Encore: Cedar Rapids' Beer Cave

Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality and 21st Century Archaeology

About a year ago the Iowa Dept. of Transportation discovered a sinkhole near Interstate 380 in Cedar Rapids. They found the sinkhole was the site of a 150 year old beer cave. Back in the 1850s Cedar Rapids built extensive beers caves to age and store beer under the breweries. The caves were abandoned following Prohibition. While the interstate has not been damaged, the Iowa DOT is planning to seal up the cave. The space is partially filled with debris and poses safety risks to people. Most importantly, officials don’t want the sinkhole to get bigger. Researching Iowa's beer caves is exciting because it enables archaeologists to study the community’s past. The brewery caves, the history of their use, and their construction provides information about 19th century industries, immigrant lifeways , and the ongoing social and the economic evolution of Iowan cities. For our interview today, the Indy team is joined by Brennan Dolan, from Iowa DOT, to tell us about the project.