Richs Cave, Union County, Illinois

August 2018

Gate Type: FLAT

Another cave on the Shawnee National Forest, the main entrance to Richs was previously gated by Roy Powers. At the time, however, no one realized that there was another entrance on the hillside above the main entrance. Roy and Kenny and I had to make another trip back to Illinois to build this gate. The entrance wasn’t used by bats, but was important for airflow and the microclimate of the cave. So we built what eventually became known as a Flat Gate. You always remember your first one. All photos © Jim Kennedy.

The sinkhole entrance didn’t have a lot of exposed bedrock for anchoring. Minor excavation revealed a little more.
Kenny welds footers to the gate to hold down some expanded metal grating to prevent digging.
At the opposite end of the gate, Kenny secures another piece of expanded metal to the gate.
Roy ponders details while Kenny welds.
The finished Flat Gate. Ain’t she a beaut!