Russell Cave National Monument
| Russell Cave National Monument | |
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
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| Location | Jackson County, Alabama, United States |
| Nearest city | Bridgeport, AL |
| Coordinates | 34°58′27″N 85°48′12″W / 34.97417°N 85.80333°WCoordinates: 34°58′27″N 85°48′12″W / 34.97417°N 85.80333°W |
| Area | 310 acres (130 ha) |
| Created | May 11, 1961 |
| Visitors | 20,717 (in 2011) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Russell Cave National Monument |
| Designated | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference no. | 66000150 |
The Russell Cave National Monument is a U.S. National Monument in northeastern Alabama, United States, close to the town of Bridgeport. The Monument was established on May 11, 1961, when 310 acres (1.3 km2) of land were donated by the National Geographic Society to the American people. It is now administered and maintained by the National Park Service. The National Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
With a mapped length of 7.2 miles (11.6 km), Russell Cave is the third longest mapped cave in Alabama, is ranked 90th on the United States Long Cave List, and is currently listed as number 314 on the World Long Cave List. Its exceptionally large main entrance was used as a shelter by prehistoric Indians from the earliest known human settlement in the southeastern United States, through to European colonization. The surrounding forest provided food, tools, and wood fuel for fires.
The rock from which Russell Cave was carved was formed over 300 million years ago at the bottom of an inland sea covering the region. Due to continental drift, the area that is now northeast Alabama was located very close to the Equator at the time this limestone was forming. This area is now located in a temperate climate, but 300 million years ago it was a shallow, tropical sea. Carbonaceous deposits of skeletons and shells were slowly transformed into limestone. Rainwater, mildly acidic from atmospheric carbon dioxide, slowly dissolved a portion of the limestone rock resulting in the formation of the cave. About 9,000 to 12,000 years ago, the collapse of a cavern roof beneath a hillside near Doran's Cove created a sinkhole and exposed Russell Cave.
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