Gardner Cave
{{Infobox cave
| name = Gardner Cave
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| photo = There are guided tours of Gardner Cave (3942794707).jpg
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| photo_caption = Guided tour of the cave, 2009
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| location = Crawford State Park
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| coords = {{Coord|48|59|40.56|N|117|22|13.8|W}}
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| length = {{convert|1055|ft|m}}
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| discovery =
| geology = Metaline Limestone, Cambrian formation
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Gardner Cave is located in extreme northeastern Washington state inside Crawford State Park.{{cite web|url=http://parks.state.wa.us/492/Crawford|website=Crawford State Park Heritage Site|accessdate=21 June 2016 | title = Crawford State Park Heritage Site}} Gardner Cave is the longest limestone cave in Washington state with a length of {{convert|1055|ft|m}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.purdueoutingclub.org/files/caving/docs/Ice%20Caves%20of%20Wa.pdf|title=Caves of Washington|website=Purdueoutingclub.org|accessdate=1 November 2017}} Only the first {{convert|494|ft|m}} are open to public access.{{cite web|url=https://users.scc.spokane.edu/ABuddington/G210Proj/2010g5/|title=Expedition to Gardner Cave (Crawford State Park, Washington)|website=Users.scc.spokane.edu|accessdate=26 October 2016}}
The cave is adorned with stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, pools, and a column 2 feet in diameter.{{cite news|title=Discovering the underground Northwest|publisher=Sunset Magazine|date=July 1984|page=76}}
History
A local bootlegger named Ed Gardner claimed to have discovered the cave in 1899 when the earth collapsed beneath him and his horse. He stored his moonshine in the cave because it had a constant temperature of {{convert|39|F|C}}. According to one account, Mr. Gardner lost his deed to the cave and adjacent lands to William Crawford in a game of poker. In 1921, Mr. Crawford deeded the {{convert|40|acre|ha}} of land with the cave on it to Washington State Parks.
Geology
The cave formed within Metaline Limestone, a formation from the Cambrian. The surrounding area has been glaciated in at least the last two glacial advances. Several underground stream channels enter the cave near the Mud Room, the furthest section from the entrance, and a seasonal lake occurs when the area is not completely flooded.
References
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{{coord|48.9956|-117.3701|display=title}}
Category:Caves of Washington (state)
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