Near Cave City in Barren County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Location, Location, Location
Mammoth Cave National Park
Photographed by Jason Voigt, September 28, 2025
1. Location, Location, Location Marker
Along this entrance road to Mammoth Cave, on Friday, January 30, 1925, local cave owner and well-known cave explorer Floyd Collins descended alone underground searching for a cave in a better location. The Collins family's cave, Crystal Cave, lay too far off the main route to attract many tourists.
Crawling through a very tight squeeze on his way back to the surface, Collins kicked a rock loose behind him, pinning his leg. Constrained by the tight passage, Floyd Collins was trapped, 60 feet underground.
After locating Floyd the following morning, friends and family made several unsuccessful attempts to free him over the next five days. Word of Floyd's plight spread fast, and soon help was arriving from throughout the region.
(timeline aside:)
January 30 - Floyd Collins enters Sand Cave and becomes trapped
January 31 - Relatives locate Floyd
February 1 - Family and friends feed and comfort Floyd while attempting to free his pinned lower body
February 2 - An attempt to pull Floyd free with rope and harness fails
February 3 - An electric light bulb is strung into the cave in an attempt to keep Floyd
this page online
An effort to loosen the rock pinning Floyd's leg with crowbars and jacks fails
National Guardsmen arrive to assist with crowd control
February 4 - A partial collapse of the cave passageway cuts off all physical contact with Floyd
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Disasters. A significant historical date for this entry is January 30, 1925.
Location. 37° 9.165′ N, 86° 2.869′ W. Marker is near Cave City, Kentucky, in Barren County. It is at the intersection of Sand Cave Trail and Old Mammoth Cave Road, on the left when traveling north on Sand Cave Trail. Marker is at the start of the Sand Cave Trail, which starts at the parking lot at Old Mammoth Cave Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1264 Sand Cave Trl, Cave City KY 42127, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave Country and in the Pennyroyal Region. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Photographed by Jason Voigt, September 28, 2025
2. Location, Location, Location Marker
Marker (on the left) is at the start of the Sand Cave Trail.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sand Cave Trail (here, next to this marker); Carnival Sunday (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Rescue Site (about 600 feet away); Sand Cave (approx. 0.2 miles away); Union City: Cave Crossroads (approx. 1.7 miles away); Hearth and Home (approx. 1.7 miles away); Locust Grove Cemetery (approx. 1.8 miles away); The Forest Returns (approx. 2½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cave City.
Also see . . .
1. Floyd Collins on Wikipedia. (Submitted on October 5, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
2. Mammoth Cave National Park (National Park Service). (Submitted on October 5, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 5, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 66 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 5, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.
