[1][2] The cave was discovered by the Duhamel family, Alex and Mamie and their sons, Bud and Pete, in 1929, at their property in Rockerville Gulch.
Black Elk held the show for over a decade from 1934 to educate people about Lakota culture.
[3] In 1992, Bud received the Ben Black Elk Award for "promotion of Native American culture."
[4] In 2015, remaining family members decided that they no longer wanted to operate the business, and the cave was closed to the public on September 27, 2015.
[5] In early September 2020, developer Pat Hall from Rapid City, South Dakota purchased the site for an undisclosed amount.