In 1839 African American slaves Stephen Bishop, Mat Bransford, and Nicholas Bransford came to Mammoth Cave to work as cave guides, and visitors from around the world extolled their exploits as guides and cave explorers. Their descendants maintained ties to the cave as farmers, teachers, and timbermen while supplementing their income as cave guides. In 1939, the retirement of Mat Bransford’s great-grandson Louis ended 101 years of unbroken family cave guide service in a profession long dominated by African Americans. Stephen Bishop’s grand-nephew Ed Bishop was an accomplished guide who, with German cartographer Max Kamper in 1908 and 1909, discovered several cave passages that led to one of the most famous Mammoth Cave maps. Cave guide William Garvin and his wife, Hannah Bransford, lived on a small farmstead within walking distance of Mammoth Cave, and many cave guide descendants attended Mammoth Cave School before working as teachers, loggers, farmers, and musicians. By the 1930s, the predominantly African American cave guide workforce was becoming more integrated, and today the heritage continues through family relatives in the local community.