Statue of Man Discovering Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns Discovered - Statue

In 1903 Jim White was a young cowboy working for a man who harvested bat guano near Carlsbad. White decided to find out where the bats came from -- and discovered Carlsbad Caverns.

White was immortalized in 2011 with a 14-foot-high bronze statue outside Carlsbad's downtown National Cave and Karst Research Institute. The statue, by sculptor Reynaldo "Sonny" Rivera, shows White descending into the cave on a ladder he made from sticks and fence wire, holding his only light source: an oil can with a rag burning in the spout.

Carlsbad Caverns Discovered - Statue

National Cave and Karst Research Institute

Address:: 400-1 Cascades Ave., Carlsbad, NM
Directions:: National Cave and Karst Research Institute. Downtown. From the intersection of US Hwys 285 and 62, drive east on US Hwy 62, cross the train tracks, then immediately turn left (north) onto Park Drive. Drive north a half-mile. Turn left onto Cascades Ave. The statue will be on the right, just before you reach the first building.
Admission:: Free

Nearby Offbeat Places

Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Carlsbad, NM - 3 mi.

Apache Canyon Trading Post, Whites City, NM - 19 mi.

Ten-Foot-Tall Green Aliens, Whites City, NM - 19 mi.

In the region:

Flying Paper Boy of the Guadalupes, Queen, NM - 34 mi.

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