Iowa has some beautiful places that are wonderful vacation destinations. One of the must see places is Crystal Lake Cave. There is an interesting story behind this location. Back in 1868 lead miners were looking for a lead vein and they drilled 40 feet into the ground. And although they were not successful in finding the lead they had hoped for they did find something else even more amazing. What they found was Crystal Lake Cave. Although the cave was discovered for many years it was not open to the public until 1932. Bernard Markus, one of the original miners, played a role in getting the cave open to the public and it finally became so after his death. While the miners were digging they found quite a few different types of gems and minerals that are on display in the gift … [Read more...]