Patteson, Harvey. Robber Barons Cave / Harvey Patteson. 1923. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012646088/.
Students will observe the photo of Robber Baron Cave and discuss what they think is happening. They will hear an overview of the cave’s history both as a landform and as one of the first commercial caves in Texas. After discussing the purpose of the photograph as an advertisement for a kind of amusement park in the early 1900s, students will learn about the current mission of the cave. In small groups, they will create an updated advertisement for the caves and present it in a tableau.
Robber Baron Cave is located in the urban area of San Antonio, Texas, and is the longest known cave in the county. Over a mile’s worth of passages have been mapped out. The cave is full of history and lore—for about a decade before the Great Depression, it was even used as a tourist attraction. The image is a posed picture used in the advertisement campaign for the commercial venture of George C. Saur.
Source: https://www.tcmacaves.org/preserves/robberbaron/
Source: : https://www.tcmacaves.org/preserves/robberbaron/
- What kind of story does the marketing photo of Robber Baron Cave convey to the viewer?
- What was the purpose for continuing and expanding on legends of hidden treasures and outlaws surrounding the cave?
- What aspects of this photo might today’s current owners of the cave keep to promote the modern-day mission of the cave? What aspects might they change and why?
ELA Standards
5.1.D. Developing and sustaining foundational language skills. Work collaboratively with others to develop a plan of shared responsibilities.
Science Standard
5.11. Earth and space. The student understands how natural resources are important and can be managed. The student is expected to design and explain solutions such as conservation, recycling, or proper disposal to minimize environmental impact of the use of natural resources.
Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
- Show students the picture of Robber Baron Cave. Invite them to wonder what is going on in the picture.
- What do they notice?
- What do they think it means?
- Divide the students into five groups and jigsaw an online article about the Robber Baron Cave. Have each group read one section of the history section (Legends of Los Quebrantahuesos, 1920s: Open to the Public [divide in 2], 1950s: Neighborhood Expansion, 1960s to 1990s: Cavers and Surveys) at the preservation site for Robber Baron Cave (https://www.tcmacaves.org/preserves/robberbaron/history/ ). Groups should write down 3 to 5 important facts from the sections they read.
- Have one or two representatives summarize what their group read, discussing how the actual history of the cave has been influenced by stories and legends of the community surrounding it.
- After going through each group, ask students to identify which part of history the image is from. Ensure that they understand the image is staged and part of an advertising campaign to present the caves in a certain way to the public.
- Is the image real or staged?
- Why did the owner of the caves choose to market them in this way? (The idea of the Wild West was enticing, He wanted to attract people to visit, etc.)
- How has the goal of the current owners changed? What do they hope to achieve? (Research, education, preservation, safety, etc.)
- In their groups, have students consider how the current owners might try to convey the current mission if they had an advertising campaign. Imagine one image they might create to highlight the updated mission of the Robber Baron Cave. Each group will create a tableau of this image and present it to the class.
- To wrap up, have students write a short reflection on how our priorities with how we interact with Earth’s natural resources change throughout history and how we balance our desires to interact with them and our desires to learn from and preserve them.
Patteson, Harvey. Robber Barons Cave / Harvey Patteson. 1923. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012646089/.