Crystal Cave was discovered in 1881 by local farm boy William R. Vanasse, while out chasing a squirrel. When he noticed that the squirrel had gone into a hole in the ground he began poking around and saw that this hole was a lot larger than a gopher or rabbit hole. The next day William returned with his brother George and descended into the cave. In a short while they had found themselves in what is now the second level and the main floor of the cave.

The cave did not begin to get developed until 1942 when developer Henry A. Friede from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and his wife Mary purchased the property as a small business. Henry had a life long interest in geology and caves and thought that this would suit his needs. (http://cavern.com/crystalcave/about_us.htm)

A short while after the purchase of the property Henry and Mary found themselves excavating the cave. The process of removing the mud and rock was slow and tedious. The dolomite rock that was removed from the cave was used for the construction of the gift shop and the entrance into the building.

Crystal Cave has been bought and sold many times throughout the years. It had not only been used as a tourist attraction, but some indications suggest that it had been used as a fallout shelter as well. As each owner pursued their interest in the geology of caves, more and more rooms have been discovered. These rooms can be located near the surface to as much as 23 meters or seven stories below the surface.

Cave map showing all known rooms and passages. The discovery of the entrance to the eastern passage in 1991 added about 2/3 of a mile of length to the cave. Currently, there is about 1/3 of a mile of lighted passages and rooms that are open to tourists.

Website created by Mike Molnar, Jim Pintaro, Greg Smoczyk, and Nick Lorenz