Inside the Hidden Caves of the Despicable Silas Doty: Hillsdale County, Michigan
The infamous Silas Doty Caves are located in Hillsdale County out in the forest near the Pittsford State Game Area, ten miles southeast of Hillsdale and twenty five miles west of Adrian.
So what's the big deal? Why is there a growing interest in these caves and some guy by the name of Silas Doty?
To put it bluntly, Silas Doty was a creep...one of the most despicable characters to ever have lived in Michigan. Born in 1800 in Vermont, he settled in Michigan's Lenawee County in 1834. As a kid, he began his life of crime stealing, cheating, counterfeiting...and murdering. His life of crime is quite extensive.
Silas stole money, belongings, horses...and even once stole someone's slave. I mean, this guy was meaner than Filthy McNasty. Arrested, re-arrested, jailed, escaped, re-jailed, re-re-jailed, killed his hired hand and dumped the body in a swamp.....this guy's life of crime is so convoluted and complex, you'll just have to read the previous article I wrote on this guy so you can better understand and absorb.
When Silas moved in with his father in Reading, he kicked off another wave of crime...this time, he had a place to stash all his stolen goods...even the horses. He discovered some caves deep in the forest about fifteen miles east of Reading and this is where he hid all his booty.
To find these caves, you need to walk along the North Country Trail in Hillsdale County south of Pittsford. The gallery below shows you approximately where you have to walk.
Silas Doty died in 1876, a month and a half before his 76th birthday. He's buried in Branch County at Mundy Cemetery, Kinderhook, Michigan. His life of crime is believed not to have been out of necessity – but just for the fun of it.
The gallery below shows you these caves: inside, outside, and location...
The Caves of Silas Doty
MORE MICHIGAN CAVES:
Miners' Castle Caves
Bear Cave: Buchanan, Michigan
The Caves & Rock Formations of Mackinac Island