Ultimate Guide to Schieks Cave, Minnesota (Tours, Pricing, History, Map)
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Are you looking for an exciting and adventurous activity in and around Minnesota? If you love exploring the underground world, you should tour the Schieks Cave and marvel at its unique features. The mysterious cave is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Minneapolis. It was known by different names over the years, such as Manhole Cave, Loop Cave. Farmers and Mechanics Bank Cave at al.
Schieks Cave is the largest natural cave that has been found almost 74 ft below the surface of the city. If you come here, you will be fascinated to see the range of beautiful, pyramid-like piers supporting the limestone roof.
History of Schieks Cave
Schieks Cave is located below the streets of downtown Minneapolis. It is a sandstone maze cave that lay below the former Farmer and Mechanics Bank, but now it is named after the nightclub that occupies this building. No one knows for sure how this cave came into being or how it was discovered. However, the general belief is that in 1904, a city engineer named Carl J. Illstrup stumbled upon this natural cave system.
The city was quick enough to fortify and repurpose this cave for sewage drainage. The officials decided to keep the discovery under wraps for many years to avoid a situation when the people might panic that the city would eventually collapse into the earth. Experts believe that the cave resulted from a washout adjacent to the 4th street tunnel.
The sewage engineer has described the cave as being shaped like an inverted bowl, and it was also profiled in a newspaper article in 1907. The cave also has a ceiling spring that has been named Little Minnehaha Falls by the sewer workers. There are pyramid-styled concrete piers installed to support the ceiling, which somehow gives the place an Egyptian appearance.
In 1939, a newspaper reporter explored the cave system, and the mission was dubbed as camera safari. At the end of the 20th century, Schieks cave was found flooded with raw sewage from the leaking pipes. It was so flooded that the massive pool of sewage water came to be known as the Black Sea, and the place was swarming with cockroaches.
Geological Cave Formations
There are no known geological formations inside Schieks Cave except that in one of the passages, there is a huge manganese deposit known as ‘Black Medusa.’
Wildlife
There are no known wildlife species in Schieks Cave except a few insects and spiders.
Is Schieks Cave Haunted?
Schieks Cave is a fascinating subterranean beauty. It is not haunted, and there have never been any reports of supernatural activities in the caves.
How Big is Schieks Cave?
The cave is 75 ft below the city’s surface, and there is a 20 ft deep sinkhole on the floor of the cave.
Schieks Cave Tours
Schieks Cave, also known as Farmers & Mechanics Bank Cave, is the largest cave under Minneapolis. The cave has been vividly described by sewer engineer Carl Illstrup, credited with the discovery of the cave. He visited the sandstone maze cave several years ago, and he said that the cave looked like an inverted bowl and was filled with water.
There is a curtain of water 30 ft in width that looks like a ceiling spring and is now known as Little Minnehaha Falls. The 20 ft deep sinkhole in the cave floor is a piping channel that drains to the Fourth Street tunnel. The cave behaves hydrologically because it gets filled with sewage when the adjacent tunnel is surcharged, and it then releases it back later. The curtain of water is due to the dripping from the ceiling, and the depth of the water in the middle is around 20 ft (creating a sinkhole) but comes down to inches near the shoreline.
Mr. Illstrup has described his cave experience as magical, but it is a pity that the public will never get to see it. There is no easy or public access to Schieks Cave, but you will now know what lies beneath your feet at Marquette and South 4th Street.
Tour Prices and Discounts
There is no access to Schieks Cave for the public, so no charges are involved.
Is Schieks Cave Cold?
The temperature of the water of Little Minnehaha Falls is expected to be between 50 to 60 degrees F as per studies conducted there.
What to Wear?
It is not easy to access, but in the rare instance that you do get it, you must wear old clothes and full sleeve shirts as it can get dirty inside due to the sewer tunnels.
Schieks Cave Hours
One may visit the caves any time of the day.
What to Do (Beside Tours)
Schieks Cave is 75 ft beneath the surface of downtown Minneapolis, and there is nothing much to do. No easy access to the caves is available for the public. However, you can get the experience of standing over a cave if you are at Marquette and South 4th street.
Best Time to Visit
There are no set timings to visit as it is impossible to visit these caves.
How to Get to Schieks Cave
The cave is located 75 ft below the surface in downtown Minneapolis. If you are looking for an exact location, you will find the caves below Marquette and South 4th Street.
Hotels Nearby
There are many hotels in downtown Minneapolis, and from there, one can easily reach the spot where the Schieks Cave is located. Hilton Garden Inn and Aloft Minneapolis are some of the hotels in downtown that deserve a special mention.
Schieks Cave Fun Facts
The cave is located 75 ft below the streets of downtown Minneapolis.
The discovery of these caves was kept a secret for a long time as the city officials feared that the locals would think that Minneapolis was built on a thin shell and the city might cave in on any day.
Schieks Cave Details
- Length: It is 75 ft below the surface of the city.
- Time Recommended: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Hard
- Kid-friendly: No
- Dog-friendly: No
- Fees: None
- Hours: Daylight hours
Visiting Schieks Cave
Do you need more information before visiting? Call (612) 341-0054 for an information packet.
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