Myths, legends swirl around old town tunnels

With the work on Sutter Street taking place, the tunnels under it have come back to life with tales of Folsom's gold mining days and Prohibition. "I would like it when it's all said and done for people to be able to see them," said Nancy Percy, Heritage Preservation League member of five years and Folsom resident of 20 years."They are legendary tunnels," she said. "For one thing, as the legend goes, their location was kept secret so kids wouldn't go in. So I guess the secret was well kept."One local man said that as a boy, he experienced the legends first hand."As a kid (around the age of 7 to 11) playing on the river, I can remember there being a few openings. We think it was for gold miners," said Rich Gray, owner of Gray's Place Antique's on Sutter Street."I would go back about 20 to 30 feet, but never too far," he said. "It was cool."He said the modern use of the tunnels was to migrate the water.Cindy Baker is a senior historian with PAR Environmental Services in Sacramento and a fourth generation Folsom resident. She worked with the archeological team to explore the tunnels. "The tunnels are really exciting. With the construction they are really bringing light to some really important archeological aspects of Sutter Street," said Baker. "The elements that they had in the 1800s were very well made. It was a nice structure."She said there was a year-round stream that ran down behind the Folsom Hotel and came out down below the Historic Power House. When people wanted to develop a street (now Sutter Street), the ravine stopped them."The tunnels were created to let the water flow better," she said. "The structure was an early culvert to carry the water down."As a girl growing up in Folsom, Baker said she remembers people going into the tunnels while they were open."Forty years ago, people would go down all the time," she said. "My guess is it's only 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide."She said during Prohibition, legend has it people would hide things down in the tunnels."I hope they can preserve it," she said. "I don't think people can or should ever take tours in them, but they should be preserved."Gray has a few other theories of what the tunnels may have been used for including transporting alcohol. But, he said he does not have any substantial proof, only ideas."The drain ditch could have been a mining shaft prior to the drainage, and because of the size, maybe it was originally for the Chinese. It was about four feet tall, I could stand up in it as a kid," Gray said.In fact, the height of the tunnels varies from three feet to six feet tall, according to engineers who have mapped the tunnels.Gray also said he was a part of the project to "fill in the holes" to block off that tunnel from the incoming Peter Yager's Brewery.He said it was a health hazard to keep the holes open while putting in a restaurant because of the threat of rodents."The health department said they needed to be filled," he said. "So, we filled in the mine shaft behind the restaurant."Rich Rumsey, whose family owned Rumsey Hardware on Sutter Street, said he thought the tunnels were filled in years ago for safety reasons."I would be surprised to learn they are still there," he said. "I don't know if I'd want them filled in or not. I'd like to see them explored."His father owned the building that is now Yager's."There were some portals in the bricks," he said. "But they were blocked off when I was a kid."Kelley Butcher, project manager for design team at R.E.Y. Engineers, has worked closely with the tunnels during the Sutter Street renovation project."I love the history behind this whole thing," Butcher said. "I really enjoy being on this project for that reason."