There's nothing more American than trying to make a quick buck.

It's so ingrained into our culture that even kids get in on the action. And Floyd was no exception.

Even as a boy, Floyd knew that his hometown was special and therefore marketable. People came

from all over the country to wonder over Kentucky's mammoth cave. And to this day, it's still

the largest known cave system in the world, and it contains thousands

of years' worth of Native American history. Little Floyd didn't care much about the history

of the artifacts that he found scattered around the area's caves. All he knew was that they

were valuable. So he spent his days as a kid running through the underground systems that

dotted the hillsides,

collecting things like pottery and arrowheads to sell directly to tourists.

Years later, Floyd was still added as an adult, if not more ambitious than ever before.

And when he found a new cave near mammoth, he had an idea. If he could expand some of the narrower passageways, tourists would be able to access a beautiful

grotto chamber, and they would pay him for that privilege.

One winter day, after weeks of digging in the cold, Floyd noticed that his gas lamp was

running out.

Not too eager to be stuck underground

without a light, he started to leave, only to get stuck in a narrow passage. As he struggled to

free himself, his foot knocked over the lamp, plunging him into darkness. Right before a 30-pound

boulder fell on his leg, pinning him in place.

His neighbors eventually found him, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get him out.

For days on end, Floyd was stuck under that boulder, completely reliant on family and friends to bring him sustenance so he could survive.

Also, those tourists that he had dreamed about showed up.

...