Colorado History Lesson: Fairy Caves in Glenwood Springs

This Colorado history lesson is all about the Fairy Caves in Glenwood Springs. The caves formed over millions of years and here's when/how they were discovered.

The Fairy Caves in Glenwood Springs were discovered by Charles Darrow in 1894. Charles heard a whistling sound that was coming from the mountain, he followed it and found out that it was the wind blowing through the caves, according to the Historical Photos of Fruita & Western Colorado's Facebook post.

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Charles started pushing tours of the caves, calling the Fairy Caves in Glenwood Springs the 'Eighth Wonder of the World.' One of his daughters named the caves because of the tins cans they used for lighting. They created holes in a tin can and put a candle inside of it, which his daughter though looked like fairies.

Charles Darrow and his family led Fairy Caves tours from 1895 until 1917, when the war halted recreational tourism, according to the Historical Photos of Fruita & Western Colorado's Facebook post. The Fairy Caves in Glenwood Springs remained closed to the public for 82 years, until 1999.

According to the Historical Photos of Fruita & Western Colorado's Facebook post, Steve Beckley started leasing the Fairy Caves with an option to buy in 1998. Steve is a cave enthusiast and wanted to 'explore them and lead tours.'

The Fairy Caves in Glenwood Springs opened up to the public in 1999 and they became so popular, Steve and Jeanne Beckley expanded. They thought it'd be great to have something for guests to do while they waited for their Fairy Caves tour. Now there's Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park right by the caves so you can ride the alpine coaster and get a tour of the caves, all in the same place.