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Peck discovers GC Caverns<br>in 1927 on way to poker game

GC CAVERNS — On his way to a poker game in 1927, Santa Fe Railroad worker Walter Peck fell off his horse after coming upon an eight-foot hole in the middle of a trail.

Tourists make their way through the Chapel of the Ages area of Grand Canyon Caverns west of Seligman.

Not wanting to miss the poker game, Peck continued on his way. But he would return the following day to the spot, located between Seligman and Peach Springs, to investigate the hole. Maybe it could end up being a prosperous gold mine.

"The next morning, three came back ... and the poker loser had a rope tied around his waist and was lowered 150 feet down," said Rosita Jerue, a tour guide at Grand Canyon Caverns.

When the man touched bottom, he found himself in the middle of a large, dark cavern. With a coal oil lantern, he did some exploring and noticed some sparkle in the rocks.

"He hoped to find gold and silver," Jerue said. "But there was nothing here but limestone."

The man also discovered part of a saddle and human bones, which would eventually be determined to be two Hualapai Indians who died in the winter of 1917. When hauled back up to the surface, Peck’s friend handed over rock samples.

Peck set out for Prescott to have the rocks tested. While waiting for the test results, Peck became scared that others would try to jump on his gold mine. So, a few weeks later, he bought the property.

"He became the proud owner of limestone caverns," Jerue said. "So, he made it into a tourist attraction."

No gold was found in the caverns, just lots of iron oxide. Still, he pounced on the idea of lowering folks down into the hole for 25 cents each.

"He cranked people down 150 feet, but you needed your own lantern," Jerue said. "People called it Walter Peck’s dope-on-a-rope tour."

Tourists saw nothing if they didn’t have a lantern. And for those who did have one, if the light went out, they would have trouble finding the rope again to come back up.

In 1936, Hoover Dam engineers were persuaded to come over to the site to take a look at building an entrance. A wooden staircase, including a swinging bridge, was constructed at the entrance with a series of wooden ladders leading down into the caverns. By this time, Peck would give tourists a lantern to use, but only if there were at least six people in the group and the price was raised to 50 cents.

In 1962, an elevator became operational. It takes tourists 210 feet, or six stories, down. The natural entrance to the caverns was sealed out of respect for the Hualapai Indians, who regard it as sacred burial ground.

The Grand Canyon Caverns tour includes a Giant Ground Sloth, which became extinct thousands of years ago. A model of the animal, which stands 12 feet, 4 inches and weighs 2,000 pounds, was made.

A mummified bobcat found about a half-century ago also appears on the tour.

The temperature down in the caverns remains 56 degrees year round. Jerue said it’s a dry cavern, which basically means it’s dead. In its lifeless state, bacteria and viruses cannot live longer than 72 hours.

In the Chapel of the Ages, one of the main rooms measuring 130 yards in length, a few weddings have taken place. In 1977, a cook and shop employee were the first to be married. Another wedding occurred there earlier this year.

The other main room on the tour is called Halls of Gold. A more accurate name for the room would be Halls of Iron Oxide. It measures 210 yards in length, equivalent to a little more than two football fields.

Grand Canyon Caverns is more than incredible sights and fascinating geology, but also has an interesting history.

At the height of the Cold War, Grand Canyon Caverns was prepared to be a fallout shelter. In 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the federal government stored enough food and supplies in the caverns to sustain 2,000 people for two weeks.

Back in the 1950s, tests were done to figure out just where the caverns air supply originated. The air came from what they referred to as a mystery room. Smoke bombs were set off every hour for a full day to see where it would come out, thus discovering the air supply.

Two weeks later, it was discovered that the supply of air was coming from Havasu Falls, located several miles away.

Grand Canyon Caverns is located on Historic Route 66 and there are facilities such as a restaurant, gift shop, motel, convenience store and even an air strip. Jerue said about 60,000 people a year visit the caverns. The attraction is open daily except Christmas.

An impressive gift shop greets visitors where tour tickets can be purchased. The tickets are actually poker chips, which serves as a tribute to Peck.

During the summer, hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Hours are reduced during winter. Tours depart every 30 minutes.


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