6 = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
CAMPUS
THURSDAY,FEBRUARY 6,2003
Network of old tunnels link to campus history
By Mindy Osborne
mosborne@kansan.com
Jayplay staff writer
Beneath the everyday activity on campus lies another world that plays an integral part in the University of Kansas' past and present.
It is the world of underground tunnels. Some students might not even know it exists. Others think it's just a myth.
Carlene Ellison, Wichita freshman, said she had heard rumors about the tunnels and that they ran under Allen Fieldhouse.
However, there is more truth and purpose to the tunnels than one may think. Now mostly decrepit and sealed off, the tunnels are located beneath campus buildings.
Constructed mainly for wiring and maintenance purposes, the tunnels are more than three miles long, connecting about 90 campus buildings and ranging from about five feet to eight feet in height.
Some tunnels are still used for utilities
around campus.
James Long, vice provost, said a large network spanned most of campus and was used for electricity, communications and heating purposes.
The oldest tunnels were made 150 years ago with additions to accommodate to the University's needs.
One tunnel runs under The Crossing, 618 W. 12th St., and catches water from the drainage basin on Ninth St.
Kelly Driscoll, one of the owners of The Crossing, was told from the previous owners that the tunnel was popular during the '60s when students would protest by the Kansas Union. When protests were broken up, they would use the tunnel to get away from cops.
"Since it was a downhill slope, they would use skateboards to ride down to the drainage system," Driscoll said. "Then they would change their shirts and walk back up the hill to the protest."
- Edited by Melissa Hermreck and Erin Chapman