Moaning Cavern
A California cave once moaned loudly enough to be heard at its entrance, until people widened the way in.
What was reported
Moaning Cavern, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, has a single vertical chamber big enough to hold the Statue of Liberty. Gold Rush miners named it after the eerie moaning sound that drifted up from its entrance.
It opened to visitors in 1922, and a long spiral staircase now leads down into the main chamber.
Explanations offered
The moan came from water dripping into bowl-shaped hollows in the cave floor, its sound amplified by the shape of the chamber. When the entrance was enlarged for visitors, the acoustics changed and the moaning stopped.
- When
- Known since the Gold Rush
- Where
- Vallecito, Calaveras County, California, USA
- Witnesses
- Gold miners and early visitors
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.