Grotto History
History By Bill Wolford
The earliest documented interest in starting a grotto in
the Indiana, Pa area was in the mid 1970s. Bob Eppley and
others tried to start a student grotto affiliated with Indiana
University of Pennsylvania, but no advisor could be found,
nor enough local NSS members. In lieu of a grotto, Bob started
the Chestnut Ridge Explorers Association in 1978. The CREA
is an informal group centered in Homer City that has concentrated
on exploring for new and unrecorded caves in the Loyalhanna
Limestone on Chestnut Ridge in Indiana and Westmoreland Counties.
The CREA is still a very active group and explores for new
caves nearly every Sunday afternoon. In the fall of 1983,
Bill Wolford returned to Westmoreland County after attending
graduate school at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn
State) in State College, Pa. , where he was active in Nittany
Grotto. Since 1976, he had been in touch with other cavers
in the Westmoreland County area. He renewed contacts with
many of these, and joined Pittsburgh Grotto in 1984. Meanwhile,
he continued to make new contacts with other cavers. Then
in March of 1985, having become aware of Bob Eppley's CREA,
he contacted Bob and arranged to go on a dig trip. Bill soon
became part of the Explorers. Surfacing from communication
with cavers in Indiana and Westmoreland Counties was an awareness
of tremendous interest in speleology, coupled with an expression
of dissatisfaction regarding the distance that these cavers
would have to travel to take part in the activities of the
two nearest grottos, Pittsburgh and Nittany (not to mention
dealing with Pittsburgh traffic). Because the primary purpose
of the CREA is to locate new caves, those interested in exploring
known caves found it to be no substitute for the multifaceted
functions of a grotto.
In the spring of 1986, a distressingly informal group of
student cavers from I.U.P. manifested their presence to Bill
Wolford. They expressed their interest in pursuing a more
troglodytic way of life. Having visited some of the well known
local caves, they wanted to explore new underground realms.
Bill introduced them to organized caving, by way of the Pittsburgh
Grotto, but the distance factor was here more of a hindrance
to their active involvement than it was in the case of the
Westmoreland County cavers. Plans were laid to start a grotto
in Indiana when they returned in the fall.
Back in 1984, Jim Carney literally stumbled upon a new cave
on Chestnut Ridge while on a hike. Because he knew of almost
no other cavers in the area, Jim did little initial exploration.
That fall he wrote to Pittsburgh Grotto asking if this were
a known cave. Bill Wolford intercepted the letter and eventually
called Jim.
In 1985 and early 1986 Bill, Jim, and a few others conducted
serious exploration trips into Carney's Pit, as the cave came
to be known. By the summer of 1986, Carney's Pit had become
a project of the nascent grotto.
In the fall representatives of the interested parties met
to consider the form the new grotto would take. With the issue
of the new organization's status as a student or regular grotto
yet unresolved, the decision to headquarter the organization
in Indiana, PA was made. This decision was facilitated by
Indiana's being a population center of the county, with potential
resources at the university. The constitution and by-laws
were derived largely from those of Nittany Grotto and, believe
it or not, in part from those of a few local historical societies.
Since most of the caves in the area are found in the Loyalhanna
Limestone, the planners decided upon the name "Loyalhanna
Grotto." This name, they decided, in addition to its geological
significance, would eliminate possible confusion with caving
groups in the state of Indiana. On October 7, 1986, a group
of twenty one people met on the campus of I.U.P. and decided
to organize the Loyalhanna Grotto. After discussion, a vote
was taken to decide the issue of having a student or regular
grotto. Those in favor of a regular grotto won by a slight
majority. Officers were elected and the group decided to meet
twice a month. The Grotto now has 28 members and has set up
a schedule of activities for 1987, including a picnic/auction
and several caving trips. The Loyalhanna Grotto was approved
as an official internal organization of the N.S.S. on July
7, 1987.
-The
Loyalhanna Troglodyte, Volume 1, Number 1, Pages 8-10.
|
|