Prehistoric people were the first to stand beneath this forest canopy and feel the chilly air coming from the black opening in the ground. Local tradition holds that in the late 1790s a young pioneer chased a wounded bear into the chasm, rediscovering the cave. The same cool air and darkness drew people underground here for twenty centuries. After the War of 1812, travelers from around the world began visiting Mammoth Cave, and guides led generations of visitors by torch, lantern, or electric light. Until 1921, this was the only entrance or exit to the vast cave, and millions of people passed through this sunlit gathering place, which changed over time even as the cave's breath continued to reach outward as it had four thousand years ago.