Wind Cave National Park: Established January 9, 1903

Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota was designated the 8th U.S. National Park on January 9, 1903, by President Theodore Roosevelt.

It protects one of the world's longest and most complex caves (150+ miles explored), famous for its boxwork calcite formations—rare honeycomb patterns covering walls and ceilings. Above ground, the park preserves mixed-grass prairie and ponderosa pine forest, home to bison, elk, pronghorn, and black-footed ferrets.

It was the first cave designated a national park anywhere in the world.