Top of the Rock search for cave continues

Nine months after sinkholes and depressions developed at Big Cedar Lodge’s Top of the Rock golf course in Ridgedale, crews still haven’t determined if a connection to a known cave system exists.

It’s uncertain if the largest of five sinkholes is connected to a cavern discovered in 1993 underneath the development owned by Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. During a Feb. 17 news conference on the golf course, company officials said the search is progressing.

“Whether a cave is found or not, incredible formations are before us,” said Bass Pro Director of Conservation Martin Mac Donald, who stood in front of the giant pit, where a sign reads: “There is a giant cave down here. We’re almost positive.”

Since the sinkhole opened, crews have removed 345,000 cubic yards of material, with 25,000 truckloads of dirt and rock pulled from the site for use at other golf courses under development by Morris.

“It’s turning into an attraction. We know there are natural wonders 2,000 feet away,” Mac Donald said, pointing to the “John L. cave” discovered some 20 years ago northeast of the sinkhole. “From John’s perspective, if we don’t find anything else, we’ve got something fun to look at. It is totally inspirational.”

Now, at 200 feet wide and 100 feet deep, the sinkhole is 12 times larger than when it formed in May.

Morris discovered the John L. cave in 1993 on a walk with former property owner M. Graham Clark. The underground rock formations later led National Geographic to tour it for a 1995 article that called the cave “an underground chapel.”

Last May, the course made national news when the sinkholes developed just a month after Top of the Rock hosted the second annual PGA Tour Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge.

In a July interview with Springfield Business Journal, Morris said a connection to the cavern could result in a geological attraction.

“If there is a cavern, that would really enhance everything we’re trying to do there,” he said.