United States, Alabama, Dallas County, Selma, 32.40736, -87.0211Smith, Marion O., 1942-20221942/2022Photocopy of typewritten report recounting four social gatherings held at Sauta Cave in Jackson County, Alabama, during the 1870s. It describes activities such as guided cave explorations, picnics, dancing, and musical accompaniment, emphasizing the cave’s role as a recreational venue beyond its historical use for saltpeter mining. The narratives include vivid details of the outings, such as navigating slippery rocks, dining near Jacob’s Rock, and the humorous misadventures of their guide. Sites mentioned: Sauta Cave (Ala.)image/jp2enghttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Explosives--AdditivesSaltpeterDiscovery and explorationSoldiersNamesVandalismIndependent scholarsUnited States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--GraffitiCavingSignatures (Writing)|Tourism--Moral and ethical aspectsUnited States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narrativesSaltpeter industry--HistoryGunpowder industryGuano industryNitratesCavesSpeleologyJournal of Spelean HistorySpeleologistsGeology, EconomicGraffitiGeotourismSustainable tourismUnited States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865Confederate States of AmericaConfederate States of America. Nitre and Mining BureauManufacturing industries--United States--History--19th centuryManufacturing industries--Confederate States of America--History--19th centuryMineral industries--United States--History--19th centuryMineral industries--Confederate States of America--History--19th centurySaltpeter industry--United StatesGunpowder--United StatesNitrogen industries--United StatesSaltpeter industry--Confederate States of AmericaGunpowder--Confederate States of AmericaNitrogen industries--Confederate States of AmericaBats--ManureGuanoLocal historyLate nineteenth century social outings at Sauta CaveText