Meet Herb and Jan Conn
The Conns were legendary explorers that traveled across the United States. Between the 1940s and 1980s, their attention was focused in South Dakota, where they pioneered rock climbing in the Needles area and subsequently mapped over 60 miles of nearby Jewel Cave. Their tiny, off-the-grid home was nicknamed the “Conncave” and they embodied the ethics of living simply and sustainably. All of this was approached with their unmatched sense of curiosity, humility and humor.
“We have lived like two cats in an untended fish market.”
— Herb Conn
Jan the musician
Jan loved music and taught countless children to play various instruments. She also loved collecting folk songs and writing songs about climbing and caving. Here she sings one of her favorites, called Little Foothold.
Herb and Jan Conn hiking near their home in South Dakota
Jan Conn halfway up climbing Devil's Tower, WY
Herb Conn in Jewel Cave, SD
Jan Conn with her guitar
Herb Conn cleans Lincoln's face on Mt. Rushmore
Jan Conn in Jewel Cave, SD
About the film
Many articles and videos exist chronicling the Conns’ countless adventures. Individually, they are fascinating and almost unbelievable. However, none have attempted to present their storied achievements collectively, stringing together the various chapters of their remarkable life.
Director Chad Heddleston first learned of the Conns from encountering climbing routes they pioneered and named along the East Coast. Looking more closely into their travels led him to reach out to Jan in 2015 (Herb passed away in 2012). After several letters exchanged – Jan’s preferred means of correspondence – Chad went to visit her in South Dakota and was welcomed into the famed “Conncave” dwelling that Jan and Herb had shared for almost 60 years.
Chad soon discovered that every question he asked led to five more questions, and the depth of Jan’s stories was as seemingly endless as Jewel Cave’s passages. What he thought would be a fun little hobby video project quickly turned into something much more comprehensive and important.
In the spring of 2021, Chad asked his longtime photographer/videographer/journalist friend Parker Michels-Boyce and his climbing/caving/mountaineering friend Mitch Goldman to join on a return visit to spend more time with Jan and film some interviews with her friends in South Dakota. After gathering footage over ten more trips, they approached video editor and filmmaker Sheree Chen to help organize the pieces they had gathered into a cohesive story.
Always remaining true to the Conns’ ethics of pursuing fun above all else, the film has been a passion project thus far, if on a somewhat lazy timetable (which the Conns would no doubt understand).
As we near the completion, we need your support and assistance to get this film through post-production so the Conns’ story can be properly preserved and shared.
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Chad Heddleston
DIRECTOR
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Parker Michels-Boyce
CINEMATOGRAPHER
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Sheree Chen
EDITOR
