Satan's / Santa's Caves

 

When ol Biff and i first heard of the caves under an island downtown, we looked at each other and simply said "yep!". With the biff-bar in hand we set off to find what was at the time, the mecca of underground exploration to us. The first day of recon turned out to be a bust. We climbed over every inch of that damn island in the dark, popping manholes and cursing the day we were born. Defeated and tired, we promised each other we would return the next afternoon and find a way underground. 

 





 Satan's Cave.

 Collapsed side tunnel . Note the old brick archway.

Old abandoned utility tunnel. These brick-lined tunnels wrap around the outer ring under the island. For the most part these tunnels are dry, but every so often you'll run across a patch of soggy earth.

Low ceiling tunnel

 Crawl tunnel

Needless to say, The caves and utility tunnels are an amazing historical tour underneath Nicollet Island. If you have the means, I highly recommend grabbing a biff-bar and having a go.