Jim Gage had purchased Schoharie Caverns and approximately 13 Acres of land surrounding it in 1958, and he had plans to develop it as a show cave with electric lights and a walkway. Competition in New York show caves at the time included nearby Howe, Secret, and Knox Caverns, as well as Adirondack Stone Bridge & Caves and Natural Bridge Caverns. Competition often builds all businesses in the region, and tourism in upstate New York was flourishing at the time.

Cliff Forman, who is presently a co-owner of Ice Caves Mountain, Ellenville, NY, was hired to supervise the work and he undertook the task with vigor. From Jim's stock car race track near Richfield Springs, Forman transported his ticket office building ("The Cabin"), a prefab shed placed in the pinewoods ("The Bunkhouse"), and one or two smaller sheds. (See photos.) Electric was brought to the Cabin and into the cave. The ravine was bulldozed clear and deep enough to install a corrugated metal pipe to carry the cave stream, allowing a truck to deliver lumber to the entrance for the walkways. (See photo)

By the late 50's, Jim had befriended several cavers and used their volunteer efforts in his caves. Russ Gurnee, leader of the Northeastern Regional Organization (NRO) of the National Speleological Society (NSS), was invited to use the Cabin as a fieldhouse as he started the NSS Barton Hill Project, a project funded in part by the Village of Schoharie to study their karst water supply system and make suggestions. During this period, Russ fabricated a steel cave gate in the likeness of a giant spider and spider web. This was built in New Jersey at Russ' sheet metal factory, home of the famous Gurnee Can used on the 1953 C-3 Expedition into Floyd Collins Crystal Cave, KY. The spider gate is still a surprise to first time visitors, and it is certainly a fond memory to all who have passed by it and heard it clank shut. Art in caves (or about caves) seldom gets enjoyed as much as the spider gate has been over the years.

One of the highlights of the commercialization effort of Schoharie Caverns was the opening ceremonies attended by Miss America, miss New York State, and Miss Schoharie County (Marion Gage, Jim's daughter). Coca-Cola had paid for the beauty queens to visit the Fonda Speedway (also owned by Jim Gage). Jim diverted the entourage to Schoharie Caverns for a ribbon cutting ceremony, much to the surprise of everyone! The opening of Schoharie as a show cave lasted one brief day, since Jim closed the commercial tours the next day.

Cavers continued to use the Cabin during the 60's (See photos), but by the last of the decade vandalism took its toll on the buildings. When the Mohawk-Hudson Grotto (M-HG) of the NSS approached Jim Gage in May of 1970 to ask permission to use the Cabin, they had ahead of them a month of evenings repairing it. The door was gone, windows broken, porch posts missing and the roofing torn. In need of a outhouse, they transported the Knox Motorcycle Club's old one from Knox Cave on the top of Pete Teresco's 1965 Chevy van! (See photo.) It was set up in the lower field and offered a spectacular vista of the Foxkill Valley before the trees grew to fill in the view. M-HG members leading the renovations of the old Cabin included Frank Keese, Craig Leroy, Chuck Porter, Pete Teresco, Paul Pulenskey, to name a few. Soon they constructed a shower and platform utilizing the outfall of the cave stream at the end of the corrugated metal pipe. At 43^o F, it was a bracing shower, even on the hottest of days!

Also in the 70's, the 12' X 24' shed in the pinewoods was remodeled complete with a wood stove as "The Bunkhouse" to hold overflow crowds at the Cabin. To have enough materials, it was cut in half (12'X12'), and the remaining floor (12'Xl2') served as a front deck. Sometime later it was vandalized and never rebuilt. A floor can barely be seen today.

By the mid to late 70's, Jack Middleton was doing major maintenance work at the Cabin, including lawn mowing with a push mower. (that's real push, no motor!) He, Bruce Robtoy, and a host of other cavers stayed at the Cabin and were soon discovered and put to work by John Mylroie on John's PhD thesis, "Speleogenesis and Karst Geomorphology of the Helderberg Plateau, Schoharie County, New York" (1977). Thesis candidates often have large amounts of fieldwork requiring assistants, and John was the consummate persuader to get cavers from around the Cabin to dig, wallow in the mud, and swim in low air spaces, all while cave mapping in the name of "Science"! Concurrent with Mylroie's studies, Alan "Sundance" Plante revitalized the Barton Hill Project and focused on a smaller karst area - Gage Caverns and Joober Hole. Sundance's nickname was earned when he overestimated the amount of chemical persuasion needed on a cave dig and the result was reminiscent of a scene from the then-popular movie, "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid". Sundance spent many weekends at the Cabin doing research, working on the Cabin, talking to cavers and writing long articles in the Cabin's Log Book. Sundance and Mylroie often overlapped research efforts and helped each other.

A History of the Wood stoves at the Cabin. Photos of the 60's seem to indicate that an antique wood, coal, or oil stove was used. By 1970, it was gone and the M-HG installed an antique woodburning kitchen range. It wasn't a very good heater, so it was replaced by an antique palor stove. That survived about a year (71-72?) until it was stolen. The Bunkhouse in the pinewoods had been heated with a single 55-gallon drum stove that stood vertical, so they moved that into the Cabin. It had a semi-circular opening covered with a removable steel door. The door had two wooden handles and ventilation supplied by a series of nail holes spelling "MHG". This simple stove lasted until late 1988 when Gordon Burritt installed the twin horizontal drum stove that was in place at the time of the 1993 fire.

Gordon Burritt has come to the forefront again with the donation of the rather large rectangular steel stove that you see today, said to have heated an eleven room house! Paul Pulenskey and Pete Teresco installed the stove, pipe and heat shield in August, 1995.

The Cabin in the 1980's. The 80's witnessed much of the status quo caving and cabin usage remained constant. By the last of the decade, the NRO was readying itself to host the 1991 National Convention and 50th. Anniversary Party of the NSS. The Convention was held in Cobleskill: guidebooks and field trips were prepared, the NSS Cave Preserves cleaned up, and once again the Cabin was pressed into service as a pre- and post-Convention Field Camp. Cavers from around the United States and from abroad camped and caved at the Cabin as they had during the 1979 NSS Convention held in Pittsfield, MA.

In 1987, Jim Gage donated a 46 Acre parcel surrounding Gage Caverns to the National Speleological Foundation (NSF), the trustee organization of the NSS. Subsequently, the NSF transferred the Barton Hill Karst Preserve to the NSS. Negotiations by Russ and Jeanne Gurnee were underway for the Schoharie Caverns donation when Jim died shortly after the 1991 NSS Convention. However, his daughter in law, Mary Gage, and her daughter, Jennifer, expressed an interest in completing the donation after several sessions of gentle persuasion from Gordon Burritt.

Tragedy struck on February 22, 1993, when the old Cabin burned completely to the ground. Cavers quickly organized a cleanup of the site led by Gordon Burritt. Because of their love for the Cabin and what it had to offer, an NSS-held fund to rebuild the Cabin was established. Mary and Jennifer Gage made a very generous contribution to it from their fire insurance proceeds, and cavers individually and in groups raised over $8,000.

The donation of the land and cave was made to the NSS in the Spring of 1995 following the period where the NSS leased the Preserve from the Gages. The donation became the green light to start rebuilding the Cabin. Bob Addis had been appointed chairman of the Schoharie Caverns Preserve Committee in 1992 to oversee the entire Preserve cave, Cabin, campgrounds, etc. Bob selected a Cabin Subcommittee in April, 1995 and called a meeting to decide what to build. Four work weekends were selected: June 17, July 8, August 12, and September 16. A NRO-wide appeal for volunteers, materials and money was issued, and supplemented with other workdays by the local cavers, the Helderberg Hudson Grotto, the Cabin was finished by the time of its Dedication Ceremonies on October 14. It should be noted that this was a major undertaking by volunteers, and it represents the first-NSS building project since the Office Addition in Huntsville, AL in the early 1980's. Nearly 1,000 man-hours were needed to complete the Cabin, and it is easy to compute its value in terms of construction wages.

Elsewhere there is a list of volunteers led by a few skilled caver craftsmen, most notably Bill Zinzow. Bill, a local builder and caver, gave the most in terms of time, donations and equipment. Bill, along with Mary and Jennifer Gage, have been awarded the prestigious Certificates of Appreciation by the President of the NSS. No less important but much harder to quantify is the understanding and tolerance shown by the volunteers' spouses to help with this project. one wishes there was a way to honor them individually rather than using this pale statement.

The Future. Well, the Cabin is done and ready for occupancy - What's next? I can look back at nearly 40 years of NSS involvement and particularly the last 25 years of our stewardship here. I see a continuation. I see speleological research, cave rescue training, and regional gatherings. As a NSS Cave Preserve, I see cave conservation and education being conducted here. But most and best of all, I see caver friendship in the recreational opportunities offered here. As one caver put it, "We sure had a lot of good times at the old Cabin, even when it was raining or snowing." I think that sums it up and answers the question, "What's next?"

P.S.   It should be noted that the Keeper of the Key for the Cabin was and always has been Pete Teresco. Strange as it seems, we had the same keys for the first 23 years (1970-93). Pete seems content in his role of Cabin Registrar with the new Cabin as we head into the next century. Make all Cabin reservations with Pete Teresco. Phone:   (518) 372-4857.

As well, all persons entering the property for any purpose whatsoever must sign a NSS Waiver of Liability, obtainable from Pete Teresco or Emily Davis Mobley, SpeleoBooks: Phone (518) 295-7978.

Being a part of a not for profit organization, we are always grateful for donations, be it money, labor or materials. Pete Teresco and Emily Davis Mobley are authorized to accept them, so Thank You in advance.