---
title: "\"Lost John,\" the miner under the boulder in Mammoth Cave"
slug: "lost-john-the-miner-under-the-boulder-in-mammoth-cave"
url: "https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/lost-john-the-miner-under-the-boulder-in-mammoth-cave/"
era: "Prehistoric"
years: "500 BCE–0"
county: "Edmonson County"
counties: ["Edmonson County"]
coordinates: "37.2° N, 86.1° W"
coordinates_precision: "approximate (rounded to 0.1 deg / ~11 km to protect a sensitive archaeological or cultural site)"
license: "CC BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)"
---

# "Lost John," the miner under the boulder in Mammoth Cave

> In 1935, guides deep in Mammoth Cave found the body of an adult man pinned under a huge boulder. He was a pre-Columbian miner who had been digging out cave minerals and…

## At a glance

- **When:** 500 BCE–0
- **Where:** Edmonson County
- **Coordinates:** 37.2° N, 86.1° W *(Approximate area — rounded to 0.1° to protect a sensitive site)*

## The story

In 1935, guides deep in Mammoth Cave found the body of an adult man pinned under a huge boulder. He was a pre-Columbian miner who had been digging out cave minerals and disturbed the rubble holding the rock up, and it shifted and settled onto him. The dry cave air naturally mummified him, and the artifacts found with him point to an age of more than 2,000 years.

"Lost John," along with remains from other caves nearby, shows how far Woodland-era Kentuckians went underground and what it could cost them. He was displayed to visitors into the 1970s and then reburied in a secret spot inside the cave. ([Grokipedia — Mammoth Cave National Park](https://grokipedia.com/page/Mammoth_Cave_National_Park))

## Sources & research notes

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Cite as: ""Lost John," the miner under the boulder in Mammoth Cave." Kentucky History Drive. https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/lost-john-the-miner-under-the-boulder-in-mammoth-cave/ Text licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.