Wonder Cave
San Marcos, Hays County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In Balcones Fault, created by prehistoric earth shift. Said to have been campsite of Indians and Spaniards, especially priests who planted anaqua trees in area. By legend, robber gangs in 1820s cached Camino Real booty here. Discovered 1893 for Anglo-Texas by Mark A. and Elizabeth Burleson Bevers, after water well drill fell 158 feet at their home here. This became first commercially opened cave in state about 1900 when W. S. Davis gave guided tours by candlelight; bought in 1916 for $50 and a gray horse by A. B. Rogers, who spent his lifetime in discovery and development.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Formed within the Balcones Fault by ancient earth movements, Wonder Cave sits in country long traveled by Native peoples and Spanish priests along the old Camino Real, with local legend adding tales of 1820s bandits and buried loot. Anglo-Texan settlers rediscovered it in 1893 when a water-well drill plunged 158 feet into the hollow beneath their home. By about 1900 it had become the state's first commercially opened cave, drawing visitors on candlelit tours.
Why it matters
It reflects how natural wonders became early tourist attractions in a developing Texas, layering Indigenous, Spanish, and settler history onto a single striking landscape.
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Related people
- · Mark A. Bevers
- · Elizabeth Burleson Bevers
- · W. S. Davis
- · A. B. Rogers
Themes & tags
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