Jerry Bransford- 5th Generation Guide at Mammoth Cave

I was disappointed on my last trip to Mammoth Cave.  Well, as I mentioned, I had a lot of fun, but I was hoping to meet Ranger Jerry Bransford.

I have mentioned Jerry Here before- if you haven't done so already, check out this link from the Times about him.

Jerry Bransford is a fifth generation tour guide at Mammoth Cave.  He is the great-great-grandson of Materson Bransford, who was, VERY LITERALLY, one of the original tour guides/explorers of the cave (during recorded times).  If you read up on the early cave adventurers, the Bransford name comes up a lot.

So, since I was unable to say hello to the legendary Jerry Bransford, I sent a note to him.  He very generously wrote back and sent some great info about Mammoth Cave, and the National Parks in Kentucky.  Though he is proud of his family legacy, I felt that the humble Mr. Bransford wanted to keep the focus on National Parks, and their significance.

Thanks to Jerry, I was able to watch a couple of great movies about Mammoth Cave, and another film about all five of the National Park Units in Kentucky.  Jerry appears in both.

There are some great quotes from him in the movies.  He mentions how, when he was a teen he came to the park and he was not allowed to eat in the hotel restaurant.  Later, he was asked to be a part of the park because of his heritage.  Its a great statement, and a bit emotional.

Anyway Jerry, I hope to catch ya next time I am at the park!