The cave’s rediscovery — a term that archaeologists note is somewhat misleading, since the cave had not been lost to the Indigenous peoples of the region, only to European awareness — is traditionally associated with the late 1790s.

The story most often told involves a hunter named John Houchin pursuing a wounded bear to the cave’s entrance around 1797, though the historical basis for this account is not well documented.

What is clear is that European Americans became aware of the cave in the late eighteenth century and quickly recognized its potential as a saltpeter source.

Calcium nitrate — saltpeter — is a naturally occurring compound in cave sediments in certain geological contexts.

In caves where bat populations are large and where conditions support the biological breakdown of bat guano over long periods, the sediment can accumulate significant concentrations of calcium nitrate.