About Goodwin Sinkhole and Cave
Goodwin Pit Sinkhole and Cave is an important karst feature in northern Laclede County, Missouri, owned and managed by the Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy (MCKC). The site consists of a large sinkhole and the entrance to Goodwin Pit Cave — a cave that has never been formally surveyed, though historical accounts suggest it once extended roughly a quarter mile underground with an entrance large enough for a horse-drawn wagon.
A History of Illegal Dumping
For more than 60 years, Goodwin Pit served as a roadside dump site. Its proximity to Lancaster Road — the sinkhole is sometimes called the Lancaster Road Sinkhole — made it a convenient target, and over the decades it accumulated tires, car parts, household waste, clothing, and other debris buried in some places more than 30 feet deep under layers of accumulated silt. The buildup obstructed the natural flow of water through the sinkhole and cave, turning the site into what Missouri DNR described as having all the effects of a small-scale landfill — contaminating groundwater that drains all the way to Ha Ha Tonka Spring.
After decades of failed efforts to stop the dumping, Doug Goodwin donated the roughly one-acre site to MCKC, which coordinates ongoing cleanup and restoration. Cleanup began in 2012 with a broad coalition of volunteers including soldiers from Fort Leonard Wood, Boy Scouts, teachers, cavers, and community members. The DNR's Solid Waste Management Program arranged for roll-off dumpsters and waived hauling fees, while its scrap tire unit ensured proper disposal of the hundreds of tires pulled from the site.
Civil War History
The cave's history stretches back well before the dumping era. Accounts passed down through the Goodwin family describe the original entrance as approximately 30 feet wide and 15 feet high. During the Civil War, local residents reportedly sheltered enslaved people inside the cave to hide them from Jayhawker raids along the Missouri–Kansas border. MCKC's long-term goal is to fully restore the cave entrance to something approaching its original dimensions and eventually open the cave for exploration and survey.
2024 Update
Following a 2022 break-in in which all stored supplies and equipment were stolen, work resumed at the site in 2024. In February, an 8-foot chain-link fence was installed along Lancaster Road to deter future dumping. During three fall workdays, volunteers from Fort Leonard Wood returned to remove trash from the sinkhole, clear sticks and branches from the cave entrance, and haul an additional 560 pounds of debris to the transfer station. A new section of hog-panel fencing was added inside the cave where erosion had opened a gap in the existing barrier.
By November 2024, the cave was draining better than at any point in the project's history. For the first time on record, water could be heard running deep inside the cave even while the cave entrance itself held no standing water — despite the sinkhole having received 3.7 inches of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Historically, the cave didn't clear until water levels dropped 6–8 feet below the nearby Dry Auglaize concrete ford; in November 2024 it remained open even while water ran over the ford. Removing additional sediment from the cave passages remains a priority for future seasons.
To date, the project has removed over 170 tons of trash and trash-laden material, along with more than 6,600 tons of clean fill — the result of 230 workdays and 1,530 volunteers since 2012. The cave has not yet been reopened for exploration, but steady progress continues toward that goal.