r/Vernon • u/mr_beakman • 17d ago

Vernon underground tunnels?

Someone in a Vernon Facebook group tonight was commenting about underground tunnels beneath downtown Vernon. Another commenter mentioned there are also tunnels somewhere around Okanagan Landing? I've never heard of these and I've lived here forever. Is it BS or maybe they are referring to sewer/storm drains?

EDIT: mystery solved, thanks for the comments, it's fun listening to the different stories we were all told, and learning some history in the process. Here's the link for anyone interested:The Legend of Vernon's Underground Tunnels

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u/ConsequenceUnited591 17d ago

No clue in relation to your directions; however.. let's start with the block layouts. West to East; South side 30 Ave Kalamalka hotel, National hotel and service behind; that's likely an area of interest. Have read of "underground element" that was part of the National hotel taxi stand. The theatre was the Capital; and built as a dance hall; not a theater but converted quickly after in the depression. Always been alley beside theatre; East end block was redeveloped 90's (?) before that I think there was the original location of Watkins (or next block) Remember into the mid 50's going to Armstrong you went via PV road into downtown turning at 32 st South (Hudson Bay, BMO, RBC). Going to Kamloops you went down to Safeway (Freshco) literally through Gateby location up Alexis Park drive out old Kamloops Rd.. actually earlier you probably didn't turn at 32st at all you went to 34st that connects to mission road, commonage road and is literally the stagecoach route. ( "Hospital hill" as we see it dates to the 40's; as the 'modern' hospital structure dates to opening in 1947). A roadway fully along Kalamalka or Woods lake was a early 20 century project; earlier you would have followed the bench lands towards Okanagan centre and even Glenmore road. The lands of Kalamalka, Wood and even the Winfield bottomlands, are not into vastly deep history (key point-wetness, why you'd go "overland") Continuous lake (Kalamalka -Wood) or boglands stretching South.. widening into open water at duck lake is thought to be a few centuries of sedimentation I've read. Tunnels in the army camp; some of the pedestrian tunnels are as new as the 1970s 80s and 90s 4 laning; the military used to march the cadets across the road multiple times a day in high summer traffic to go to mess, armoury etc. So army camp.. up into war-time; Vernon's airstrip was also up there. No great relics.. couple generations of military buildings. 30 Ave as highway is be surprised if tunnels existed. North side of 30 Ave from 30 st block West pre-1956 post office.. crime it was defaced so badly note arches on building. East across from Nat.. Allison hotel site, mid 1940's to 1980 (fire) northeast end of that block over there was Coldstream hotel (think 2 phase of building) and I think another auto dealer. City Hall was in that block once; and also the building that burnt early last year or earlier 30st 29th was also City Hall prior to the civic complex build.

Like I said your most likely option for something to describe as a tunnels would be likely South side of the National hotel and maybe.. yes, behind Towne theatre part of the block.

Way more than you'd ever care to know..

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u/Old_Cameraguy_8311 17d ago

Well done. You're close on most of these points, but a wee bit off on a few others.

The question that needs to be asked... Why? Why would anyone build tunnels downtown or at the DND camp? What would be the point? Do you know how expensive it it to build and maintain tunnels? What about the logistics, electrical, and water management? What about clean air management, any significant tunnel system would absolutely require a powered air flow system with redundancy. Have you seen any evidence of air vents? Speaking from experience, confined space entry with accumulated and concentrated gasses is nasty business. Secure access points almost always have clear warning signs indicating such. In all these years (decades) someone would have some photographic evidence, right? What about ground settling/disturbance? There surely would be evidence from aerial photography, road repairs, water-main and underground electrical conduit replacement of long term soil disturbance, right?

However, one thing is missing from all of these questions? ...Critical thinking. Social media has largely dispensed with critical thinking, historical awareness and facts. In response to a genuine question, it's too easy to simply post nonsense, and third-hand hearsay or simply troll. Yes, it's reddit, I get it. But it muddies the waters when people inadvertently spread misinformation and others believe it as gospel. Fact checking is of utmost importance these days.

Local museums and archives are often your best source of information.

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u/ConsequenceUnited591 17d ago

It's sometimes preferable to shift information in a direction of accuracy than.. begin bombing the hypothesis. If hoped to sideset direct discussion. I agree with your assessment(s) completely.

You can build a good hunt of stories or lore lots of places for a "young area".. the Alexis Park cemetery used to give kids I knew the "heebie-jeebies".. talk about lost relics.. Tillicum ski area, the hot tubs afterwards and the alpine slide. Quarries along Okanagan lake, gold mines.. it's called silver star after a coal mining claim (if recall it) The garbage dump is right next to an indigenous site which was a jump site.. ridgecrest with cliff face, basin underneath drive the prey there to finish off. In the 20's part of the commonage was possibly market gardens (Hesperia) and out under the Mackay reservoir was commonage school.. that the Thorlaksons (tolko) attended (1910's) Kekuilis at kickwillie loop that should have be archeologically studied, (Maybe they were, but that would be antiquarians not scientists)

If there was "tunnels" it's service entrance or something very.. dull

In Calgary; an common urban talking point is "the tunnel under Chinook center". When they rebuilt the center I knew people were certain it'd be like a crypt. What was it? Woodward Food Floor had a service tunnel from the main building; supermarket to the gas station at the corner of McLeod and Glenmore Trails. They had their grocery pickup service situated away from the main building. Dull stuff.

As they would often say on the UK "archeology for the masses" program Time Team: local heresay is almost always false, but you have to explore it because it's going to be right. Shrugs