S. Fred Prince

S. Fred Prince (1856–1949) was an American naturalist and self-taught scientific artist and botanical illustrator. He produced a large body of writings documenting Marvel Cave in Missouri, as well as illustrated manuscripts on plant life such as flowers and ferns, violets, and animal life such as insects. He was also a cave explorer and surveyor.

Early life and education Prince was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Samuel Webb (Fred) Prince on May 26, 1856. He was raised in Chicago and Wisconsin where he worked to pay for his two brother's education. . His illustrated manuscripts documented insects, and plant life.

In 1881, Prince took a job in Chicago; there he worked as an engraver, printer and bookbinder. He remained employed in this industry until 1892. In the following year, 1893, Prince suffered a "breakdown" after his fiancée died unexpectedly. The Missouri Ozarks, and Marvel Cave in particular called him back. He wrote at the time: "I experienced a breakdown in 1893 and was taken into the Ozark forest where I dedicated ten years." Prince settled near Marvel Cave in Missouri, (previously called Marble Cave). Inside the cave he discovered an underground spring, from which he drank the water as a balm to aid in his emotional healing. He referred to the spring water as a "fountain of youth."

Surveyed Portion of Marble (Marvel) Cave, Stone County Missouri, surveyed and plotted by S. Fred Prince, 1894

That same year he was hired as a surveyor by William Henry Lynch, the landowner of the cave. Lynch was interested in the deposits of bat guano, which used commercially as fertilizer; he was also interested in developing the cave into a tourist attraction. The two men explored the cave extensively and camped in it often for weeks at a time. Prince coordinated and conducted the first organized survey of the cave, and created numerous illustrations and an extensive map of the cave. His illustrations and maps have been reproduced in books such as the Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills. Princes illustration work was also used in tourist pamphlets of the area, as the cave later became a tourist attraction. . The manuscript works of Prince dating from 1857–1949 are held in the archives of the University of Dayton.