BERRIEN COUNTY, Michigan — Part of an old cave in Michigan, where “The Great Train Robbery” was filmed, has collapsed due to heavy rain.
This week, a wall collapsed at Bear Cave in Buchanan, said Adam Morris, the manager of a campground near the cave, told MLive.comThe wall collapsed overnight and was already closed to the public because of the flooding, Morris said. He did not specify which night the collapse occurred.
The cave remains closed pending an inspection, Morris said. It was unclear how soon the inspection would occur.
Storms on July 9, 10 and 15 dumped up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain in Berrien County. Average rainfall in Michigan in July is between 3 inches (8 centimeters) and 4 inches (10 centimeters), according to the National Weather Service.
Bear Cave was formed more than 25,000 years ago, the campground says. It served as an Underground Railroad stop for escaped slaves and bandits who hid there in 1895 after robbing an Ohio bank, the campground says. That story led producers to film part of the 1903 silent film “The Great Train Robbery” in the cave.
The cave is home to a large population of eastern pipistrelle bats.