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Eleven Jones Cave is located by Beargrass Creek in Louisville, Kentucky. It is southeast of the corner of Eastern Parkway and Poplar Level Road on the west bank, between Louisville Cemetery and Calvary Cemetery, near St. X High School. It is developed in Louisville Limestone 448 feet above sea level. A spring discharges water into Beargrass Creek. The cave is the best known and best documented in Jefferson County.〔 It is popularly said to be named for being used by eleven brothers named Jones; however, some believe it was actually named from early residents Levin Powell and John Jones.〔Kleber, John E. ''Encyclopedia of Louisville''. (University of Kentucky Press). pg.270.〕 The stoopway entrance that is high and wide leads to a forty-foot passage into a fairly normal limestone crawlway conduit cave.〔Kleber〕 It is the only known habitat for Louisville cave beetles, that is listed as a Candidate for endangered species status.〔http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=I0QJ〕 ==The legend== The Jones were supposed to have used the cave as a hideout in the 1800s. They were reportedly bank robbers, counterfeiters, and murderers. They stashed their ill-gotten gains within the cave. The brothers also created eleven rooms to live in within the cave. The Jones eventually left the area, and their treasure reportedly hid behind collapsed rocks. Since the rooms have never been found, legend often says the gang sealed them off by collapsing the cave roof. The cave was supposedly once large enough to drive a horse and carriage through, but has since "shrunk," a geological impossibility.〔''George'', 343〕 Three-inch bars on a gate were supposed to further decrease the chances that someone might find Jones' gold, silver, and jewels. These bars were said to prevent access to a main passage, which was also supposed to be guarded by a cannon.〔 A book published by University of Kentucky Press has called this account "mythical".〔 Early descriptions of the area, as late as 1822, make no mention of the cave or legends surrounding it, but it was known to locals as the source of a spring by 1831. It was first definitively called Eleven Jones Cave in 1848. Eight entrances were said to have been located along Beargrass Creek, although none but the main entrance were ever found.〔''George'', 344-347〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Eleven Jones Cave」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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