Oregon Caves National Monument is a
National Monument in the northern
Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern
Oregon in the
United States. The main part of the 488-acre (197 ha) park, including the
marble cave and a visitor center, is located 20 miles (32 km) east of
Cave Junction, on
Oregon Route 46. A separate visitor center in Cave Junction occupies 4 acres (1.6 ha) of the total. Both parts of the monument, managed by the
National Park Service, are in southwestern
Josephine County, near the Oregon–
California border. The climate is generally mild even at the cave's elevation of about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) above sea level, but icicles can form at the cave entrance, and winter snow sometimes blocks the park highway. Elijah Davidson, a resident of nearby
Williams, discovered the cave in 1874. Over the next two decades, private investors failed in efforts to run successful tourist ventures at the publicly owned site. After passage of the
Antiquities Act by the
United States Congress, President
William Howard Taft established Oregon Caves National Monument, to be managed by the
United States Forest Service, in 1909. The popularity of the automobile, construction of paved highways, and promotion of tourism by boosters from
Grants Pass led to large increases in cave visitation during the late 1920s and thereafter. Among the attractions at the remote monument is the
Oregon Caves Chateau, a six-story hotel built in a rustic style in 1934. It is a
National Historic Landmark and is part of the
Oregon Caves Historic District within the monument. The Park Service, which assumed control of the monument in 1933, offers tours of the cave from mid-April through early November. Oregon Caves is a
solutional cave, with passages totaling about 15,000 feet (4,600 m), that formed in marble. The
parent rock was originally limestone that
metamorphosed to marble during the geologic processes that created the
Klamath Mountains, including the Siskiyous. Although the limestone formed about 190 million years ago, the cave itself is no older than a few million years. Valued as a tourist cave, the cavern also has scientific value; sections of the cave that are not on tour routes contain
fossils of national importance. In addition to cave touring, activities at the park include hiking, photography, and wildlife viewing. One of the park trails leads through the forest to Big Tree, which at 13 feet (4.0 m) is the largest diameter
Douglas-fir known in Oregon. Lodging and food are available at The Chateau and in Cave Junction. Camping is available at Forest Service campgrounds and private sites in the area.
David Hattner is an American professional
clarinetist and
conductor currently serving as music director of the
Portland Youth Philharmonic. Raised in
Toledo, Ohio, Hattner attended the Interlochen Arts Camp and Arts Academy, experiences he claims inspired him to become a professional musician and conductor. He graduated from the Arts Academy in 1986 and enrolled in
Northwestern University where he studied clarinet performance under
Robert Marcellus. In 1988 he placed second in the
International Clarinet Association's Young Artist Competition and was selected to join the American-Soviet Youth Orchestra. He earned a music degree with honors in 1990. After performing clarinet with and guest conducting several major ensembles, Hattner moved to New York City in 1996 and became principal clarinetist of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra; his
Lincoln Center debut occurred later that year. By 2002 Hattner was the music director and clarinetist of Camerata Atlantica. In 2008 he was chosen to be the conductor and music director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Since joining the Philharmonic he has debuted with the
Oregon Symphony,
Oregon Mozart Players and continues to perform clarinet for local ensembles and other projects. Hattner has also participated in multimedia work with silent film both nationally and internationally.
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