SCANDIA, Minn. — Native Americans, Swedish immigrants, and even cattle thieves have all taken refuge in a small spot along the St. Croix River. Today, Knapp’s Cave near Scandia remains a magnet for kayakers and hikers.
“It still feels like you’re stepping back in time when you come here,” says Pam Plowman Smith.
A step back in time also means paying attention to where you step.
It can be a treacherous journey along this stretch of the St. Croix River. But it is also full of pristine and unbridled beauty. And what awaits you at the end makes it all worth it.
“It’s been an attraction. I have letters from the 1920s where people talk about having a picnic at the cave. So it’s been an attraction for years,” says Plowman Smith.
Long before it was a picnic area, Knapp’s Cave served as a motel of sorts. Archaeologists discovered Native American pottery inside that dates back several centuries.
In the mid-1850s, Swedish immigrants spent winters there, trying to survive until they could build a permanent log cabin in the spring.
“There was no place to store a family that happened to arrive in September or October. So there were a number of families, anecdotally especially the Johnson family, that would spend the winter here in the cave,” Plowman Smith said. “I can’t even fathom how they did it and one of the families we know had a baby.”
But they survived. There are also indications that thieves have stored their loot here and sometimes even stolen livestock. Despite centuries of visitors, much of the cave remains a mystery.
In recent history, the furthest back anyone has gone is about 500 feet. No one has ever reached the back of the cave, experts say.
That’s because it becomes too narrow to explore. Dave Borchert’s brother learned that the hard way.
“He was adventurous and tried to find his way back into an area where he didn’t fit, and he got stuck. But eventually he managed to find his way out,” said Borchert, who lives near the cave .
What’s probably there are caves with lots of bats and lots of spiders. Knapp’s Cave is actually named after Oscar Knapp. He was one of the longest-running riverboat captains on the St. Croix and was known for taking hunting parties and others to the cave.
“During that time he was doing the excursions, he was almost an early environmentalist, you might say. Certainly, a steward of the river,” Plowman Smith said.
The cave is surrounded by private land and the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, so the only way to get there is to kayak or canoe and then hike up. But those looking for adventure will not be disappointed.
“This part of the river is unique and historic and so incredibly beautiful,” says Plowman Smith. “Nature is in abundance here.”
Some people also call the cave “Mondale’s basement” because former Vice President Walter Mondale had a house near there. On June 19, the Scandia Heritage Alliance will sponsor a kayak tour to Knapp’s Cave and other historic sites along the river.
Johannes Lauritsen
