Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby trogman » Apr 19, 2016 12:51 am

Looks like the winning bid was for $225,000, by someone calling themselves "RunningCedar." That comes to about 56K an acre. I don't know if "RunningCedar" is a screen name for someone in the SCCI or not. If so, I guess if it is we will hear about it before long. If not, we will probably see Mystery being developed as a show cave in the not-too-distant future. If so, it'll be interesting to see how they do it.

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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby graveleye » Apr 19, 2016 9:13 am

so you really thing someone would try to commercialize it? I've never been there but heard enough about it to wonder how they possibly could.
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby l lambert » Apr 19, 2016 10:40 am

If Mystery Falls could be developed as a commercial cave it would have already been done.
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby tncaver » Apr 19, 2016 11:06 am

Mystery Falls could be developed but it would be expensive. It would likely require removal of the concrete ceiling slab and a very substantial elevator or lift system installed directly above the drop. But it is doable. The biggest obstacle might be finding enough parking for tourists. The more parking
area available the more tourist dollars would be available. The biggest draw to the cave is the big drop. There is not a lot of cave on bottom but
there is considerable spray from the waterfall. Visitors would likely get wet unless a completely new shaft was drilled at the far end of the room
at the bottom of the big pit.
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby l lambert » Apr 19, 2016 11:20 am

Two things will keep Mystery Falls from being developed. Amount of cash needed and more importantly, logistics.
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby poppol » Apr 19, 2016 11:21 am

trogman wrote:Looks like the winning bid was for $225,000, by someone calling themselves "RunningCedar." That comes to about 56K an acre. I don't know if "RunningCedar" is a screen name for someone in the SCCI or not. If so, I guess if it is we will hear about it before long. If not, we will probably see Mystery being developed as a show cave in the not-too-distant future. If so, it'll be interesting to see how they do it.

Trogman :helmet:


If the intention of the new owner is to make Mystery Falls a show cave :cry: I'm very happy/Lucky to have the chance to visit at less once 2 years ago !
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby tncaver » Apr 19, 2016 12:39 pm

Kind of off topic but I would love to see the State of TN drill a shaft into Rumbling Falls Cave, straight down into the Rumble Room
and install an elevator down into it. That enormous room is well worth seeing and it has a small waterfall on the side of the room
as well as a river at the bottom. The enormity of the room and the 200 foot plus drop from surface to the floor of the room at the top
of the breakdown mountain would make for a great tourist destination that would likely pay for itself in tourist dollars. It is about
150 feet farther down the breakdown mountain to the river. The vastness of the room and an elevator ride on an elevator with
clear glass sides would be a tourist draw for sure. :off topic:
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby gindling » Apr 20, 2016 7:55 am

This sounds like the worst idea I may have ever heard on CaveChat.
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby tncaver » Apr 20, 2016 8:52 am

gindling wrote:This sounds like the worst idea I may have ever heard on CaveChat.


Which one? Commercializing Mystery Falls or Rumbling Falls? Frankly I doubt it will happen to either one.
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby BrianFrank » Apr 20, 2016 6:34 pm

:shrug: Ginding, how do you really feel?
.
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby tncaver » Apr 20, 2016 8:15 pm

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby gindling » Apr 21, 2016 8:30 am

Rumbling Falls! I read tncavers post over and over and over thinking it may be a joke. Hell, maybe it is. Still a horrible idea. Theres a ton of other caves you can go drilling holes into to allow tourist access, I just don't think RF should be sacrificed for that. Can you imagine trying to clean lint and dead skin ( the detritus of tourist caves) off the walls of the Rumble Room and the breakdown!

And its Gindling. Like kindling with a G.

If I remember right Mystery already was developed as a show cave in the past. With a winch to lower people down, then they plugged the open air entrance with concrete. Isn't that right?
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby tncaver » Apr 21, 2016 9:27 am

gindling wrote:If I remember right Mystery already was developed as a show cave in the past. With a winch to lower people down, then they plugged the open air entrance with concrete. Isn't that right?


Pretty much correct gindling. When I visited the cave 25 years ago, the old metal bucket used to lower and raise people up and down
the shaft, was still there on the bottom of the pit, rusting away in the spray from the waterfall. Also, at the top of the pit where the
dam is located, you can look up and see the concrete slab blocking the roof of the pit.
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby l lambert » Apr 21, 2016 9:41 am

"If I remember right Mystery already was developed as a show cave in the past."


Mystery Falls has never been commercialized.
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Re: Mystery Falls, Tn. for sale

Postby tncaver » Apr 21, 2016 10:59 am

I bet someone was charging money to lower and raise people up in the bucket. I would include a self portrait of myself standing next
to the bucket but Cavechat does not allow the .ODG format I have saved on my computer. If anyone is interested in seeing the picture
of the old bucket on the bottom of Mystery Falls, send me a PM with your email address and I'll send it to you as an ODG document.
Most any office type program should be able to open the image. It is only 1.4 mb size.
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