COMMUNITY ASSIGNMENT
I started this project with a need to learn about the history of Ellinwood. The Underground Tunnels is one that I had heard little of and felt it needed to be told to the children of the community to keep it alive. As with any town, there are parts that most people are not proud of. My daughter and I went to the tour that is given of the Underground Tunnels, and I would have to say that I am unsure of what to think of it. My husband’s family was one of the original families to start this community. His version of this town, that was told to him by his grandfather, is different from the version I heard on the tour. Everyone that commented on my blog showed a lot of interest in the tunnels, so I had my daughter write a report to explain how she felt about the tour. The version told below of the tunnels is what I gathered from the tour.
I live in a small town called Ellinwood, KS. There is great history in this small town of about 2,100 people that came about in 1872. There is also a great sense of community. Everyone supports our children in sports, most people know each other, if you need help with anything you know that you will get it, and they have several gatherings in the community throughout the year. The most famous event would be the After Harvest Festival. Neighboring towns join in the fun with dinner, music, and dancing. The children also have a special bond. There is only one grade school, and the middle school and high school are combined.
Everyone who lives in Ellinwood has the common goal of providing a safe environment for our children. There is a high school counselor that really helps the children. Most kids love and trust her and would go to her with any problem that they couldn’t share with anyone else. I can’t say that that would be the case in the cities that I have lived in. This is the first small town I have ever cared to live in. I thought I would not like it, but the truth is that I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. My kids even love it. This is a town that might not be beautiful to everyone, but while living here it has grown on me. I am used to new homes, large malls, and chain restaurants and stores. I now tend to have a different view and definition of beautiful. Our old downtown is now a sight for sore eyes after going away for awhile. This is how I can tell I am “home”.
Ellinwood is on the Santa Fe Trail, which many people travelled in the late 1800’s. It is a German town that was settled and built to model towns that were in Germany. The downtown area was built on two blocks and it remains that way today. Since Kansas was very windy with no trees to speak of, the downstairs portion of the buildings was a great way to escape the harsh weather. There were tunnels that crossed the street and ran along the two blocks on each side. Businesses were aimed at men in the underground world. There were 11 bars in Ellinwood and 9 of them were underground. Women that went downstairs were called a “soiled dove”. It was only a place for men and the soiled doves. The ground level stores were the one’s that the townspeople and families visited where they would not be bothered by the travelers. When prohibition hit, the underground was closed and was used as storage for the businesses above. A woman named Adrianna Dierolf inherited one of the buildings that had the underground below. As a child, she was never allowed down there. She had a worker open it up and found stores down there that were exactly the same as when they were abandoned. She began giving tours in 1981. The city claimed they owned the sidewalk portion of the underground and began filling in the tunnels as they were not safe. When they got to her portion of the property, she made an agreement with the mayor that she would make that portion safe so that she could continue to give the tours. She did and tours have been going on ever since.
As I said before, I am not sure about how to feel about sharing this story with the children of my town anymore. My daughter does not see it as a bad story. Actually, she rather enjoyed it. Below is her report to show her feelings on it. I have also posted this, as well as pictures, on my blog.
Trip to the Under Ground By Madyson Bruno, a 7th grader from Ellinwood, KS
My mom, Stacey and I went to the underground city in Ellinwood. I actually thought it was really cool and I loved it. I think the kids at my school would love to go down there because it’s interesting knowing what’s under our city and how our city was built. If it was another city we went to like Hutchinson or Salina we probably wouldn’t like it because we don’t live there, and its not as interesting learning about a town you don’t live in.
What I saw was very interesting and old. There was a barber shop with the mirror still hanging there which is older than 120 years. Then I saw tunnels that were used for storage, and also tunnels used for walking from business to business. Then we saw where the cowboys took bathes and washed their clothes. Fresh water in the bathtub was 10 cents, and dirty, used water was 5 cents.
I learned a lot of stuff that day, and I had fun. I was surprised how interested I was in the history of my town.
How I think this can be used in art is that people can draw pictures of the old stuff. Then possibly have an art show, sell them to people or even put them up in a museum.
This makes me think that the children of my town might enjoy learning about the history of Ellinwood still. If we were to proceed with this, I think I would actually gear this towards the high school kids that are closer to adulthood. I would find people that grew up here and have ties to people that lived during that time. I would like to join with the teachers to make a book of the different accounts of the stories that have been told and passed down about the Underground Tunnels, since my husband has a somewhat different account other than that of the tour guide. I don’t think either one of them is wrong, but there is probably a “middle ground”. Someone in this town might have a journal from people of that time period in storage somewhere. I think having not only one person’s version, but several different ones would bring the story together a little more. This would bring this town even more together with the young working with the old. They might just learn a little more about other areas of life as well while doing this project.
This was a great project. I am glad that I went on the tour and took my daughter. I think that children are still interested in the past, and not just the new gadgets of the world. I have learned that my town was one built geared towards travelers, but I feel that it is different today. We do not have a McDonalds, or any fast food chain for that fact. We do have gas stations and we still cater to the passerby’s, but we want to remain that small community that doesn’t look too appealing. We have changed gears over the last 140 years and now cater to our children. They are our future and we must take care of them first.
