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Server Time:
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 Dutch3
Location: Nor Cal
 |  | Underground Oroville, CA ?
< on 9/6/2008 12:21 AM >
|  | | | I have heard some accounts of an underground network in the old downtown area.
Has anyone been there? I have been in the basement of the old Courthouse, which is still in use as offices for a county organization.
I am interested in any tunnels that connect retail establishments, etc. This town was raring in the gold rush days, and I am finding interest in that history.
I'm too old for this stuff, but WTH...
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RailGuy88
     
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: Where you're not...
Gender: Male
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 1 on 9/6/2008 12:37 AM >
| | | | Hey, you're only as young as you feel.
If you see purple glass in the sidewalks, just work your way thru the shops til you find the underground. That's what I did in Snohomish, WA last summer. But I got locked in, and had to walk thru a jewelery store to get out (after hours). The manager stared at me and I just said "I had to use the bathroom and got locked in." Works every time!
-R
Going where others can't... |
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tunnelbug
Location: California
Gender: Male
| |  |  | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 2 on 9/6/2008 2:28 AM >
| | | | Is oroville the old gold mining town? I have heard that a number of mining towns had extensive underground networks of tunnels. Many were opium dens. Others were for fire fighting purposes, and still others were literally from people digging under their homes and all around underground town to find gold.
Bearings: A Geographer's Blog
Member of the CTC |
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ToddyToddTodd
Location: Sacramento Valley
Gender: Male
Sutter Buttes Titan Site
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 3 on 9/8/2008 1:13 AM >
|  | | | Back in the early 90's I heard about a news story from Oroville. In some housing development a guy wanted to heighten his carport so that he could fit his RV under it. He had a bright idea. He decided he would cut the legs, jack up the structure, and put spacers in to gain height. After cutting a post, the bottom disappeared. It fell through a hole into a mine. Apparently the whole development was built above a shallow, unknown system of mines. I heard the whole development was condemned. Perhaps this is related to what you were asking about.
ToddyTT |
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IDChris
Location: Southern Idaho Wasteland
Gender: Male
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 4 on 9/8/2008 2:55 PM >
| | | | Not to get off on a side trail here, but if you can get a tour of the powerhouse under the dam and reservoir, I recommend it.
As far as I recall, it's closed to the public. You can see a model at the visitors center.
I toured it in the early 90's with CSU Chico CM program.
With underground tunnels in town, It's probably typical of many old towns with basements in downtown buildings.
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Calvin Kaneda
Location: West Coast Ninja/East Coast Pirate.
Gender: Male
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 5 on 9/11/2008 7:47 AM >
| | | | There is an Underground In Oroville Ca.
It's a record store.
"By the prick of my thumb something wicked this way comes..."
"Under the cover of night, I travel across rooftops while you dream of adventure."
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Dutch3
Location: Nor Cal
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 6 on 9/13/2008 10:47 PM >
| | | | Posted by Calvin Kaneda
There is an Underground In Oroville Ca.
It's a record store.
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Yes...and they sell more than music.
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Fatback
Location: Novatoish
Gender: Male
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 7 on 9/19/2008 8:09 AM >
| | | | I'm too lazy to do a quick search but from what I remember about Oroville is that most of the mining done in and around town was dredge mining. Most of the town is built on top of old tailings. Everywhere you drive around the area you can see piles of tailings. Of course none of this means that there may not be an "underground" downtown, it just makes it less likely.
[last edit 9/19/2008 8:11 AM by Fatback - edited 1 times]
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IDChris
Location: Southern Idaho Wasteland
Gender: Male
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 8 on 9/19/2008 6:46 PM >
| | | | Posted by Fatback
I'm too lazy to do a quick search but from what I remember about Oroville is that most of the mining done in and around town was dredge mining. Most of the town is built on top of old tailings. Everywhere you drive around the area you can see piles of tailings. Of course none of this means that there may not be an "underground" downtown, it just makes it less likely.
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Actually there was a lot of hydraulic mining done in the area. The piles you see are probably the tailings that were sluiced afterwards.
Explore the hills up around Cherokee and you can see lots of evidence of it.
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NoBonus
Location: Northern California, USA
"So long and thanks for all the fish"
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 9 on 10/16/2008 5:09 PM >
| | | | I live in the Oroville and I know for a fact there are tunnels and whatnot under the streets. In fact, the original city of Oroville is underneath what is the current downtown Oroville. There were problems with flooding and whatnot (before the dam), so they built up. I am going out on a bit of a limb, but I know there is a way to get into the underground in the building housing the Mary Lake Thompson store on Montgomery St. The abandoned building across the street, if I remember correctly, has a completely collapsed floor that could offer entry into the underworld. There are also teams of abandoned buildings up and down in downtown Oroville that could get you down there. I do know, for a fact, a Chinese laundry was run out of the underground under mary Lake Thompson's. You know, Oroville people are street tough people, but are generally pretty accomodating if you are nice to them; you may be able to just sweet talk your way down there or bribe your way down there in some of those second hand stores. However, I have never heard the condition of the under-Oroville. If it is mostly collapsed and impossible to get around or what. I would bet, if you went to the downtown museums (Pioneer museum and the Chinese Temple) you could milk the docents for more information about the under-Oroville. BTW, the Chinese Temple is a really cool, old place to visit and is still a functioning temple. $3 to get in and open 7 days a week.
[last edit 10/16/2008 7:23 PM by NoBonus - edited 1 times]
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Dutch3
Location: Nor Cal
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 10 on 11/15/2008 4:07 PM >
| | | | NoBonus,
I live "near" Oroville and am familiar with some of the buildings you mentioned. I never thought about talking with the museum docents, that's a good tip.
This area has a lot of history. I am out in a rural area on an old railroad line and can hardly turn over a shovel of dirt without finding some artifact.
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RailGuy88
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: Where you're not...
Gender: Male
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 11 on 11/16/2008 12:53 PM >
| | | | Posted by Dutch3
NoBonus,
... I am out in a rural area on an old railroad line ...
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Which line? Union Pac, Rio Grande, Western Pac, or Southern Pac?
My grandparents used to live out in Magalia (between Sterling City and Paradise), and my Grandpa and I would go check out the local history stuff behind the bluffs.
I can't remember if the rail line I saw ran behind that reservoir back there, or if it was the line that connected the Sacramento mainline to Redding via the old SP/UP route.
Anyhoo... Pics by chance?
Going where others can't... |
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Dutch3
Location: Nor Cal
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 12 on 11/18/2008 4:23 AM >
| | | | Posted by RailGuy88
Which line? Union Pac, Rio Grande, Western Pac, or Southern Pac?
Anyhoo... Pics by chance?
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This would be SP. They still owned most of the ROW as of 15 years ago. I hear it was abandoned about 1950 between Marysville and Oroville. I am about halfway between the two.
Artifacts include buckets of spikes, auger bits, hammer heads, door hinges, locks, bottles, a red lantern and even a rifle clip. I'll see if I can round up some pics.
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IDChris
Location: Southern Idaho Wasteland
Gender: Male
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 13 on 11/19/2008 6:43 PM >
| | | | Supposedly there are rail lines and tunnels that were covered by Lake Oroville. I've never seen them, but classmates who were boating out there said they used to see speedboats going through the tunnels when the water level was just right. They've been talking about blasting them, but I don't know if it has happened yet.
Is this the SP line you are referring to?
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RailGuy88
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: Where you're not...
Gender: Male
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 14 on 11/21/2008 4:13 AM >
| | | | Who? Him or me? ... The SP had miles and miles of trackage back when there were active mining in the area. I wouldn't doubt that there are still tunnels and trackage there. Would love to see them. 
Going where others can't... |
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IDChris
Location: Southern Idaho Wasteland
Gender: Male
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 15 on 11/21/2008 7:37 PM >
| | | | Posted by RailGuy88
Who? Him or me? ... The SP had miles and miles of trackage back when there were active mining in the area. I wouldn't doubt that there are still tunnels and trackage there. Would love to see them.
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Both of you. I've never personally seen the submerged tunnels, but I heard of them through classmates and the visitor center guide confirmed that " many rail lines" were submerged. A major one was relocated. I not sure if they ever blasted the submerged tunnels
Old topos may be the way to go on this.
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Dutch3
Location: Nor Cal
| | Re: Underground Oroville, CA ?
<Reply # 16 on 11/24/2008 3:39 AM >
| | | | Re: the tunnels on the lake...they seem to be pretty much common knowledge, although I have never seen them.
There are some videos on youtube of boats going through. The water is so low now that those tunnels are probably 300' above the water level.
The ROW I live on was SP. It was abandoned in favor of using the WP/UP main a couple of miles to the west. The route is still evident between Marysville/Oroville on Google Earth.
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