History Corner - Are there tunnels under the streets of Mountain Home? Part 1

Tunnels Team in local irrigation tunnel said to be dug by Chinese miners

Photo by Joe Fortner

Of all the local history topics I have undertaken, by far the most controversial, interesting, and contentious is the issue of tunnels under the old buildings downtown in Mountain Home. Many people have opinions, or a “certainty”, about these much-storied tunnels.

A year ago, before I sent my first article to this newspaper, I knew I would want to tackle this subject. So I spoke with the two persons I most respect for their knowledge of local history.

John Hiler has published dozens, maybe hundreds, of articles on local history in Idaho Magazine, the El-Wyhee Hi-Lites, and elsewhere. He graciously received me into his home to talk about history. When I asked what he knew about tunnels, he dismissed the stories as nonsense.

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