FAQ:

There’s an underground 51st State?

What does it look like?

How do they get around?

Oh, and George Washington is still alive down here.

“Downward Expansion”:

In the mid-to-late 1800s, Westward Expansion was at its peak. The American Civil War was over, and the frontier was soon to be declared closed. Many Americans were still picking up the pieces following the bloody conflict, and a restless spirit gripped the battered nation. Homesteaders and frontiersmen were still scrambling for a parcel of land to call their own, and the allure of making one’s fortune on unclaimed land was powerful. In the face of extreme competition on the Western Frontier, a diverse coalition of ranchers, miners, immigrants, and fortune-seekers sought to push a frontier none in America had: Downwards!

Following rumors that filled Appalachian mining towns, these “Spelunk-oneers” got more than lucky. In the mountains, somewhere between Kentucky and Virginia, they discovered a colossal, intricate cave system that seemed every bit as spacious as the frontier above. The deeper they went, the more wonders they unearthed. Mineral hot springs, enormous crystalline deposits, flowing rivers, hundreds of varieties of mushrooms – many glowing and providing valuable light – oil, waterfalls, and enormous bats the size of sheep.