Warren's Cave in Alachua County, northwest of Gainesville, is the longest known dry cave in Florida, with more than 4 miles of mapped passages. Formed when the regional water table and sea level were much higher during Quaternary times, it developed within Florida's karst landscape as a dry cave. Local tradition links its discovery and name to Colonel John Warren of the Second Seminole War. By the late 19th century it had become a tourist attraction, with stairs built into the sinkhole entrance. Its importance grew dramatically after 1959, when cavers found narrow passages leading to far more of the cave system.