Niagara Cave

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Contributor: Harmony Area Historical Society
Niagara Cave Halls
Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of Niagara Cave.

Since its opening as a tourist attraction in 1934, Niagara Cave near Harmony has welcomed thousands of visitors from around the world into its inspiring environment. The unique underground space is filled with distinctive rock architecture and naturally carved pathways created by freshwater underground streams.

Niagara Cave is the largest limestone cave in the Midwest, with a maximum depth of 200 feet and a vertical relief of about 150 feet. An interior passageway extends for 1,750 feet past striking geological features, including a gorge (the Grand Canyon), a limestone island (the Battleship), and a rounded concave ceiling (Cathedral Dome). Its interior maintains a constant temperature of forty-eight degrees.

The first documented entry of the cave occurred in 1924, when three meandering pigs fell through a sinkhole a few miles southwest of Harmony. They fell seventy-five feet before landing inside a spacious cavern. It wasn’t long before their owner, a local farmer, noticed his pigs were missing. The farmer found more than his livestock when he retrieved them. Gasping lamplight in the underground’s dark dampness revealed the shimmering, golden-hued walls of an undiscovered grotto, nearly magical in its display of varied rock formations.

Eight years later, in 1932, three amateur spelunkers thoroughly explored the cave. Landowner Al Cremer, Leo Tekippe, and Joe Flynn slipped through the open crevice and spent two hours examining the cave’s layout. What they discovered was breathtaking: ceilings that sometimes measured 100 feet high, a sixty-two-foot waterfall that emptied into a swiftly moving underground stream, ancient fossils, established walkways, and impressive stone formations. The successful expedition led to an exciting idea: opening the cave to public tours.

Inspired by the waterfall, Cremer, Tekippe, and Flynn named the site Niagara Cave and opened it to tourists in June 1934. In its opening season, it was one of the most advertised tourism attractions in the country. Hundreds of billboards advertising the cave lined highways across the state, region, and country. The first wedding in the cave’s chapel took place in 1935. Al Cremer sold the cave to Ron and Nancy Vikre in 1981; the Vikres, in turn, sold it to Mark and Jennifer Bishop in 1995.

In 2014, the cave celebrated the ninetieth anniversary of its first documented entry by shutting off the overhead electrical lighting and hosting guided lantern tours. The tours gave visitors a similar experience to that of the first spelunkers. In 2015, it became the first commercial cave in the world to be powered by solar energy. It has been consistently ranked as a top cave destination in America by several media outlets, including CNN and the Travel Channel. A 2016 USA Today poll ranked it as the second-best cave in the country.

Between 25,000 and 30,000 visitors tour the cave each year. They marvel at the icicle-like stalactites suspended from the ceiling and the cone-like stalagmites protruding upwards from the floor. Over 400 couples have exchanged wedding vows in the chapel. Visitors can shop the gift shop, play eighteen holes of mini golf, pan for gemstones and fossils, and enjoy an outdoor picnic.

Cite
Hahn, Amy. "Niagara Cave." MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society. https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/place/niagara-cave
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© Minnesota Historical Society  80x15  Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
First Published: September 10, 2018
Last Modified: April 22, 2025

Bibliography

Bretz, J. Harlen. “Caves in the Galena Formation.” Journal of Geology 46, no. 6 (August–September 1938): 828–841.

Brick, Greg. Minnesota Caves: History and Lore. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2017.

“Finding Minnesota: The Cave That Pigs Discovered.” WCCO, July 6, 2014.
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/07/06/finding-minnesota-the-cave-that-pigs-discovered/

Haynes, Cyd. “3 ½ Hours to Natural Wonder.” Maple Grove Magazine, July 2014.
https://maplegrovemag.com/3%C2%BD-hours-natural-wonder

Hogberg, R. K., and T. N. Bayer. Guide to the Caves of Minnesota. [Minnesota]: Minnesota Geological Survey, 1967.

Johnson, Millicent Yates. Let’s Have Harmony: A Centennial History. Harmony Centennial Committee. Rochester, MN: Davies Printing, 1996.

“Niagara Cave.” Atlas Obscura.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/niagara-cave-1

“Niagara Cave Celebrates 80 Years.” KTTC, June 11, 1014.
http://www.kttc.com/story/25698348/2014/06/Thursday/niagara-cave-celebrates-80-years

Weiss, John. “Niagara Cave Celebrates 90 Years, With Lantern Light.” Rochester Post-Bulletin, June 7, 2014.
http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/niagara-cave-celebrates-years-with-lantern-light/article_fb193f37-706c-57a9-99a0-0d857e2ea4c1.html

Related Resources

Related Images

Niagara Cave Halls
Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of Niagara Cave.
Niagara Cave
Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1934.
Niagara Cave Stairway
Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1934.
Photo of flirtation walk at Niagara Cave
Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1936.
Photograph of entrance lodge at Niagara Cave, 1940
Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1940.
Photograph of Stalactite Room at Niagara Cave
A chamber with stalactites called the Stalactite Room inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1941.
Color Illustration of waterfall in Niagara Cave
Postcard with a color illustration of a waterfall inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1945.
Photograph of Chapel Room at Niagara Cave, 1940
A postcard with a color illustration of a chamber, called the Chapel Room, inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1945.
Photograph of entrance lodge at Niagara Cave
A postcard with a color illustration of the entrance lodge at Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1945.
Photo of old wishing well at Niagara Cave

A postcard with a color illustration of the "wishing well" inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1945.

Map of Niagara Cave system

A plan map (above) and a section map (below) of Niagara Cave. Published in R. K. Bower and T. N. Bayer’s Guide to the Caves of Minnesota (Minneapolis: Minnesota Geological Survey, 1967), pages 28 and 39.

Photograph of Gastropod fossil Niagara Cave
Fossilized gastropod inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of Niagara Cave.
Photograph of Granddad Formation Niagara Cave

The "Granddad Formation" inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of Niagara Cave.

Niagara Cave Rock Formation
Niagara Cave rock formation, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of Niagara Cave.
Photograph of Niagara Cave waterfall
Waterfall inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of Niagara Cave.
Niagara Cave Halls

Halls of Niagara Cave

Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of Niagara Cave.
© Niagara Cave    
Niagara Cave

Niagara Cave

Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1934.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society
Niagara Cave Stairway

Niagara Cave

Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1934.

Public domain

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society
Photo of flirtation walk at Niagara Cave

Flirtation Walk inside Niagara Cave

Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1936.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society
Photograph of entrance lodge at Niagara Cave, 1940

Entrance lodge of Niagara Cave

Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1940.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society
Photograph of Stalactite Room at Niagara Cave

Stalactite Room, Niagara Cave

A chamber with stalactites called the Stalactite Room inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1941.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society
Color Illustration of waterfall in Niagara Cave

Waterfall inside Niagara Cave

Postcard with a color illustration of a waterfall inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1945.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society
Photograph of Chapel Room at Niagara Cave, 1940

View of Chapel Room, Niagara Cave

A postcard with a color illustration of a chamber, called the Chapel Room, inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1945.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society
Photograph of entrance lodge at Niagara Cave

Entrance Lodge, Niagara Cave

A postcard with a color illustration of the entrance lodge at Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1945.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society
Photo of old wishing well at Niagara Cave

"Wishing well" inside Niagara Cave

A postcard with a color illustration of the "wishing well" inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 1945.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society
Map of Niagara Cave system

Maps of Niagara Cave

A plan map (above) and a section map (below) of Niagara Cave. Published in R. K. Bower and T. N. Bayer’s Guide to the Caves of Minnesota (Minneapolis: Minnesota Geological Survey, 1967), pages 28 and 39.

Public domain

Photograph of Gastropod fossil Niagara Cave

Niagara Cave gastropod fossil

Fossilized gastropod inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of Niagara Cave.
© Niagara Cave    
Photograph of Granddad Formation Niagara Cave

"Granddad Formation" inside Niagara Cave

The "Granddad Formation" inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of Niagara Cave.

© Niagara Cave    
Niagara Cave Rock Formation

Niagara Cave rock formation

Niagara Cave rock formation, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of Niagara Cave.
© Niagara Cave    
Photograph of Niagara Cave waterfall

Niagara Cave Waterfall

Waterfall inside Niagara Cave, Harmony, Minnesota, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of Niagara Cave.
© Niagara Cave    

Turning Point

Three pigs are rescued after falling through a crevice near Harmony in 1924, leading to the discovery of an underground cavern that would eventually be called Niagara Cave.

Chronology

1924
Three pigs fall through a crevice near Harmony (Fillmore County), leading to the discovery of an underground cave.
1932
Al Cremer, Leo Tekippe, and Joe Flynn explore the underground cave
1934
Niagara Cave opens for tours.
1935
The first wedding is held in the cave’s chapel.
1938
J. Harlen Bretz, a geologist at the University of Chicago, includes the first scientific study of Niagara Cave in an article published in the Journal of Geology.
1981
Al Cremer sells the cave to Ron and Nancy Vikre.
1995
Mark and Jennifer Bishop purchase the cave from the Vikres.
2014
An eighteen-hole miniature golf course is added to the site.
2014
Niagara Cave celebrates the ninetieth anniversary of its discovery with lantern tours.
2015
Niagara Cave becomes the first commercial cave in the world powered by solar energy.
2016
USA Today ranks Niagara Cave as the “second-best” cave in the country.
2017
Over 25,00 visitors tour the cave.

Bibliography

Bretz, J. Harlen. “Caves in the Galena Formation.” Journal of Geology 46, no. 6 (August–September 1938): 828–841.

Brick, Greg. Minnesota Caves: History and Lore. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2017.

“Finding Minnesota: The Cave That Pigs Discovered.” WCCO, July 6, 2014.
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/07/06/finding-minnesota-the-cave-that-pigs-discovered/

Haynes, Cyd. “3 ½ Hours to Natural Wonder.” Maple Grove Magazine, July 2014.
https://maplegrovemag.com/3%C2%BD-hours-natural-wonder

Hogberg, R. K., and T. N. Bayer. Guide to the Caves of Minnesota. [Minnesota]: Minnesota Geological Survey, 1967.

Johnson, Millicent Yates. Let’s Have Harmony: A Centennial History. Harmony Centennial Committee. Rochester, MN: Davies Printing, 1996.

“Niagara Cave.” Atlas Obscura.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/niagara-cave-1

“Niagara Cave Celebrates 80 Years.” KTTC, June 11, 1014.
http://www.kttc.com/story/25698348/2014/06/Thursday/niagara-cave-celebrates-80-years

Weiss, John. “Niagara Cave Celebrates 90 Years, With Lantern Light.” Rochester Post-Bulletin, June 7, 2014.
http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/niagara-cave-celebrates-years-with-lantern-light/article_fb193f37-706c-57a9-99a0-0d857e2ea4c1.html

Related Resources