Sauta Cave
A 200+ Year History

Besides being a caver's cave, Sauta Cave has a long and colorful history.  The cave has been to court several times, once all the way to the United States Supreme Court.  Records date from the early pioneer days of the 1700's when the Cherokee Native American Indians owned this land.  Today, the cave is owned and managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

Much of Sauta Cave's history revolves around the mining of Saltpeter from the cave.  This saga breaks down into three main time periods: The Cherokee, the Civil War, and Postbellum to today.  There are stories embedded in all three eras.  The most visible images today being the artifacts from the Confederate Civil War mining operations, although, each period left its mark in the cave.

Written by William Varnedoe
Copyright 2014
ISBN: 978-1-68044-000-3
62 pages, Softbound, B&W