately dying from exposure, exhaustion and starvation.
Floyd Collins’ love of caves evolved from his upbringing on a farm very near Mammoth Cave, the world’s longest-known cave system. From the age of six, he found joy and adventure in exploring various caves around his home. It was a passion that stayed with him as he moved into adulthood.
In 1917, he discovered Crystal Cave, a massive system of caves hidden beneath his family’s farmland. He began to see caving as a potentially lucrative business, hoping he could use passion with what he found on his family’s land as a natural bridge for fellow enthusiasts to explore there. He hoped it would grow to become an attraction for adventurers on their way to better known systems like Mammoth Cave.
