Did you know that when Jacksonville’s current Library was built with funds from a 2000 bond issue, construction workers discovered a large tunnel that ran under Highway 238 and into the lower Britt Gardens?
It seems that undermining Jacksonville may have been a common practice long before the Great Depression of the 1930s. According to A.C. Van Gelder, an old-time miner and prospector, Chinese miners dug an extensive tunnel under much of Jacksonville in the late 1800s. In 1968, Van Gelder considered opening the “Chinese Tunnel” as a tourist attraction since it ran under much of his property.
The tunnel began near the bridge west of Jacksonville on what is now Highway 238, passed under the old train depot (now the Visitors Center), ran across Oregon on the south side of C Street, and followed the “rim” of C Street almost to 4th, ending under the community center (now the Jacksonville Inn parking lot).
The Chinese miners had dug down 12 feet to bedrock to create the tunnel. They had also used timbers to shore up the “drift” so the tunnel would not cave in, apparently an unusual practice for them. In 1968, the tunnel had caved in only one place since its excavation—at the southeast corner of C and North Oregon streets.
This is most likely the same tunnel under Highway 238 that was discovered when the current Jacksonville Library was built. It could be Chinese, since it originates in an area adjacent to what was Jacksonville’s Chinatown. But it’s equally likely that it dates from the Depression Era since one would think that 19thCentury Jacksonville residents would have been aware of any Chinese miners digging a tunnel under their properties.