History Goes Underground in the Tunnels of Moose Jaw

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History Goes Underground in the Tunnels of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

The most popular tourist attraction in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
combines theatrics and history

(Last updated September 2022)

Moose Jaw is a city in Saskatchewan, Canada located along the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway Number 1). I’ve driven by many times without stopping in the city. That changed on one prairie road trip when I took time to go into the city and take one of the tours offered by the Tunnels of Moose Jaw.

Moose Jaw was founded in 1882 when the Canadian Pacific Railway made it a divisional point and built freight yards and repair facilities. Another railway link was completed in 1893 – the Soo Line from Chicago. In addition to the railway presence, agriculture was a key part of the city’s economy.

So where do the tunnels come in and what are they? They are passageways and corridors connecting basements, storage rooms and hidden chambers. They were covered up for years, although rumours existed about their existence and there were differing stories about their purpose and use. A few tunnels have now been rediscovered. There are still differing stories about their history and origin, but the most likely explanation is that their earliest use was as utility tunnels between buildings. Steam engineers who maintained boiler heating systems constructed the passageways so they would not have to exit one building to get to the next, thereby avoiding constant extreme temperature changes between the intense heat in the boiler rooms and the bitter cold outside. Eventually, as boilers stopped being used, passageway entries were covered over.

The tunnels became the inspiration for tours offered by the Tunnels of Moose Jaw. The tours combine live actors, multimedia and period detailing to entertain, convey bits of history, and inspire imagination. The tours take place underground in a combination of original and recently constructed spaces. Much of it is in basement areas. The original tunnels were dirt. Any original space used in the tours has been reinforced with concrete.

History Goes Underground at the Tunnels of Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan: history information on lobby walls
History of Moose Jaw captured in photographs and stories on walls in the lobby

The tour I took was the Passage to Fortune, which tells the story of early Chinese immigrants to Canada. Our tour group became Chinese immigrants and travelled through Burrows and Sons Laundry and the kitchen of Mr. Wong’s Cafรฉ, as we learned the history of Chinese immigrants. Their story was hard. In the mid to late 1800s, Chinese immigrants came to Canada seeking fortune in the gold rush and to work on the Trans-Canada railway. They were primarily from rural areas, forced to find livelihood elsewhere because of war and rebellion in China. Their work was instrumental in completing the railway linking the east and west coasts, but they were treated poorly. In 1885, the Chinese became the only ethnic group to pay a “head tax” before being admitted to Canada. The amount of the tax was increased a couple of times before the Immigration Act in 1923 suspended Chinese immigration with a few exceptions, such as merchants, diplomats, and foreign students.

In the early 1900s Chinese immigrants arrived in Moose Jaw to work for very low wages. They may have lived in the tunnels in order to survive on their meagre wages and to escape hostility. Because the tunnels were located next to boilers in basement, there would have been enough heat to survive in winter.

The head tax made it expensive to bring families to Canada. May of the immigrants were men on their own, working and sending money to support families back home. In 1947, the discriminatory legislation was repealed. Since then Chinese immigration has been mainly families.

The characters we met on the tour were fictional, but based on true situations. The first Chinese people in many Canadian cities were laundrymen. And it was common for each small town to have a Chinese restaurant. The tour brought the Chinese immigration story to life in a very interesting way.

During Prohibition in the 1920s, Moose Jaw became a hub for bootleggers using the rail connections to the United States. Bootlegging, gambling and prostitution thrived in the city. It is this era which forms the basis for the second tour: The Chicago Connection. In this tour, you enter a speakeasy and prepare for the arrival of Al Capone. Although a handful of personal stories exist about people meeting Al Capone in Moose Jaw, there is no physical evidence to show he was ever in the city. Al Capone or no Al Capone, there is evidence that bootleggers and gamblers were common in the city known as “Little Chicago.” My sister took this tour two weeks before we went on the Passage to Fortune tour and said it was fun.

History Goes Underground at the Tunnels of Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan - Al Capone connection?
A motel playing up the connection to Al Capone

A new tour was added in 2022. The Bunker 24 tour takes you back to 1958 and immerses you in a 1950s Cold War bunker. You are a new recruit in Canada’s fight, entering your first day of training.

Pictures are not allowing during the tours. But I will show a few photos of Moose Jaw’s Main Street, lined with many old buildings housing unique and funky shops and a variety of cafรฉs and restaurants.

Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

Mural in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
Moose Jaw has 47 murals by local artists depicting historic city times
on different buildings throughout the city

Each Tunnels of Moose Jaw tour accommodates 15 guests and runs for 50 minutes. The Chicago Connection tour has several flights of stairs. The Passage to Fortune tour has one short flight of stairs, which is also equipped with a lift. I have mild claustrophobia. Even though we were underground, spaces were large enough not to cause me any issues.

Tours can be booked on-site or in advance online or via phone or fax. The tunnels are open year round except for Christmas Day. Some minor exceptions apply in the winter months. Check the Tunnels website. Take some time before or after the tour to wander down Main Street.  Metered parking is available on the street.

Other attractions in and around Moose Jaw include the Western Development Museum, Sukanen Ship Museum, Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretative Centre, and the mineral pools at Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa. Some things to stop and check out on a future road trip, perhaps.

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History Goes Underground at the Tunnels of Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan, Canada - a popular attractions combining theatrics and history in the tunnels underneath the city. Passage to Fortune relives the story of Chinese immigrants. Go back to bootlegging and speakeasy days in The Chicago Connection tour.

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23 Comments

  1. We took the Al Capone tour back in 2005 on our way to Alaska. It was fun and interesting. Whether Capone was there or not, it is worth the visit.

    1. Susan, it seems that more cities are starting to discover some of their history underground. Interesting and fun stuff.

  2. How could you possibly drive down the highway, see a sign that says ‘Moose Jaw’ and not stop by? The tours should really interesting. I think I would have gone for the Chinese immigrant one as well.

  3. I’ve driven across Canada many times but haven’t spent much time in Moose Jaw. The Tunnels of Moose Jaw and the Temple Mineral Spa make it sounds as though it’s definitely worth an overnight.

  4. This is like the Underground Tour of Seattle! Is it also because they put a layer above the original town?

    1. Carol, Moose Jaw’s underground is different than Seattle’s. There is no other city underground. No layer built above. The tunnels were purely for connecting basement boiler rooms. I think it’s interesting how different cities are discovering underground history and it’s all a little different.

  5. The idea of a city named “Moose Jaw” would definitely pique my interest and I’d love to take a tour of the tunnels and learn about the history surrounding their origins as well as the legends. The story of the Chinese immigrants is both sad and inspiring because of their tenacity to thrive and succeed despite discrimination and barriers. And it’s always fun to look at photos of a city that span its growth and changes over the decades. Anita

    1. Anita,I agree that the story of the Chinese immigrants is both sad and inspiring. And I did enjoy seeing how the city changed over the years through the photos in the lobby.

  6. Nice post, Donna. We toured the underground tunnels at Moose Jaw and found it fascinating. I have not blogged on it, so the trip must have been before 2009. Time to go back! ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Doreen, did you do both tours or just one? I wonder if the tours have changed at all over the years.

  7. Tunnels? In Moose Jaw? Why not? It’s quite amazing what little and not so little secrets are hidden underground. This sounds like a good tourist activity for the winter when visitors are not wanting to traipse around outside in the cold. I’ve pinned this to my Canada Pinterest board just in case I ever pass a sign to Moose Jaw. Stranger things have happened. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    1. Suzanne, it is amazing what secrets are hidden underground. More cities seem to be discovering that. And who knows, you may indeed one day pass a sign that says Moose Jaw.

  8. Moose Jaw certainly offers a lot. I found your tunnel tour and the Chicago Connection both well worth taking. I love history and I appreciate the unusual. I really enjoyed your article!

  9. Not far from Moosejaw, is Havre, Montana. They also have some amazing history where they also have underground tunnels where businesses were located . Just was there and toured through them. amazing history! Well worth seeing!

    1. Juanita, I did not known about the tunnels in Havre. I will remember that should I be in that area. It would be interesting to tour them.