American Fork Junior High

Martin Hansen discovered Hansen Cave in 1887 as he was tracking a cougar up Timpanogos Mountain. In the fall of 1921, George Heber Hansen and Wayne E. Hansen were hunting deer when they spotted a hole in the ground. The two returned a few days later with their grandfather, Martin Hansen. Martin Hansen, who's credited with actually discovering Timpanogos Cave, was also the first person to enter Middle Cave.

When Middle Cave and Timpanogos Cave were discovered government protection was in place, which has helped keep them in fairly good condition. Hansen Cave, however, is not a protected site and has been a target of vandalism over the years. Like the vast majority of caves, the caves in American Fork formed in Carbonate (i.e. Limestone, Dolomite). Over millions of years, carbonic acid, a weak acid, formed by water and carbon dioxide reacting with each other, slowly dissolves the carbonate, creating the caves.