A strange gust of cool air billowed from within Lookout Mountain—and led one explorer to discover a most coveted American natural treasure. Excavators felt the unexpected cool rush blow from the newly-drilled opening, and, curiosity piqued, Leo Lambert sought to track down the source of the mystery breeze.
During their 1928 Tennessee dig, Lambert embarked on a 17-hour spelunking expedition 1,120 feet deep under the mountain. There he observed a tall and majestic subterranean waterfall, which he named after his wife. This became Ruby Falls.
In 1929, Ruby Falls was turned into an attraction for the public. It is now the tallest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public in the United States, and visitors are still welcome to explore its majesty.
A glass-fronted elevator takes guests down a 26-storey descent into the heart of the mountain, where they will witness sublime natural treasures such as stalagmites, stalactites, and, of course, Ruby Falls themselves. Adventurers may go on guided walks through the caves, which stay a comfortable 60 degrees Fahrenheit and are open year-round.
Yet there is more mystery to be had within this cave system, a hidden gem lies beneath the falls caverns. Inside a deep passage, inscribed upon the walls, one finds something far out of place: the name of the republic’s seventh president, Andrew Jackson, dated 1833.
Local legend holds that, 100 years before the entrance to Ruby Falls was discovered, Jackson, while on leave to visit his home, the Hermitage, visited nearby Chattanooga. He might have stepped into the caves on Lookout Mountain.
Legends being prone to embellishment, though, it’s uncertain whether it was actually Jackson who scratched this name into the cave wall; we might fancifully imagine the populist American general cum president inscribing his signature using his sword. But it could just as easily have been someone pulling a prank, or another person with the same name.
Today, the part of the cave with Jackson’s name is no longer open to the public. Yet Ruby Falls remains open for exploration, though guides are required to keep the cave pristine. While vandals in the past had free rein to write on the walls as they pleased, today tagging and signing inside the cave is strictly prohibited.
