Ancient game hunters, Civil War soldiers, noted big bands, toddlers chasing butterflies and even (according to local legend) famed bank robber Jesse James found sanctuary at the unique urban oasis known as Lost River Cave and Valley.

Today best known for its underground boat tours, Lost River Cave and Valley in Bowling Green has a unique history and role as a nature preserve and tourist attraction serving tens of thousands of area residents and tourists annually.

Centuries before a famous sinkhole swallowed eight Corvettes at the National Corvette Museum, the roof of a large cave system collapsed, forming a karst valley which became known as Lost River Valley. A mostly underground river flows through the valley, revealing itself in several “blue holes” in the valley (so named because the mineral content in the water often tints it a distinctive blue) and in a swiftly flowing river near the cave entrance.

The first people to call the valley home were “Paleo Indians. This was a great place for big-game hunting,” as animals were drawn to the water, said Katie Cielinski, Lost River Cave’s community impact and donor relations coordinator.

When European settlers arrived in the area, they found the rapidly rushing water perfect for water mills, and a succession was built starting in the early 1800s – the last one burned down in 1915.

During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate troops were lured to the area for encampments. “It was a refuge in difficult times,” Cielinski said.

The experiences of the troops in the valley are documented in their letters home and diary entries.

“It was notable enough for them to” write about it, Cielinski said.

And then there’s famed bank robber Jesse James. That James used the cave as a hideout is a major piece of Lost River Cave lore. The James connection is also claimed by numerous other underground attractions across the country.

“If every cave that claims Jesse James had been there (was valid), Jesse James would never have been on the surface,” Cielinski said.

There is evidence, however, that the James-Lost River link “is a valid piece of folk history,” she said.

According to the legend, James and his gang were on the run after robbing the Southern Deposit Bank in Russellville of $60,000 on March 8, 1868. A gang member had been hurt during the getaway and James personally went to the home of a local doctor and brought him back to the cave to treat the wounded man. The doctor’s wife wrote about the incident in her diary.

A more fully documented chapter of the cave’s history is its role for three decades as perhaps the country’s most unique nightclub.

“The nightclub opened in 1934 – the year after prohibition ended,” Cielinski said. The cave’s large rounded open-air dome was a perfect structure for such a facility, and it had natural air conditioning – the cave retains a steady 57 degree temperature even on the hottest days. “It was also mid-point between Louisville and Nashville” Cielinski said, and drew many well-known touring bands and singers – Dinah Shore, Tommy Dorsey and others – to the “Underground Nite Club,” as it was named.

The James link continued to be prominent in the nightclub’s operation. The legend was that a trickle of water from the cave roof was what sustained James and his gang during their hideout. It was labeled by the nightclub owners as Jesse James’ Lucky Spring – nevermind that the ground water dribbling into the cave wasn’t the purest of water sources.

“It was an excellent way to get them from the nightclub to the cave tour” for a nickel a pop, Cielinski said.

During that time, the private property owners of the valley and surrounding lands cashed in as much as they could on the site, promoting its (strictly unofficial) designation by Ripley’s Believe It or Not as the “shortest and deepest river in the world.” At the above-ground reception center off Nashville Road, a large sign beckoned travelers to stop and see not only the aforementioned river and the Jesse James hideout, but also the “Man That Turned to Stone,” which was the supposedly mummified body of a native American that was reportedly found in the cave. A photo of the “Man That Turned to Stone” in “The Spirit of Lost River,” a book published by the Friends of Lost River in 1992, shows what looks like a crude sculpture of a man gently laying on his back.

The nightclub closed in the early 1960s, and the valley turned into a dumping ground for trash. Because of its low elevation and being downstream, trash and even toxic pollutants washed down into the valley. It was designated a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Super Fund site for clean-up efforts, according to “The Spirit of Lost River.”

The land was eventually donated to WKU, and in 1990 the non-profit Friends of the Lost River was formed to cleanup and preserve the area. The Friends still maintain and operate the roughly 70 acre valley and surrounding lands.

“There was a concerted effort to undo the misuse of the cave. It was in terrible shape,” Cielinski said.

After years of cleanup, in 1998 the first modern cave tour on the underground portion of the Lost River was held.

Over the years since, many features and programs have been added, such as a butterfly habitat area and butterfly house, a wetlands area, a trail system, a Junior Naturalist program, geocaching events, a gift shop, cave crawls, nature discovery camps, kayaking tours and space available – both in the cave and in a space called The River Birch Room – for meetings and special occasions such as birthdays and weddings – about 40 couples hitched the knot at the valley last year, Cielinski said.

The Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom also opened recently and features kid-friendly ways to explore nature with an underground tunnel, gardens, natural art studio and climbing equipment made of timbers instead of plastic or metal.

Lost River now serves about 60,000 visitors annually, Cielinski said, and is funded largely by the tours and donations. It employs 15 full time, and during the summer hires dozens more part-timers.

The human visitors and workers share the valley with snakes, rabbits, foxes, over 200 species of birds, Bowling Green’s famed white squirrels, and in the cave, crawfish, crickets, fish and salamanders.

That unique treasure trove of nature – in the heart of a small city – dovetails with future plans for Lost River, which include a nature center with classrooms, lab space and exhibits – “a place to learn more about nature,” said Cielinski, who started as a tour guide at Lost River 11 years ago.

On a recent windy and wet morning, Donna and Steve Feldman from Dacula, Ga., were among those taking the underground boat tour.

They were staying in Nashville when they saw a flier for Lost River Cave at their hotel and decided to give the boat tour a try.

As they stepped off from the flat bottomed boat, Steve Feldman said he was most impressed by the cave’s history.

“It’s a great thing to share with others,” Donna Feldman said, a sentiment echoed be Cielinski.

“It’s a resource to get Bowling Green and surrounding areas unplugged,” she said. “It’s an urban oasis – a place to get in touch with nature.”

— For schedules and more information about Lost River Cave, visit lostrivercave.org.

— Follow city government reporter Wes Swietek on Twitter at twitter.com/BGDNgovtbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.