A family's vacation took an exciting turn after they decided to visit South Dakota's Wind Cave National Park on their first trip out west. Someone in the family of six was the park's seven-millionth visitor.
Amos and Leah Gibello and their four children visited the park July 14 when they marked part of the park's history.
"With cave tours each limited to 40 people, this is a significant event," Superintendent Leigh Welling said in a statement to the National Park Service. "This milestone celebrates that people from everywhere are able to experience the wonders of Wind Cave and recognizes the efforts of park staff to preserve this cave and national park so that future generations will have the same opportunity."
In celebration of the milestone, the New Jersey family was gifted a free tour of the cave, and prizes including a blanket, stickers, a game and a Charley Harper print courtesy of the Black Hills Parks and Forests Association.
The Gibello family was excited about the experience and the memory it created during their first visit to the West Coast.
"We’re proud to be the seven-millionth visitor and hope there are seven-million more,” father Amos Gibello said. “We’ve never been out west before. There is a lot to offer out here.”
The Wind Cave National Park, now 118 years old, began receiving visitors in 1903. In its first year, the park welcomed 2,515 visitors who toured the cave.
Now, it averages about 125,000 visitors a year. Wind Cave National Park is open year-round.
For more information about the park or to schedule a tour, click here.
