Deep in the Heart of the Carlsbad Caverns

Try to imagine yourself at sunset in the arid foothills that cut across the plains of Carslbad, New Mexico. Suddenly you hear what sounds like the gushing roar of millions of gallons of running water. Upon closer inspection it's not the echo of an unbridled current you're listening to, but rather the frantic flapping of several hundred thousand BATS. Welcome to the entrance of the Carlsbad Caverns at sunset and one of the most striking scenes you'll ever get to witness.

The "flight of the bats" takes place each night during the summer months as an army of Brazilian Bats looms out into the night in search of food. Imagine how much more impressive such a sight would have been in the late 1800's - a simpler time to be sure - when the entrance to the Carlsbad Caverns was known only to a handful of cowboys who were brave enough to venture close by.

In the late 1890's, the Carlbad Caverns were known as "Big Mouth Cave" but few individuals had any inclination to go near the entrance, much less go inside! That is, until an inquisitive young man by the name of Jim White let his curiousity get the best of him.

Jim White was a cowboy. One of the last of breed of men who called the open range his home. White is credited with being the premier explorer of Carlsbad Caverns. It was this initial spectacle of the bats ushering out of the cave entrance that caught his eye. According to his self-published account entitled, "Jim White's Own Story: The Discovery and History of Carlsbad Caverns", he began to explore the cave as a teenager in 1898, using a handmade wire ladder to decend nearly 70 feet into the cave. For more than a decade, Jim White slowly explored the caves, yet he had a hard time convincing many locals that there was much to Carlsbad Cavern.