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14 •2019 McDonald County Guide Pineville One of Noel's gems is beyond what meets the eye. You'll have to take a trip underground to see it. Nicole Ridlen, Bluff Dwellers cave manager and resident geologist, shares, "When visitors tour Bluff Dwellers Cave most of the conver- sation is about the cave itself, How old is the cave? What lives in the cave? What people use the cave? However, the rocks themselves are often overlooked." Bluff Dwellers Cave in Noel, Missouri is more than what people expect. Although it may not be filled with crystals, gold, emeralds or jewels, the natural beauty of the cave itself is enough to awe visi- tors. The layers of history and rock at the Bluff Dwellers Cave are formed in limestone (a sedimentary rock that forms at the bottom of the ocean) from the Mississippian period. "It is the limestone itself that tells a very interesting story: it is the result of millions of years of sediment depositing at the bottom of an ocean," Ridlen states. Back in History In 1925 C. Arthur Browning, a native of the Ozarks found lime- stone rock, in which most Ozark caves are formed, on his family property. It was there that Brown- ing discovered Bluff Dwellers Cave. With his further exploration of the cave, he realized he had found something special. Two years later, with the help of a cave entrepreneur, Mr. Truitt, Mr. Browning began his cave business. He wanted to share the beautiful cave with others by offering Bluff Dwellers Cave: Over 90 years in business and a family legacy by Kimberly Marquez McDonald County Directory Bluff Dwellers Cave has several unique features. It has a state's longest known rimstone dam, and the cave has been owns and operates the cave! It is a small fami to now when values: Protect the cave so it can continue to be enjoyed ly-owned business that has continued to preserve the cave Browning found the cave in 1925, through the years of his Bunch (1991-2015) running the cave, to now when Reita's tect the cave so it can continue to be enjoyed for many years. What makes Bluff Dweller's Cave Unique? Photos Courtesy Bluff Dwellers Cave Continued on page 16