Blog: Beneath the streets history lives

Underneath Moose Jaw lies a different history to the one you might imagine as you walk down its bustling and friendly Main Street, writes Rebecca Lawrence from Canada.

Deep underground there lies a series of tunnels with links to both Al Capone and China.

Now a wonderful tourist attraction, the Moose Jaw tunnels tell two different stories with the help of some great actors and actresses.

The 'Passage to Fortune' tour reveals the tale of thousands of Chinese immigrants who hoped for a better life in Canada.

While the actual characters which feature in the story told in Moose Jaw's tunnels are fictional, the difficulties the Chinese faced when arriving in North America are true.

The majority helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway line across Canada but when this was accomplished, they were out of a job.

And many of them had arrived with huge debts and were practically enslaved to pay them off.

They also encountered a hostile reception from many of the Canadians - despite the fact that many of these people were originally immigrants themselves.

This forced the Chinese underground.

The Moose Jaw tunnels tell the story of a launderette, in which the Chinese slept and worked in very cramped conditions. They earnt very little money - and many who dreamt of sending for their families from China never saw them again.

The tunnels were built by engineers in the early 1900s.

The city was heated by steam and the engineers who kept heating equipment running in the town built the tunnels so they didn't have to keep going outside in the cold.

The tunnels became an expanded network, and when the Chinese came they were used as both living quarters and workplaces.

The other story, 'The Chicago Connection', deals with 1920s prohibition. Moose Jaw is fairly close to the American border and the railway line links it with Chicago.

The tour takes you behind Main Street where 'Miss Fanny' then leads you through several different rooms - including a secret bar.

The premise is that visitors are bootleggers hoping for some illegal alcohol.

Miss Fanny leaves you with the impression that Al Capone frequently travelled to Moose Jaw and she even takes you in his 'office' to see his suits.

There isn't actually any real proof to say Al Capone did travel to the city but I can see the tunnels would have been perfect for storing alcohol. Moose Jaw was also popular because of its red light district on River Street (now a popular shopping area).

As a result of Moose Jaw's link to Chicago and the transporting of illicit alcohol, the city did become known as 'Little Chicago".

If you take the tour with a pinch of salt, it tells a great story and it's certainly an entertaining way to spend an afternoon.

I preferred the Passage to Fortune tour as it is more factual and also includes a short film about the Chinese immigrants as well as photos of those who travelled to Canada to begin a new life.

The tours attract more than 100,000 visitors a year and are open daily, year-round except for Christmas Day.

For more information, see www.tunnelsofmoosejaw.com