Sunday, June 2, 2013

Ellinwood, Kansas: Half above and Half Below

Ellinwood, Kansas is on the Sante Fe Trail. The resourceful German immigrants who settled here, in the 1870's "Wild West," dug an underground town beneath the one mile square Ellinwood.



The underground world was a series of tunnels connecting the business' above to the business' below. In the tunnels, cowboys and town's men could drink in the many saloons, buy shoes and harness' for horses, store meat, visit the blacksmith, barber shop or display wares. This was a man's world. No women allowed, except for a prostitute here and there.

The good townspeople, ladies, gentlemen, and children could shop and walk the streets above without being bothered by drunken cowboys.

The tunnels were in use for several decades until, due to safety concerns, the town voted to fill in the tunnels in the 1930s and 40s. Three sections were saved  in 1979 due to the persistence and finances of  a woman named Adrianna Dierolf who owned the Dick Building. Since then, ownership has changed hands but the tunnels remain a tourist attraction. For $6.00 you can see them too!

Harness Shop
 
Light coming through the manhole covers above.
 
Doorway construction leading from one business to another.
 
Blacksmith's Shop
 
 
 




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