Journey back Inside The Blanket Fort this week as we hear a story from a book that’s nearly 100 years old. The Outlaws of Cave-in Rock by Otto A. Rothert was originally published in 1924 by the Arthur H. Clark Company in a printing of only one thousand copies, making it incredibly rare and valued by book collectors.
SIU Press republished the work in 1996, allowing the book to reach a new generation of readers. This riveting saga of the outlaws and scoundrels of Cave-in-Rock chronicles the adventures of river pirates and highwaymen who operated in and around the famous Ohio River cavern from 1795 through 1820.
The Outlaws of Cave-in-Rock is the work of a scholar and historian who documents his findings and leaves a detailed bibliographic trail. Rothert presents many eyewitness accounts to help supply the lore and legend of Cave-in-Rock’s colorful villains, and he makes clear which stories are told with historical authority and which are based primarily on speculation.