One of the forty
items on our fortieth anniversary list last year was to visit the Tunnels of
Moose Jaw. We didn’t really know much about them, but we’d heard intriguing
reports. So, on our way to Calgary for Christmas, we allowed an extra day to stop
and check them out. I recommend the adventure!
Beneath the streets
of downtown Moose Jaw, a complicated series of tunnels hold some
fascinating—and disturbing—stories of our own Canadian history. The city has
shrewdly turned these dark secrets into a tourist attraction that entertains
and enlightens. Part museum, part theater, the tunnels include multimedia and
even animatronics.
In the “Chicago
Connection” tour, we relived Al Capone’s bootlegging days. Guests become
bootleggers in 1929 who have come to Moose Jaw to buy booze from the Capone
organization. Needing to steer clear of the local police chief, “Miss Fanny”
led us through her club, Al’s office, and bedroom—both of which hid secret
escape routes—until we ended up in an underground tunnel. The only one who knew
the way out was the lovable Gus, one of Capone’s goons, complete with “Joizey”
accent.This tour began on
the opposite side of the street from where it ended, proving that the tunnels
truly do go right under the streets.
The tunnels were the
work of Chinese railway workers who’d dug them decades earlier so they could hide whenever
officials decided to collect the notorious head tax. The “Passage to Fortune” tour tells the story of these immigrants.
Population pressure,
political instability, and poverty brought many Chinese people to Canada seeking
a better life. Chinese labor played a major role in the construction of the
Canadian Pacific Railway, which reached Moose Jaw in 1882. With that project finished, many Chinese ended
up living and working in laundries in these tunnels because—as harsh a life as
it was, it beat the discrimination and hatred they endured above ground. The
conditions they lived in and the near impossibility of moving up can only be
described as slavery. Certainly, it was human trafficking and a shameful, dark
blot on our history. This story needs to be told, and you won’t find it in our Canadian
History textbooks—at least, you didn’t in my day. The tales left me with a new
appreciation for what many Chinese endured, passing down an irrepressible spirit
of determination to their descendants.
At the end of the
tour, we could ask questions, and I wish I had. I think we felt too subdued by
the somber story. Later, I wondered several things. Were the tables, benches
and bunks the actual ones used by the immigrants? Was a lot of that stuff left
down there? When were these tunnels “discovered?” What went on in between the
time they quit being used and the time they were developed for tours? In what
condition were they found?
If you go, perhaps
you can ask my questions and let me know!
The Tunnels of Moose
Jaw are a family friendly attraction offering an experience like no other. Tickets
are available from their website www.tunnelsofmoosejaw.com and cost $15.00 per tour or $25.00 for both.
They offer discounted tickets for seniors, youth, and children, with no charge
for kids five and under.
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