IN A CAVERN, IN A CANYON, A Colorado Tourist Miracle.

• Author: STEVENS, M. EASTLAKE
• Position: Brief Article

DAZZLING GLENWOOD CAVERNS AND HISTORIC FAIRY CAVES: THE STATE'S LATEST, GREATEST ATTRACTION

In 1886, C.W. Darrow homesteaded property above Glenwood Springs along the route of the original road east to Denver. In 1895, Darrow formed the Fairy Caves Co., and, continuing a long and storied Western tradition, began to exploit tourists. Darrow excavated a tunnel into the mountainside that enabled visitors to walk through 800 feet of cave. At the end of the walk, he blasted a hole so guests could gawk at the view of Glenwood Springs below.

Closed when the United States entered World War I, the cave system was rediscovered by three spelunkers in the late 1950s, who discovered caves called the Barn and Kings Row. An attempt to commercialize the caves fell through, although the cave system was opened to a few explorers each year.

Steve Beckley was one of those spelunkers. A Colorado native and petroleum geologist, Beckley is an oilman with Kansas holdings. He and his wife, Jeanne, a software designer, acquired a lease option in 1998. Construction on a new entrance began in 1998, and the cave was opened to the public in April 1999.

"We had to bore a 132-foot tunnel into the side of Iron Mountain," said Beckley. Beckley declined to discuss figures, but said the couple sold off a good chunk of their Kansas oil and gas to support the development. It took a full mining crew two months to dig the tunnel. "We were putting in 14- to 15-hour days," Beckley said. "We did not want to hurt any formations while excavating." The couple also had the help of spelunkers who donated some 4,000 hours of labor to get the facility ready for its first tour season.

During that first season, 34,000 patrons passed through the caves, which remain closed in winter. "We hope to be open year-round some day," to help cover fixed costs, Jeanne Beckley said.

Visitors depart for the cave from the Glenwood Caverns Gift Shop & Museum just north of the Hotel Colorado. Admission to the cave ranges from $7 for kids six to 15, to $12 for adults. For $50 a four-hour "wild tour" is conducted. People on this tour get to crawl into rooms not open to the public.

Why are they called the Fairy Caves? Probably because of the cavern's gossamer stalactites. But the real reason remains a mystery.

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