Tucked into the Grand Canyon, the Bat Cave Mine once held the promise of immense fortune through the extraction of bat guano.
Tucked into the western reaches of the Grand Canyon, the Bat Cave Mine once held the promise of immense fortune through the extraction of bat guano, a highly valued agricultural fertilizer. Discovered in 1938 by river explorer Harold A. Carpenter, the remote cave proved difficult to access. Early efforts to mine and transport the guano faltered due to the challenges of navigating the Colorado River. A more ambitious operation in the 1950s saw the U.S. Guano Corporation invest $3.5 million into constructing what was then the longest aerial tramway in the world, spanning over 9,000 feet from the cave to Guano Point on the South Rim. Despite the scale of the effort, estimates of guano reserves were drastically overstated. Only about 1,000 tons of guano were recovered, yielding modest returns and ending the venture by 1960.
Following its closure, the site experienced a brief moment of fame when it appeared in the 1959 film Edge of Eternity. A year later, a U.S. Air Force jet accidentally severed the tramway cable during an unauthorized flight through the canyon. The area was later absorbed into Grand Canyon National Park in 1975. Today, remnants of the tram and mining operation are still visible at the cave and at Guano Point, preserved through public interest.
Discover more from Abandoned
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Discover more from Abandoned
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Many people still use this to enhance their gardens. A friend of a friend, no really, this person got a bag of it mixed in potting soil and used it for his cannabis plants. That person gave the rest of the potting mix to my friend. That friend put some in a brick planter that was attached to the house he bought. His next door neighbor was planning to move an offered my friend some ferns. I harvested a few and my friend got a couple. Hardy outdoor for my climate zone. He mixed the guano/potting soil in that planter the the fern grew very large. It was so large he trimmed back the feeler roots. I have an indoor garden store near me that sells it, called Mother Earth.
Cool place to see. 9000 foot cable had to be a surprise to that pilot. Thanks for sharing.