SAN ANTONIO – One of the people who helped discover and develop Natural Bridge Caverns in the 1960s passed away on New Year’s Eve.
Orion Knox Jr., 81, helped install pathways and lights in the caverns that have since helped tens of millions of people explore the caves, the Wuest family and Natural Bridge Cavern Team said in a statement released Sunday.
“Orion continued to explore and survey the massive Natural Bridge Caverns system over the years and participated in a caving expedition as recent as 2019 at the age of 78 when another big discovery was made,” the statement read.
Brad and Travis Wuest own and operate the caverns and are also cavers themselves.
According to the statement, Knox Jr. was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which prevented him from continuing to go caving in his later years but “didn’t diminish his spirit and interest.”
“After every caving trip, Orion wanted to see what was added to the cave survey map and hear all the details of our explorations and discoveries. We often consulted with Orion when planning caving expeditions, tapping into his experience and incredible memory about details of remote areas he explored,” the Wuest brothers said.
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