An Unexpected City Of Tunnels Is Hiding Underground In This Rural Town In Idaho
It seems no matter where you turn, Idaho is one exhilarating, awe-inspiring, and picturesque landscape after another. But if you’ve read any of our articles before, you know that our state’s history is just as fascinating as the beautiful landscapes we’ve all come to treasure. In fact, hidden beneath the surface of big-little haven is a number of hidden surprises, sometimes in the form of our vast cave system–the product of our turbulent geologic history. Other times, these secrets are in the form of forgotten underwater ghost towns, left to decay in their watery graves.
Uniquely, Twin Falls is home to a surprising underground city that few people know about, but provides the very foundation upon which the Magic Valley thrives today. And it’s far more vast than you might expect.
Tucked away deep within Rock Creek Canyon, south of Twin Falls, lies a forgotten remnant of the Magic Valley's origins, concealed by overgrown sage and poplar.
Here, Klarr Tunnel--a name that is just as obscure as its history--acts as the entrance to an underground network of interweaving basalt tunnels beneath the valley.
Andy/Andrew Fogg/Flickr
Klarr is one of 49 tunnels that stretch for nearly 22 miles beneath the Magic Valley's prime irrigation district, blasted decades ago in order to drain the region's water-saturated farmland. Most are about six feet in height and four feet wide.
While unknown to most Idahoans, it is this very system that paved the way for southern Idaho to flourish.
Well, not the system itself. As farmers quickly realized, southern Idaho's basalt rock isn't as porous as other types of rock, causing poor drainage and offering little solution to the problem.
Precious few people know of these tunnels and even fewer have stepped foot inside the slick, waterlogged remnants.
Irene Grassi/Flickr
Idaho's unique "city of tunnels" was blasted by the Twin Falls Canal Company in the early 1900s and now stands idle as a forgotten legacy of the 350 men who whose labor built the caverns.
At this time, the Magic Valley's water table was so high that farmers walking out to their fields were wading through mud that was calf-deep as water seeped up from beneath the soil.
The tunnels were thought to be the answer to the flooding concerns caused by the building of the Milner Dam in 1905.
elkbender257/Panoramio
With the Snake River diverted for irrigation, resident farmers quickly realized there was too much water coming in.
Thus, these cavernous canal tunnels were dug for miles, anywhere between 30 and 40 feet below the surface of the town.
darkday/Flickr
One can still hear the pouring water deep within the tunnels and see its eroding effects on the rock floors and walls. The ceilings are covered with mineral deposits from the constant trickling water seeping through the hundreds of drilled holes.
stu mayhew/Flickr
Of course, men and women used these tunnels as shelter during the winter, as well as for other illegal acts. The entrances were blocked, concealed, and shrouded with time to prevent further activities, as well as for safety reasons: many of the tunnels lack breathable air and are easy to get lost in.
But while this city of tunnels may be long closed off to the public and its precise entrance concealed, its very existence is a testament to the power of water in Idaho.
