Two Tucson cave explorers — Gary Tenen and the late Randy Tufts — discovered majestic Kartchner Caverns southwest of Benson in 1974. Then, fearing that the cave’s fragile limestone formations would be damaged by mobs of unregulated sightseers, they kept their find a closely guarded secret for 14 years.
Only in 1988, after the state of Arizona bought the property and officials made plans to protect it as a park, did Tufts and Tenen publicly reveal their incredible story.
Now, a new book — “Kartchner Caverns: How Two Cavers Discovered and Saved One of the Wonders of the Natural World” —
offers a detailed account of this underground tale of adventure and intrigue.
See the cover story in Sunday's Vamos section for excerpts from the book and an interview with author Neil Miller.
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