Modern History of Mercer Caverns It was on Sept. 1, 1885, that
Walter J. Mercer would, just by chance, make a discovery that
would forever change his life. After spending most of that hot
summer day having no luck prospecting for gold, Walter
discovered a subterranean wonderland that is known today as
Mercer Caverns. Beginning on Sept. 2, 1885, and continuing for
the next two weeks, Walter, accompanied by his friend Emile K.
Stevenot, a mining geologist/assayer from Carson Hill, and E.F.
Floyd, the Murphys schoolmaster, explored the caverns. During
this early exploration of the caverns the skeletal remains of
six people--four adults, one child and one infant--were found.
After extensive examination and study of the bones by the
Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, the University of
California and, in later years, the Smithsonian Institute, it
was determined that the remains belonged to members of the Mi-
Wuk tribe of native Americans who lived in the area some 1500 to
2000 years ago. The original name of the