A Cave On The Illinois Side Of The Ohio River Formed From Erosion And Wind That Was Used By Pirates And Other Criminals As A Hideout
The Ohio River has always held special significance in American Culture. For slaves, it was the river that must be crossed to obtain freedom - Ohio being a free state and Kentucky being a slave state. Well before the Civil War, the Ohio River had a spot of freedom for people that were running from their sins - the River Pirates of the late-1700s. That spot was Cave-In-Rock. Like the name suggests, it is a cave on the Illinois side of the river formed from erosion and wind. The town of Cave-in-Rock is a quaint town of 308 people whose present mayor is Marty Kaylor, also the concessionaire at the state park. "Everything is outdoorsy around here," Kaylor says, "We call the Cave-in-Rock the Second Lesser God because we are 15 miles from the Garden of the Gods." Although the town is small now, the history keeps the town strong.
"Cave in Rock was first discovered about 1718 and it was called 'Cavern de la Rock' by the French," Kaylor explains. As the years progressed, the river pirates of the Ohio made Cave-In-Rock a hideout with many notable people in history including, according to lore, Jesse James.
First of note were the Harpe brothers, known as America's first serial killers. The Harpes killed a confirmed 39 people and their motivation for doing so seemed to be more for blood then for money. The Harpes used Cave-in-Rock as a hideout, along with the other pirates of the area. Though, their time at Cave-in-Rock was limited because they were too gruesome even for the other pirates.
A History Channel documentary on the area recounts an episode where the Harpes thought it would be entertaining to blindfold a horse and put a half naked person on strapped to the horse. They were on top of the cliff above the cave. They kicked the horse to have it go and the horse and man plunged to their deaths right in front of all the pirates in the cave. The pirates thought this was too much and the Harpes were kicked out. The Harpes continued their killings in the area until a man, Moses Steal, who was avenging deaths done at the hands of the Harpes, tracked them down. Big Harpe, as he was known, was shot in the leg and Moses cut off his head and stuck it on a post as a warning to others. This area became known as "Harpe's Head Crossing" in Kentucky. The little Harpe plays into the next story of pirates.
The next notable pirate to make a home in Cave-in-Rock was Samuel Mason. Mason came from a respectable family, served in the Revolutionary war, and had brothers that went with Lewis and Clark. Mason, though, was "born bad" and took advantage of Illinois still being part of the Northwest Territory, meaning it didn't have law. A born leader, he corralled pirates into a gang and, unlike the Harpes, was in it for the money. "He didn't desire to kill any one," the documentary states, "and enjoyed his gentleman status." Examples of this were he would surprise travelers while bathing or sleeping, take all their money and worthwhile possessions, but then leave a horse or gun so they wouldn't be stranded in the wilderness. He also would never hurt or bother mail carriers that came through the area. Though Mason was a "gentleman" criminal, any sort of ill-doing in the area was blamed on Mason and eventually he had the one of two people to ever have the high reward on his head of 10,000 in 1802, the other being Little Harpe, who was still in hiding.
Most records conclude that Mason was caught by Spanish bounty hunters, but escaped with former members of his gang. Letting his guard down among his own, the former members of the gang killed him for the reward. One of these who betrayed him was a man named John Setton. When Setton brought Mason's head in for the reward, he looked familiar and was recognized. His name was not John Setton, it was Wiley Harpe, or better known as Little Harpe. Little Harpe, predictably, lost his head and his head "stood as a symbol for law to come to the west." The old gang members became the sheriffs and the rulers of the towns and eventually all the pirates dwindled due to the advent of the steamboat. The steamboat brought speed, innovation, and most importantly civilization to the Midwest and Cave-in-Rock was deserted.
The area went through many changes since then, most recently being a hub for mining Flourspar. “Flourspar is used in making aluminum,” explains Kaylor, “but the industry collapsed in the 80s because it became cheaper to import it from Chinese mines.” So now the area survives on outdoor and historical tourism. Luckily it is not short on either. “Over 220,000 people visit every year,” says Kaylor, “there is a free river ferry that takes people across, as well as the park itself being free. “ Many people come to see the aptly named Cave-in-Rock to explore the cave and experience the rich and wild history.
Andrew Malo
A graduate of Northeastern Illinois University in Education, Andrew has taught for the past decade in Chicago, New Mexico, and Japan. He enjoys tinkering with trucks and motorcycles, woodworking, reading and computer programming.
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