Near Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Lost and Found

— Natural Bridge State Park —

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 30, 2023

1. Lost and Found Marker

Inscription. Around 1812, workers from the nearby Saltpeter Cave heard water flowing from behind the limestone rock where you are now standing. They blasted away the stone with black powder explosives and exposed the Lost River.

They built a pipe system to bring water from the Lost River to the hoppers and kettles used in the saltpeter’s extraction process. One of those pipes can still be seen today.

The source of the Lost River was a mystery until 1900. By using non-toxic dyes, scientists conducted tracer tests in the waterway to understand its flow. These tests revealed the location of a small stream that enters a sinkhole about a mile up the ridge. The water then flows through a very tight cave channel and ends in a small waterfall as it joins Cedar Creek, much like how Cedar Creek itself flowed underground thousands of years ago.

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What is a “Lost River”? Lost River is a general term used to mean a river that flows where we cannot “see”. Many rivers in caves and on the surface flow through the ground, becoming lost and reappearing in different areas with karst topography.

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A 1930s postcard showing

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the Lost River

Pipes at another saltpeter mining operation from the same time period. The pipes here can be found in the ground about 50 feet to your right.

Erected by Virginia State Parks, Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Natural Features • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1812.

Location. 37° 37.966′ N, 79° 33.118′ W. Marker is near Natural Bridge, Virginia, in Rockbridge County. It can be reached from the intersection of South Lee Highway (U.S. 11) and Wert Faulkner Highway (Virginia Route 130), on the right when traveling north. Marker located along the Cedar Creek Trail in Natural Bridge State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6477 S Lee Hwy, Natural Bridge VA 24578, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Mountain Region.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 30, 2023

2. Lost and Found Marker

Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A View Thousands of Years in the Making (approx. 0.2 miles away); A Cave that Armed American Soldiers (approx. ¼ mile away); George Washington (approx. 0.4 miles away); Once Enslaved, He Became Natural Bridge's First Caretaker (approx. half a mile away); “The Most Sublime of Nature’s Works” (approx. half a mile away); Natural Bridge (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Natural Bridge (approx. 0.6 miles away); How Did It Happen? (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Natural Bridge.

Other markers no longer nearby. Lost River (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been permanently removed); Lace Waterfalls (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it); Monacan Village (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been permanently removed);

The Lost River image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 30, 2023

3. The Lost River

Saltpetre Cave (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named Natural Bridge (was approx. 0.6 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . Natural Bridge State Park. Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation. (Submitted on August 24, 2023.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 693 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 23, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.