Famous Cave Explorer Stephen Bishop

Mammoth Cave National Park shares some history about Stephen Bishop. He was an enslaved cave guide who became famous for his many discoveries and accomplishments working at Mammoth Cave.

[@drcorson]

Thank you for this explanation and the other comments, amazing information and touching and inspiring at the same time.

[@phogue1]

This is an excellent recounting of Bishop, but there is so much more. The stories of the guides who were slaves and former slaves that truly pioneered the cave system and its accessibility to the public, like Stephen and the Branford family, are simply amazing. Some of the tours (there are many different tours due to the massive size of the cave system) feature where slaves mined saltpeter during the War of 1812 in the most horrible conditions you can imagine. The story of Mammoth Cave is deeply entwined with the story of African-Americans, and it is worth learning. Jerry Bransford, a descendent of slaves and former slaves who were cave guides before and after the Civil War, is one of those responsible for keeping this history alive, and still works as a Park Ranger and cave guide as well. Be sure to find the video of him here on TH-cam.

[@catregime]

Wow thank you for all this info!

[@redriver6541]

Thank you guys for sharing this on here. I live close to the cave and have been there many times..... I never tire of stories of Mr Bishop.

[@janiceparker6160]

That is soooo sad. He was a brilliant mind that didn’t get but a year of freedom. My heart breaks for him

[@catregime]

Precisely.