- The Mammoth Caves are important for another reason. The stories of the African Americans (both enslaved and free) who came to live and work at the Mammoth Caves showed the society and times in which they lived. It showed the difficulties, the struggles, and the discrimination. But it also showed the triumphs, the courage and the great skills of both the enslaved and free people at the Caves. You’ll get more details about this, and get the heartwarming and frustrating stories at the Mammoth caves throughout this podcast. The caves really were a microcosm of the society and racial conditions at the time.